So if you were to say the name "Eric Bachmann" to a regular person, they'd probably reply with "Who?" but that's to be expected because the vast majority of the artists I feature on this blog are "Who?" worthy to the vast majority of people but that doesn't make them any less important and Eric Bachmann is no different.
Fact of the matter is that any indie kid who doesn't know at least half the words to "Web In Front" is kind of a disgrace. Bachmann is fantastic, from the trail blazing early nineties grungy Archers of Loaf to the lackadaisical folk of Crooked Fingers.
That being said, I must apologize to Bachmann because... Well, The National and St. Vincent's version of Crooked Fingers' "Sleep All Summer" trumps the original on all counts.
It's no secret that National frontman Matt Berninger has one of the most smooth and seductive voices around. Couple that with
For a long time, I avoided the track because it was so "buzzy" around this time last year. Couple that with an Archers of Loaf loyalty and you've got yourself one hesitant Amber. Love of two of the three parties involved (Unpopular Opinion: St. Vincent's okay.) and curiosity eventually won me over and despite my best interests, I adored The National and St. Vincent's take on "Sleep All Summer", a track which, naturally, lends itself to much summer listening.
On the lazy, warm nights when you want to reflect on the shamble-y status of your love life but the latent bitterness of Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago just isn't doing it for you, "Sleep All Summer" is absolutely perfect, with truisms like "I could change for you but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be a better man" paired with some of the best poetic moments of Bachmann's years as a songwriter. Pair the perfection of the song with the way Berninger's and St. Vincent's Annie Clark's voices compliment each other perfectly, and you've got yourself a winning track for laying in bed and thinking about your ex, animosity free, or maybe, you know, that super cute guy you met that maybe something could happen with.
None of my love for Berninger and the amazing things he does with Crooked Fingers' work discounts the talent of original songwriter Bachmann, of course. While the album that bore "Sleep All Summer" is arguably one of the triumphs of Bachmann's career, his latest venture with Crooked Fingers, Forfeit/Fortune, grows better with age and just shows that Bachmann's at his best with a bit of grit.
