RCM favourites National Service return with a powerfully intimate take on ‘Last January’ from The Twilight Sad.
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Last January
National Service have a long held, affection for and affinity with murky, moody artists grown from the fervent Glaswegian scene (Frightened Rabbit, Mogwai, Kathryn Joseph & Honeyblood). This cover first emerged during the first lockdown when National Service lead singer Fintan Campbell showcased it during a solo performance.
After getting the initial nod from lead singer James Graham (The Twilight Sad) National Service set about recreating the track in their own image. Their cover was initially pieced together from various offcuts of studio recording, drum tuning, rehearsal noises and ambient sounds from deserted London streets. The other members of the band contributed new parts, recorded remotely to create a heavily-orchestrated, sedately-ambient take on the original’s tormented pangs of alienation, isolation and stasis.
With their cover National Service have delivered upon their name by bringing this brilliant song to the attention of more new music fans. Their reworking perfectly balances adoring glances with despair, it’s a powerful moment of intimacy that adds to the story of the original.
Last January Lyrics
You don’t care for me
Without the light, I still glare at you
Look away from me
Of feeling the same with me
So don’t die, it’s taken you all night
Of feeling the same
You are too old to fare on your own
When it’s your eyes touching my eyes to the past we know
They say, it can’t be done and they say, it’s all just fun
It’s your eyes, touching my eyes
You don’t care for me
Of feeling the same with me
And you know that I won’t, know that I won’t
You are too old to fare on your own
When it’s your eyes touching my eyes to the past we know
They say, it can’t be done and they say, it’s all just fun
When it’s your eyes touching my eyes
Comfort me?
When it’s your eyes touching my eyes to the past we know
They say, it can’t be done and they say, it’s all just fun
When it’s your eyes touching my eyes
This isn’t you that I waited for
This isn’t you that I came here for
This isn’t you that I waited for
The Twilight Sad
The original version of ‘Last January’ was taken from the 2014 album ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave, the fourth studio album by The Twilight Sad.
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Words Mark Knight
