The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project - The has overwhelmed us (Colored) 2LP

Conceived in 2006 by the late Gun Club titan’s guitarist Cypress Grove, the Project has always aimed to highlight Pierce as one of America’s most fascinatingly influential singer-songwriters of the last century while propelling his outpourings into modern times by placing it in the hands of former collaborators, friends and fans. Following 2009’s We Are Only Riders, 2012’s The Journey Is Long and 2014’s Axels and Sockets, The Task Has Overwhelmed Us presents stellar interpretations of tracks from Pierce’s Gun Club and solo canons along with fresh works constructed from rehearsal skeletons, previously unheard lyrics, songs only performed live. Taking song ideas without lyrics and words looking for musical settings gave rise to what Cypress Grove calls “Frankenstein songs”. The stellar roll-call of contributors features the Project’s original recurring core including Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Lydia Lunch, Youth, Jim Jones, Warren Ellis, Mark Stewart, Hugo Race, Cypress himself plus Mick Harvey and J.P. Shilo as The Amber Lights, even Jeffrey himself from original tapes. These are joined by new bloods including Dave Gahan, Suzie Stapleton, Duke Garwood, Pam Hogg, The Coathangers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Peter Hayes and Leah Shapiro, Humanist, The Walkabouts’ Chris Eckman, Jozef van Wissem, Jim Jarmusch, Chantal Acda and Welsh space-rockers Sendelica with US vocalists Wonder and Dynamax Roberts. Like Pierce’s beloved jazz, the cast often spill into each other’s tracks.

1. Mother Of Earth - Dave Gahan
2. La La Los Angeles - The Coathangers
3. Yellow Eyes - Jeffrey Lee Pierce (feat. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis)
4. Debbie By The Christmas Tree - The Amber Lights
5. Go Tell The Mountain - Mark Lanegan (feat. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis)
6. Going Down The Red River - Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind
7. The Stranger In Our Town - Peter Hayes, Leah Shapiro, & Humanist
8. Secret Fires - Suzie Stapleton (feat. Duke Garwood)
9. Tiger Girl - Hugo Race
10. On The Other Side - Nick Cave & Debbie Harry
11. Idiot Waltz - Cypress Grove
12. Tiger Girl - The Amber Lights
13. From Death To Texas - Alejandro Escovedo
14. Vodou - Mark Stewart
15. Time Drains Away - Lydia Lunch, Jozef van Wissem, Jim Jarmusch
16. Lucky Jim - Chris Eckman & Chantal Acda
17. I Was Ashamed - Pam Hogg (feat. Warren Ellis & Youth)
18. Bad America - Sendelica (feat. Wonder & Dynamax Roberts)