Shannon Lay announces new covers album with version of Elliott Smith's "Angeles"

Lay's version of Smith's "Angeles" marks her first outing since 2021's Geist album, and is teamed with a Kai MacKnight-directed video. The song is also the first taster of Lay's forthcoming covers album.

Lay said of her cover choice, "If I had a nickel for every minute I’ve spent listening to Elliott Smith I’d be a very rich woman. His intricate thoughtfulness always fills me up. "Angeles" was one of those songs I was always quite intimidated to learn but upon finally trying it came together so naturally. Then Debbie Neigher topped things off with an amazing piano outro. I love feeling Elliott’s spirit embedded in the musical scene at large. Anywhere notes are played he lives on."

Covers Vol. 1 will also feature covers of songs by Ty Segall, the Velvet Underground, Arthur Russell, Vashti Bunyan and more.

Last year Gretel Hänlyn covered the same Elliott Smith song live in session exclusively for Best Fit at Crouch End Studios.

Tracklist:

1. Angeles (Elliott Smith)
2. From the Morning (Nick Drake)
3. Blues Run the Game (Jackson C. Frank)
4. Close My Eyes (Arthur Russel)
5. The Keepers (Ty Segall)
6. I Lost Something in the Hills (Sibylle Baier)
7. Glow Worms (Vashti Bunyan)
8. I’m Set Free (The Velvet Underground)
9. I Am Slow (OCS)