Douglas Dare has shared a beautifully frosted take on Massive Attack’s evergreen ‘Teardrop’.
The song was recorded for the Bristol group’s ‘Mezzanine’ full-length, and matches intense electronics against a stunning, heart-stoppingly beautiful vocal from Elizabeth Fraser. Oft-covered, this latest take seems to tap into the emotional core of the song.
Recorded for Piano Day, it’s a spartan, icy performance, with little more than shards of piano and a whispered incantation. Douglas Dare comments…
“Thinking about Piano Day, I wanted to choose a song where the piano part itself was instantly recognisable and integral to the arrangement, ‘Teardrop’ is one of those songs. It’s been a favourite for as long as I can remember. For a kid that mainly grew up around classical music, it was a formative song that showed me that the piano could be dark and alternative. I recorded my version at home, and [in lieu of felt] I used a giant wool scarf to dampen the strings. I love hearing all the cricks and cracks of the piano; I guess I wanted to make it even more dark and alternative!”
“For the cover art, I was drawn to a photograph I took last autumn on the Greek island, Hydra. The image looks out onto the sea and a rock formation, which to me looked like a figure, quite serenely, lying face down in the water. It fits Elizabeth’s line ‘Water is my eye, most faithful mirror’ perfectly.”
Douglas Dare will play a special show at London venue Servants Jazz Quarters tonight (March 29th). The show will be livestreamed via his Instagram account.
Tune in now.
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