Unwed Fathers

Post date: Aug 20, 2012 6:35:51 AM

As is common with this blog, I seem to post songs that overlap many of my musical interests.  This is another John Prine song (see "Mexican Home" recorded below).  A version of this was recorded by Deer Tick on "Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows" - a John Prine tribute album made by artists inspired by his music.

Perhaps what I like best about John Prine is his ability to articulate incredibly vivid imagery through his lyrics.  From the start of the song you know that it's going to be interesting.  In fact, the first line of this song is what inspired me to record this cover with a vintage 'lo-fi' aesthetic.  The song starts: "From an Appalachian, Greyhound station.." which is what I put into Google image search to come up with the above image.  As I was playing the song and mastering it my goal was to give the listener the impression that it was played late at night in this Greyhound station (i.e. empty, desolate and cavernous) so I even left several background noises in the final edit.  I must admit, the overall sound that I was emulating comes from Tallest Man on Earth (at least his first two albums), so if it inspires you, check him out!

Production notes: AT4040 mic was used to record both vocals and guitars simultaneously.  Mixed in mono with reverb added to give the track some stereo depth.  Prior to reverb, a compressor was applied through Reaper.  During mastering a further compressor was applied (tube modeled compressor) to add some distortion and give the impression that the track was recorded lo-fi.

Unwed Fathers (MP3)