Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats is an upcoming Clash tribute album featuring artists from around the world covering songs of The Clash and celebrating their music and human rights message. It’s out on World Clash Day (February 7) and proceeds from vinyl and digital sales benefit humanitarian aid organization International Rescue Committee. You can preorder now.
We’ve got the premiere of two songs from the comp: cinematic Montreal band TEKE::TEKE‘s take on “Bankrobber,” and indie singer-songwriter great Mirah‘s version of “I’m Not Down.”
“‘Bankrobber’ was the first ever song I heard from The Clash, it was on a compilation tape a dear friend of mine had made for me in my early 20’s,” says TEKE::TEKE’s Sei Nakauchi Pelletier of the band’s radical reinterpretation of “Bankrobber.” “The Clash went on to become one of my favorite and most-inspiring rock bands of all-time, way beyond their musical genius but also for their political stances and DIY approach.” That friend, Malcolm Bauld, was enlisted to sing the English verses on their cover.
Mirah, meanwhile, says of her take on “I’m Not Down,” a deep cut from London Calling: “One of the best things about being asked to work on a project like this is the opportunity it gave me to play a bunch of Clash albums all at once and to pay close attention as I was listening. I found so many songs that I hadn’t previously been as familiar with. I wanted to pick one that felt right for my voice, with words which reflected something about me and my own experiences. I need to have an authentic connection to the words that I am singing in order for them to come out right. That’s why I usually just stick to singing my own songs, since with those, the authentic connection is innate. ‘I’m Not Down’ grabbed my attention while I was listening, and as I read more about it I knew that it would be the one. Like a lot of people, I began having some run-ins with anxiety and depression during the pandemic. I wasn’t playing shows or making much music and I was spending nearly every waking hour with a tiny person who I’d given birth to 15 months before the pandemic started. As much as I regard it as a blessing that I was able to spend so much time with my kid through those developmentally spectacular early years, the weird isolation of pandemic + parenting definitely contributed to some hard times. ‘I’m Not Down’ was written as a sort of F you to hard times and depression, and that felt, and feels, pretty relevant. Also, it is striking to me that since I was first invited to be a part of this album there have been so many new violent situations in the world which have only continued to make the work of The International Rescue Committee an absolute necessity. Thank you to Jesse and Shared Medium for creating this way to support the IRC and educate folks about their work.”
Listen to both songs and The Clash originals below.
There’s a NYC release show for the album at Brooklyn Made on February 2 with Mirah, Teke::Teke, and Kill Rock Stars-signed folk artist Seán Barna. Tickets are on sale now. You can see the flyer with more info below:
