Vampire Weekend has recruited breakout rock/jam outfit Goose and experimental jazz saxophonist Sam Gendel to record a pair of lengthy covers of “2021”, one of the original songs featured on the band’s 2019 studio album, Father of the Bride. The two new recordings, both stretching out to exactly 20 minutes and 21 seconds in length, appear on a new EP entitled 40:42, which was released to streaming services on Thursday.
Ezra Koenig is an outspoken fan of jam bands, and has incorporated the music of the Grateful Dead into Vampire Weeekend’s own performances in the past, so it should come as no surprise to hear Vampire Weekend turned to a talented, up-and-coming band like Goose and a bold, avant-garde jazz musician in Gendel to help stretch the shortest song on Father of the Bride to a runtime worthy of the term “jam.”
A statement shared by Vampire Weekend to go with the two new covers reads,
The 40:42 EP is out now. We asked two of our favorite artists (West Coast saxophonist Sam Gendel and Connecticut-based jam vanguards Goose) to create 20 minute 21 second versions of “2021.” They knocked it out of the park.
Both created striking, exploratory works that stand on their own. We hope these 40 minutes and 42 seconds of music will provide some peaceful, vibey atmosphere as we all move through 2021.
Listen to Goose and Sam Gendel’s recordings of “2021” in full below.
Sam Gendel – “2021” (Vampire Weekend Cover)
[Video: Vampire Weekend]
Goose – “2021” (Vampire Weekend Cover)
[Video: Vampire Weekend]