Erin McKeown, all five-nothing of her, maybe less, packs more punch than a barfight and is as enchanting as a mother duck unwatched on these four songs. I feel like I’ve only made escalating remarks in this section in the last three weeks, boasting further about the things we’ve captured, but with each session Patrick Daytrotter has become more and more comfortable with how best to represent each of our kind visitors on tape. Erin and Alli were the first of a double-header session that day, stopping into the studio on their way to a show in Cincinnati. Jason Forrest, the Berlin-living former Donna Summer-electronica-whiz, popped in just as the girls were gathering everything up to leave. They were complete strangers and had never heard of the other. Quite a divergent day, but back to the songs. All four of the choices Erin and Alli made for the session made the room – in the mid-morning – warm in a different way. But each set off the same sort of magical reaction in everyone in the studio that day. I’m confident that nothing would have been different, even if Erin and Alli hadn’t been the most pleasant people we’ve ever met in our lives. Honest.

– Sean Moeller

Air (Erin McKeown) [2.40MB] [3799 downloads]
– original version appears on “We Will Become Like Birds” on Nettwerk Records

“This one draws a pretty taut line between how birds are formed in a biological sense and how we can learn from that as humans. I LOVE the drum part Alli plays. It’s based on something from the recording, but it moves further. I also think this one is the toughest as a duo, but we carry it off.”

Life On The Moon (Erin McKeown) [4.02MB] [6980 downloads]
– original version appears on “We Will Become Like Birds”

“I love this song. It came from a fortune cookie I got once that said, “Maybe in the 21st century you can live on the moon.” What???? This one is a good example of how a bigger guitar sound and smart drumming choices can make you think a lot is going on.”

28 (Erin McKeown) [3.60MB] [4880 downloads]
– unreleased

“This is from my new batch of unrecorded originals. I just turned 28 and somehow was trying to make sense of the dramatic blandness of your late 20’s. I like the form — that it just continues forward, not returning really to any part you have heard before.”

Honeysuckle Rose (Erin McKeown) [1.79MB] [4807 downloads]
– unreleased cover of Fats Waller, from McKeown’s upcoming album of standards

“I just finished recording my “standards” record and, always when you record, you are surprised by the results. If you aren’t, then you aren’t being truly creative. I thought my “standards” record would sound entirely like this track. And it does not. Which makes me extra glad we played this one for you.”