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HELADO NEGRO ft FLOCK OF DIMES / Lotta Love

I found myself listening to Neil Young’s version of Lotta Love and was entirely captivated by its sincerity. I wanted to live in the song and sing those words and make music around it. I wondered how to make a version that compelled you to step closer to the words.

I wanted it to be hymnal and spiritual outside of religion. I interpreted the theme of the song to be about protection. How do we protect each other? Our current global and national crises are very much on my mind when I sing these words. Creating this version of Lotta Love allowed me to travel in the song as a vehicle to continue to offer up sonic respite for myself and hopefully for others.

When I began building the song’s bones, I sent it to my friend Jenn Wasner (Flock of Dimes), who immediately responded and sent the song back with bass, guitar, and the vocals. We met a few years ago when I began recording This Is How You Smile in Durham, NC, at Sylvan Esso’s studio. She lived across the street and played guitar on my song Seen My Aura. That same week I sent it to Trey Pollard who played piano on the song, and Adron, who sang additional vocals.

Both Trey and Adron have played on so many of my previous records. We share so many sonic sensibilities and work process’ that even sending music remotely is easy going, and the result is always so good. The result felt perfect and was everything I had hoped it to be. The one thing that needed more direction was the very last line before the end verse/chorus. So I sent it to Devendra and asked him to sing it and add anything that felt right. He did it that same day! I mixed and recorded everything from my home studio in Brooklyn and sent it to my friend Rachel Alina to master. Visual artist Kristi Sword made these beautiful color pieces that speak to the harmonic content of the song.

I love you and thank you for listening.

Credits:

Helado Negro – Lotta Love
Featuring: Flock of Dimes
Written by: Neil Young

Adron: Voice
Devendra Banhart: Voice and Electric Guitar
Flock of Dimes: Voice, Bass and Electric Guitar
Trey Pollard: Piano and Echo Effects
Roberto Carlos Lange: Drums,Percussion, Rhodes Mark I 73, TAL-U-NO-LX

Artwork by Kristi Sword
Recorded and Mixed by Roberto Carlos Lange at Island Universe Space, Brooklyn, NY 2020
Mastered by Rachel Alina
Released by 4AD 2020