In recognition of Leonard Cohen’s new album, Old Ideas, Columbia Records has teamed with Vimeo for a covers series, entitled Old Ideas With New Friends. We’ve already heard Bradford Cox, Cults, Cold War Kids, and Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli reinterpret their favorite Cohen tracks, and now you can watch The Mountain Goats‘ John Darnielle deliver a tender rendition of “The Smokey Life” from 1979’s Recent Songs. Though originally a duet, Darnielle opts to keep things soft, sparse, and intimate. By taking few liberties with the track, the cover ends up being a lounge-y, personal late-night ballad. Check it out below.
Other musicians participating in the series are to include Old 97s’ Rhett Miller and The New Pornographers’ A.C. Newman, so stay tuned for more.
Leonard Cohen’s Old Ideas is available now via Columbia Records. The Mountain Goats’ 15th LP, tentatively entitled Transcendental Youth, is expected sometime this year.
