The first in a (hopefully) long line of Facebook-exclusive recordings.

Posted now, for your listening, is the first in a planned series of monthly facebook exclusive tracks. If you 'like' Jakob Battick & Friends on Facebook (What used to be considered being a 'fan' of Jakob Battick & Friends, before the Facebook B.S. gods decided to change the terminology for no apparent reason) you will henceforth have exclusive access to a brand new Jakob Battick & Friends recording. At this point, it seems these exclusive recordings will lean more towards drastic reinterpretations of older songs and brand new covers that point to our roots and influences, making for an eclectic bundle of tracks to follow in the coming months.

IF YOU ARE NOT YET A FOLLOWER OF JAKOB BATTICK AND FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK AND WOULD LIKE TO BE, SIMPLY HEAD TO THIS LINK (Provided you already have an active Facebook account) AND CHECK THE OPTIONS UNDERNEATH THE PHOTO AT THE LEFT OF THE PAGE:

Jakob Battick & friends Official Facebook Page




For this month's selection we are proud to offer a recently recorded cover version of 'Crowds', the obscure piano-driven pseudo-torch-song by 80s goth legends Bauhaus. Originally the second track on the first side of the 'Telegram Sam' EP, this song has been a sort of obsession for me through the years. The original is twinkling, sparkling, lovely, and all the rest, it stands out boldly from the rest of Bauhaus' mostly-dated catalogue (Forgive me for admitting that, and understand that I do love the classic Bauhaus sound, dated or not) as an authentically gorgeous little ballad-type song. Of course, as with all Bauhaus songs, the lyrics get a bit silly at points ('A pixie, thin and forlorn/A count, white and drawn'), but thankfully Peter Murphy's melodic talents always overshadow his more melodramatic lyrical moments.

Here, we've embellished the stark minimalism of the original song and transformed it into something slightly grander. Piano has been changed into a bed of layered and sometimes distant electric guitars, the slight percussive pulse of a pair of egg shakers has been added, and a cloud of DIY-cellos unfolds from the middle of the track through to the end. This is the newest JB&Friends track to be released since the January 2010 recording of 'Heavy the Mountains, Heavy are the Seas'.



Head over to the facebook page and take a listen, keep your eyes peeled for each month's exclusive track. Also, tickets for our July 28th show at SPACE Gallery (Our first real show at SPACE GALLERY!)with brookyln's LA STRADA can be purchased here. The show is going to be laced with surprises, unexpected guests, and smaller-scale reinterpretations of the most massive tracks from 'Heavy the Mountains' alongside some more obscure choices.