Bic Runga has covered Neil Young, Roberta Flack, Nick Drake and the Beach Boys on ‘Close Your Eyes’, her first album in five years.
Bic Runga, a New Zealand treasure, created ‘Close Your Eyes, with her partner Kody Nielsen of Mint Chicks in their studio at Mission Bay. “We have a studio in Mission Bay in Auckland that we call “The Box.”, Bic said in a statement. “It’s mostly analogue recording gear, vintage synths, preamps and drums. Our recording techniques are ‘old school’, it’s about capturing good performances on good instruments, it seems obvious in a way but it means you have to work hard on the take, and not rely too much on editing and mending things.”
The album contains 10 covers and two original tracks. “There are so many songs I’ve always wanted to cover. I wanted to see if I could not just be a singer-songwriter, but someone who could also interpret songs. In the process, I found there are so many reasons why a cover version wouldn’t work, perhaps because the lyrics were not something I could relate to first hand, because technically I wasn’t ready or because the original was too iconic. But the songs that all made it on the record specifically say something about where I’m at in my life, better than if I’d written it myself. It was a challenging process, I’m really proud of the singing and the production and the statement.”.
CLOSE YOUR EYES TRACK LISTING
1. Close Your Eyes (Bic Runga)
2. What’cha Say (The Meters)
3. Wolves (Kanye West)
4. Things Behind The Sun (Nick Drake)
5. Tinseltown In The Rain (The Blue Nile)
6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
7. Andmoreagain (Love)
8. Viens (Francoise Hardy)
9. Dream a Dream (Bic Runga)
10. The Lonely Sea (The Beach Boys)
11. Life Will Get Better Some Day (The Mint Chicks)
12. Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Neil Young)
