Katy Kirby released my favorite album and song of 2021. I'm not the only one that loved it. "Cool Dry Place" ended up on Consequence, Paste Magazine and Stereogum's year-end-lists. Her tender and clear voice really cut through this year. A couple months ago we did video interview here, and then I called her to do a 5 O'Clock Shadow and she recorded a song that she's never recorded or released anywhere. The song: "So Much Wine, Merry Christmas."
"It's a Handsome Family song," Katy says. "The Handsome Family is a couple. One of them is also a children's author. I think the other started writing songs all together and they ended up with all these weird children story-esque songs that tend to be a little dark as well. My cover is actually a cover of the Andrew Bird version of that song. He does a whole album of Handsome Family songs. I like covering the cover because it's a little more telephone-y."
Check the game of telephone. Here's the Katy Kirby version:
Here's the Andrew Bird version for comparison:
And here's the Handsome Family original: