But I have a rule whenever I'm learning something new: remove as many variables as possible.

It's difficult to learn when you are tackling too many new concepts at once. I think lots of people stop pursuing ideas not because of the challenge involved, but because they're overwhelmed. When you are taking on too many considerations at the same time, you just feel inept, or stupid, and it's tough to even tell if you're improving. That's a fast way to make someone quit.

So the way I handle learning a new space, or new equipment, is to remove the writing process. Cover songs are a great way to get a handle on engineering, production and arrangements. You already have the chords and the words and a reference arrangement, so you can focus on style, technique, mixing, etc.

To narrow the field further, I only chose from some of my favorite female singers. I have a pretty high voice, so I find their ranges often suit me better.

I'm not the most online person, so I stumbled on it years later. But it came from someone playing the vinyl of Jolene at 33rpms. The slower speed really highlights how nice the song's groove is, and I found myself returning to it a lot.

When I started picking songs for this EP, that slowed down version was still fresh in my mind. So it felt like an easy fit. I remember it took me a few days of practice to get the piano down, but the rest came pretty quickly. 

At the time they weren't a "cool" band to like. At least in my area. But I always enjoyed songs like "Linger" and "Dreams" and "Ode to my Family", so I listened to them in headphones, or when no one was around. Something we used to refer to as a "guilty pleasure".

This all probably sounds silly now, as music isn't so tied to identity these days. But it was an easy thing to be made fun of for during my school years. Funny anecdote: I bought "The Bends" from Radiohead when I was in the 7th grade, but the album to buy was "Dookie" from Greenday. People made fun of me. Then OK Computer came out and suddenly Radiohead was cool again, and I got to play the "I liked them before they were cool" card. I love how ridiculous this all sounds now.

I was pretty sad when news got out that Dolores O'Riordan died, and I was already in the middle of recording this EP, so I knew I wanted to give a nod to her and the band. I chose this song because it was the one I always listened to by myself, in headphones.

It's what introduced me to Cyndi Lauper. I loved the song, but then I heard "True Colors" and "Time After Time" and became an overall fan. I think she makes such fun music, while always being just a little left of center. Not an easy blend to pull off.

As someone who isn't very good at writing things that are fun, I'm always a little mystified by those who can do it so well.

But I've also covered it live plenty of times.

When it came to tracking this one, I tried my hand at a piano and strings version. Josh, my partner, threw in with some cello for me. It was fun building a version where neither of us were playing our main instruments. Sometimes it's nice to go back to fumbling around again.

Lana Del Ray had just done an SNL performance that didn't go very well. I kept hearing how awful she, and this song, were. I eventually grew curious and looked it up. I had the opposite response. I liked it a lot! And the performance just struck as someone who was very nervous. I later checked out the record and became a fan. I think she's really good at combining ennui with a noir-style melodrama.

For this recording, Josh and I worked out a version on electric piano, viola da gamba, mellotron and a drum machine. An odd combo, but those are always interesting ones to sort.