Over the last two decades, Chicago’s Bloodshot Records has released several important records in the modern alt-county canon. That includes Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker, Neko Case’s Blacklisted, and Justin Townes Earles’ Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. Now, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the label has put together a star-studded covers album.
While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years of Bloodshot Records features various non-label artists covering 38 of the best songs from Bloodshot Records’ catalog. Contributors include Andrew Bird, Superchunk, Ted Leo, Diarrhea Planet, Frank Turner, Tim Kasher, Chuck Ragan, Hiss Golden Messenger, Shakey Graves, and Into It. Over It., among others.
A press release notes that “some [tracks] offer faithful versions; some bring their own particular bent, and some completely re-imagine or dismantle the material and take them places it’d never occur to us that they could go.”
As a preview of that first category, the label has shared Blitzen Trapper’s straightforward-but-subdued take on Adams’ Heartbreaker standout “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)”. With the rendition’s foot-stomping harmonica riffs and twangy guitar solos, the cover is a faithful recreation of the original’s rebellious mood.
