Brennan Wedl & Waxhatchee
“Six O’Clock News”
ANTI Records
There’s nothing more satisfying to me than the multigenerational salute of respect between two great artists. In this case, it is three in total, as singer-songwriters Brennan Wedl and Waxahatchee (currently on tour together with a stop at the Masonic in Detroit on 4/24) celebrate Canadian songwriter Kathleen Edwards and her track “Six O’Clock News.”
It’s got all the great makings of a folk song – the tragic, somewhat parasocial tale of a woman watching a man killed in a police standoff on television. It’s from a stellar album Edwards put out called “Failer” back in 2003.
The cover from Wedl and Waxahatchee is nearly note-for-note – a gorgeous orchestration of an alt-country cult classic. This isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about celebrating what was already there simply with new voices singing the stellar narrative lyrics. Edwards agrees, and sees the value of these younger artists introducing her work to a new generation.
“Twenty-five years ago, my audience looked a lot different than theirs does today,” said Edwards in a statement. “It’s incredibly cool to see young women love the songwriting that means so much to me, too.”
“Brennan and I really bonded over our mutual love for Kathleen Edwards’ music,” Waxahatchee wrote in a statement. “It’s such a powerful song with timeless appeal and I’m just thrilled to get to release our take on it.”
And the next generation to discover this work through this cover is better for it.
