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Today, with the release of a new single and music video for "Don't Let Me Down Again,"Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham share the final preview of Cunningham Bird. Out this Friday, October 18th via Loma Vista Recordings / Verve Forecast, the collaborative album sees the two close friends and virtuosic musicians embodying the creative spirit of a young Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, "comfortably stepping into the shoes of the legendary duo" (Paste). As a full-length cover of the pair's eponymous LP, Buckingham Nicks – a rare, cult record that has yet to ever be released on digital platforms or CD, or reissued on vinyl since its 1973 debut – Cunningham Bird"works as a piece of music that will stand on its own, and surely will reach audiences that Lindsey and Stevie's buried classic never has" (Variety). On "Don't Let Me Down Again," Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham personify the song's playful, propulsive energy, while transforming the arrangement, reimagining the sound and belting their vocal harmonies like listeners have never heard before.
Pre-order Cunningham Bird, listen to "Don't Let Me Down Again" and watch the music video: HERE
The video for "Don't Let Me Down Again" was filmed during Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham's special, sold-out underplay at The Troubadour just two weeks ago – the same Los Angeles venue that Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks headlined back in fall 1973. Following a sporadic, surprise series of Cunningham Bird appearances at Newport Folk Festival, The Hollywood Bowl, Bumbershoot, Infinite Dreams and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, this Friday will mark the songs' first official release on digital platforms, with a physical LP and CD release set for December 13th.
Produced by Mike Viola, led by Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham, and featuring only Griffin Goldsmith on drums/percussion, and Mike Viola on wurlitzer/bass/drums, Cunningham Bird "presents a decidedly intimate take on the original" (The Needle Drop). Having shared stages and studios countless times over the years – first working together on 2019's Grammy-nominated My Finest Work Yet – it is Bird and Cunningham's mutual, musical adoration that shines brightest across Cunningham Bird, and on highlights like "Crying In The Night," "Crystal," "Without a Leg To Stand On" and "Don't Let Me Down Again."
"The best reason to cover anyone is that little part of you that thinks you might do it better," says Andrew Bird. "Madison is the most talented musician I've encountered. She has a restless ear, always looking for a new sound or harmonic twist. Her voice is goosebump-inducing, nimble and emotive at any volume. I just had to find the right project for us to go deep on and this is it."
"Andrew is one of my favorite artists alive and one of the deepest musical collaborators I've been lucky enough to have," adds Madison Cunningham. "This buried record found us in a place where we were trying to figure out what we could do together. Unfamiliar with it, but excited by its scarcity…It was unsurprising to me how it ended up becoming one of the most creatively satisfying record-making experiences I've had, but the unforeseen bonus was how relevant some of those lyrics would be to my own life. It became a lifeline for me, and I hope we've done it justice."
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