Coo Coo Ca Choo: Old Meets New – First Aid Kit and Simon & Garfunkel

Anna Zipkin

  

Courtesy of Glide Magazine.

It‰’s very rare that I stumble upon covers of classic songs that I enjoy, let alone take time to write about. I‰’m especially skeptical when I come across covers of my favorite tracks.

My readers should know by now the extent of my love for Paul Simon, not just as a solo act, but also accompanied by Art Garfunkel. Simon‰’s voice, so calming and graceful, combined with his lyrical genius, creates a sound like no other musician from his time. Garfunkel‰’s voice, though quite similar, is less fluid than Simon‰’s, but just as distinguishable. Together, their tones of voices accompany one another almost too perfectly, producing a magical, whispery sound. It‰’s absolutely beautiful.

In a recent music exploration online, I came across a cover of Simon & Garfunkel‰’s famous song “America‰” by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. I had listened to a couple of their original songs from their two most recent albums, but I was still astonished at how incredibly well they managed to sing in harmony and give off the sharp, folky vibes live that they emit on record. While singing “America,‰” they maintain the unique, old pop qualities of the song while adding hints of female singer-songwriter flair ‰ÛÒ modern Joni Mitchell-sounding, if you will.

While the original piece is played with a full band, drums and all, Johanna and Klara Soderberg of First Aid Kit strip down the song completely, relying only on the substance and magnitude of their voices and the strumming of their acoustic guitar. They harmonize in a way that resembles country-folk more than 1960s protest folk, which, regardless of how un-country the original song sounds, works surprisingly well. Though their voices aren‰’t as gentle as Simon & Garfunkel‰’s, their higher pitches are somewhat relaxing in a very unconventional way.

The original “America‰” is a beautiful piece. However, the way that First Aid Kit’s performance amplifies its distinguishing features is absolutely amazing. I can safely say that I am both satisfied and delighted at their rendition of one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs.

Listen to the original here: