This is Chris Thile playing “Heart in a Cage,” from his 2006 album, How to Grow a Woman from the Ground. The song was originally recorded by the Strokes, and it is one of two rock and roll covers on the album, the other being a bluegrass version of the White Stripes’ “Dead Leave and the Dirty Ground.”
I like this song a lot, but I don’t like this album. I understand that Chris Thile is often showered with praises for his musicianship, and I can’t deny his speed and precision on the mandolin, but every other song on this album feels rushed, or busy. I do like his take on “Heart in a Cage,” better even than I like the original, but his version of “Dead Leaves” just suuucks. I find his version of Gillian Welch’s “Wayside” to be borderline repulsive. It feels like he finds great songs, and then arranges them so that he can show off his mandolin licks, without any concern for the original emotional content of the song. “Wayside” is a slow song in spirit, not just in execution, and I am annoyed at the liberty he took with it.
It doesn’t help that his voice suffers from indie-rock levels of over-sensitivity. Considering this, I don’t know how he pulls off “Heart in a Cage” so well, but I think it lies in his slower, simple arrangement of it. It keeps the message of the original, but changes the medium.
Check out the song, but don’t bother with the album.
Sincerely,
Reverend Harris
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