That post on Leif’s “Read My Mind” (still one of the best covers of the year so far) caught a lot of ears in February, but in the event some didn’t find their way to his originals, here’s a pair Vollebekk just shared from his sophomore LP, North Americana. Spinning “When the Subway Comes Above the Ground” and “At the End of the Line” the past few days, it struck me how little emphasis he imposes on opening and closing parts of these takes compared to contemporaries. Even on his Killers cover the titular refrain drifts off at first — a simpler feat when applied to a line known by millions, literally. But Vollebekk’s understated bookends feel more worth noting on his own tunes. Words for how they surprise you were a struggle until reading a piece by one of those ears from February: “He sings what he uncovers, before it has settled,” writes Sean on Said the Gramophone. Sean chose two different cuts to highlight, here are two more:
