About this item

Delving into the Great American Songbook of Howe Gelb, 'Sandworms' is a new collection that rephrases and rephases the legacy of Giant Sand across generations. This release offers bold reinterpretations from Water From Your Eyes, Deradoorian, Jesca Hoop & John Parish, Lily Konigsberg, Holiday Ghosts, Ella Raphael, Monde UFO, The Golden Dregs, and Gently Tender.

The ever-present Giant Sand and their one-man cerebral traveller, Howe Gelb, are anchored by a reputation for idiosyncratic storytelling. A “natural storyteller,” Gelb’s multifarious musical delivery adds an enduring sense of wonder as he extols the virtues of happenstance. This collection celebrates the esoteric and singular journey Giant Sand have taken, through alt-country, jazz, lo-fi experiments, and beyond, while their legacy is reimagined here by a new generation of artists paying tribute to their lasting influence.

Brooklyn duo Water From Your Eyes, known for their stoner humour, fatalistic undercurrents, and art-pop flair, bring a delicate balance of punk riffing and dream-pop escapism to 'Warm Storm', first heard on Giant Sand’s 'Ramp' (1991). Whitney K takes on 'Happenstance' (from 1994’s 'Glum'), unravelling its existential puzzles with a whispering baritone that recalls the hushed intensity of Leonard Cohen.

Drifting further into orbit, Angel Deradoorian reinterprets 'Center Of The Universe', the title track from the band’s 1992 album, transforming its desert-fried rock into a spaced-out Sun Ra-paced drama. Elsewhere, 'Yer Ropes', a jaw-dropping highlight from 'Glum', is taken on by The Golden Dregs, blurring sentimentality and relationship mismanagement into something truly strange and moving.

A special collection for both long-time fans and the newly curious, 'Sandworms: The Songs of Howe Gelb and Giant Sand' is released via Fire Records and includes liner notes from Dave Henderson (Mojo).

TRACK LISTING

1. Jesca Hoop & John Parish - But I Did Not
2. Lily Konigsberg - Shiver
3. Water From Your Eyes - Warm Storm
4. Whitney K - Happenstance
5. Deradoorian - Center Of The Universe
6. Gently Tender - Forever And A Day
7. The Golden Dregs - Yer Ropes
8. Holiday Ghosts - New River
9. Ella Raphael - A Hard Man To Get To Know
10. Monde UFO - Who Am I?