Listen: Rachel Zeffira (Cat's Eyes) – To Here Knows When (My Bloody Valentine cover)

As part of her upcoming solo project, Rachel Zeffira (Cat’s Eyes) has taken a de-tangle comb to My Bloody Valentine’s woozy ‘To Here Knows When’, re-orchestrating it for classical acoustic instruments. A different kind of beautiful, this version sacrifices none of the mystery in reinterpreting the static-y layers through cello, piano and cor anglais. It both emphasizes the essential elements of the original track, and works autonomously as a uniquely beautiful object in its own right.

It is credit to Zeffira’s lightness of touch, deftness with instrumentation and clear appreciation of the original, that this track is wholly successful. Unlike the ‘quirky-covers’ that tend to happen when popular songs are re-imagined in such a different way for the benefit of Radio 1’s Live Lounge or similar, this is not in the least bit gimmicky. The quality and subtlety of the arrangement, paired with Zeffira’s ethereal vocals – which are almost as sonically elusive within the mix as those in the original – work together to heartbreaking affect. And perhaps it is only the (unfortunate) rarity of cor anglais within popular music, but those intermittent crying-animal wails sound other-worldly, and seem to express the intensity of emotion that lies behind the demure vocals. Artists of the world – more cor anglais please.

This track gives a clue as to the quality we can expect from the rest of Zeffira’s solo material, to call it a cover however is to do it a disservice, instead, it should be considered a variation on the original.

You can hear another of Zeffira’s solo songs, ‘Waiting for Sylvia’, here.