Jacob vs. James track 01: Protect Me
for my friends who have known me for a long time, it is no surprise that James is just about my favourite band. i was introduced to James' music in the summer of 1994, as a brand new adult, and i have loved it since. that's 18 years; half my life, and the fandom has not waned. i own nearly all their albums. i have purchased their material on cassette, vinyl, cd, and digital; i have pins and t-shirts, and have seen them live thrice. James have been a big part of my life.
around the same time i started listening to James was when i was forming semi-serious aspirations to write and perform music myself. i think that i first started playing (or attempting) James covers around 1997. so i have been wanting to do something like this for 15 years, more or less. this will be the first of many James covers, and brace yourselves:
it's gonna sound nothing like the original. obviously, i do not have the technical prowess at singing/playing as the members of James. they are, without hyperbole, masters of their craft, and one of the best bands of our generation. so i won't even go there.
instead, i offer something entirely different: my interpretations will be unique takes on James favourites (and b-sides too). i do not think that i would do the songs justice if i attempted to record faithful reproductions of the original compositions. so, my arrangements will carry my own flavour (which some of you know and love, and others may think is weird, or dischordant, or horrible, etc.).
anyway. the first James cover song i offer up is "Protect Me", from the 1992 album Seven.
after i got into James through the popular (in North America) album, Laid, i purchased Seven, and fell in love with just about every song on it. "Protect Me" is not nearly my favourite song on the album, but it evokes a sense of nostalgia in me; it did this even the first time i ever heard it, as though i had heard it a thousand times before. it felt so haunting and pleading, while also being comforting and consoling. these are the feelings i hoped to capture and emphasize on my adapted version.
arrangement-wise, i completely deconstructed this track. the original is in 3/4 (or is it 6/8?) timing, and is a sweet little three minute track. there are various live acoustic versions, and it is a simple song that works well when stripped down. i took it in a heavier direction. i switched up the time signature, i gave it a downtempo beat, and used a lot of synths. i layered multiple vocal tracks, and i built the track over a looped guitar snippet from an early cover version that i recorded way back in 2002. so yeah, this cover is a decade in the making.