Jeffertitti\u2019s Nile<\/strong><\/a> is the kind of band that likes to make its own reality. The project of Jeffertitti Moon, bassist for Father John Misty, Jeffertitti\u2019s Nile developed in the space between tours, expanding with various new members and cameos as well as scattered musical styles and odd combinations. The group prides itself on its unpredictability, and seem to deliberately sidestep expectations with each new release of self-described \u201cTranscendental Space-Punk Doo Wop.\u201d<\/p>\n

It should come as no surprise, then, that the first single off the Jeffertitti\u2019s second album The Electric Hou<\/em>r, set to drop at the end of April, is a little out of left field: on \u201cBlue Spirit Blues,\u201d Jeffertitti conducts a large-scale, ultrazany reimagining of jazz legend Bessie Smith\u2019s 1929 version<\/a>. Jeffertitti\u2019s cover is a full gutting of the track: underlaid with a bass pull as powerful as a riptide, \u201cBlue Spirit Blues\u201d moves at a breakneck pace through its three and a half minutes, rollicking and snarling the whole way.<\/p>\n

Bessie Smith and Jeffertitti aren\u2019t nearly as odd a combination as they seem on first glance, and in fact, the more you listen to the song, the easier it is to realize that the full-body trip of Jeffertitti\u2019s \u201cBlue Spirit Blues\u201d isn\u2019t a new addition; the song always had a glint of craziness beneath the surface. The lyrics have always been scary: it\u2019s the story of dreaming of descending into hell, running until someone wakes you up. Just as the deep dread and foreboding at the heart of Jeffertitti\u2019s version is traceable to Smith, the original version of the song has always had something otherworldly and–in an early 20th century jazz sort of way–psychedelic about it. Jeffertitti\u2019s rendition blasts open the song\u2019s expansiveness and amps up the dark, sexy rhythm behind the melody.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to know what to expect from an album whose first single is a cover, but if the imaginative power behind this track is any indication, The Electric Hour<\/em> will be worth looking out for. The new album drops on April 29th via Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records<\/strong><\/a>. Until then, listen to \u201cBlue Spirit Blues\u201d below:<\/p>\n