Brandi Carlile Re-Records ‘During These Quiet Days,’ Acoustically similar to ‘In the Canyon Haze.’
Taylor Swift isn’t the only one re-recording recent albums. Brandi Carlile has followed Swift’s lead, albeit for quite different reasons than Swift’s. Carlile returned to the studio to completely remake last year’s “In These Silent Days” in a new, acoustic-focused version titled “In the Canyon Haze.”
The newly recorded album will be released on September 28th. It is preceded today by a remake of “You and Me on the Rock (In the Canyon Haze),” which features her wife, Catherine Carlile, on harmony vocals.
Carlile explained that the concept came about when she considered releasing a deluxe edition of “Silent Days” with bonus tracks for the album’s forthcoming anniversary. Instead, she decided to make the entire album a bonus. The “canyon” element refers to the artist’s belief that the reworked arrangements aim for a vintage Laurel Canyon feel.
The new CD follows the original album’s running order perfectly, except an acoustic cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” which she frequently performs in concert, tacked on at the conclusion.
“I knew I wanted to offer our fans more than just the usual ‘bonus track,'” she stated. “So, the twins (Phil and Tim Hanseroth) and I shut ourselves in my barn’s attic studio, just like the old days… and recreated our entire record.”
Carlile stated she “conjured up imagery from the notorious music scene in Laurel Canyon” while participating in “Joni jams” at her famous friend’s home in the Santa Barbara area. I could picture the cast of California Dreamers drifting through a polaroid haze with embroidered flowers and peace signs on their backs. I detected the aromas of marijuana and incense. I could hear the CSN harmonies traveling through the canyon from Lookout Mountain and the accompanying laughter of Mama Cass. I could listen to the reverb of aged wood and the dulcimer being strummed like a drum. The familiar chord progressions, confessions, and communal spirit would birth timeless songs…
Songs that we all wish we could have composed. I could sense the release, the friction, and the escape from modern-day digital distractions that provided fruitful ground for west coast poets and troubadours.”
While the digital and CD editions will be available on September 28, the multi-color double-LP vinyl version will not be available until November 25, when it will be available only at independent stores – coinciding with the Black Friday edition of Record Store Day. The vinyl will go on sale the following Friday, December 2. Pre-order information may be found here.
Carlile continues to tour behind the original “In These Silent Days” album, with her next dates being sold-out stops at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre Sept. 9-10. The tour wraps up Oct. 22 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The singer-songwriter will also perform at the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony in Nashville Sept. 14, where she’s up for three awards