{"id":804672,"date":"2020-02-27T08:43:30","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T15:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=958716"},"modified":"2020-02-27T08:43:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T15:43:30","slug":"hear-the-national-cover-inxs-never-tear-us-apart-to-raise-money-for-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/hear-the-national-cover-inxs-never-tear-us-apart-to-raise-money-for-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hear the National Cover INXS\u2019 \u2018Never Tear Us Apart\u2019 to Raise Money for Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The National<\/a> have released their rendition of INXS\u2019 \u201cNever Tear Us Apart,\u201d which was created as part of Songs for Australia<\/em><\/a> \u2014 a compilation album of covers by Australian acts that will benefit the fire-stricken country\u2019s rehabilitation efforts. Helmed by Australian folk-pop singer Julia Stone<\/a>, the compilation is set for a digital and physical release on March 12th via BMG.<\/p>\n

The Ohio indie band\u2019s version replaces INXS\u2019 signature staccato playing of string synths with drum programming, though the band tries to remain faithful to the original track. The satisfying guitar part comes right after the first chorus, and while the group injects horns into the love song, guitars take a zealous front-and-center position to replace Kirk Pengilly\u2019s original sax solo.<\/p>\n

The piano parts sound more delicate, giving the cover a fittingly more mournful tone that\u2019s less about showmanship and flair than the original. (That said, the National is a band that has made a career off of the forlorn, and by their standards, the recording is actually more uplifting than some of their most beloved songs.)<\/p>\n

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The album, which was finalized in about two months, started out as \u201ca feeling of sadness and helplessness,\u201d Julia Stone tells Rolling Stone<\/em>. She was working with the National collaborator, performer, and producer Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent) in London when the project came together.<\/p>\n

As the fires raged, Julia Stone played her favorite track \u2014 Midnight Oil\u2019s \u201cBeds Are Burning\u201d \u2014 and inspiration struck. Bartlett suggested they record it the next day in search of a cathartic experience. Stone\u2019s cover of \u201cBeds Are Burning,\u201d which was written 33 years ago about indigenous land rights, is included in the set. She started exploring the information relating to the inattention to indigenous wisdom on land management in Australia. \u201cHad that information not been ignored, this crisis may have been less damaging,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n