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First Aid Kit Release Tribute to David Berman, Cover Silver Jews’ “Random Rules”

first aid kit david berman random rules strange beauty

Swedish folk band First Aid Kit have unveiled two new recordings in honor of the late David Berman. The first song is an original tribute to the Silver Jews frontman, entitled “Strange Beauty.” Along with that track, the duo also put out a cover of “Random Rules” from the Silver Jews 1998 album American Water. 

In a press release, First Aid Kit’s Klara Söderberg had this to say about their homage to Berman:

“I think a lot of people were as shocked as I was upon hearing the news of David Berman’s passing. It didn’t seem real. It left me completely devastated. So I wrote the song “Strange Beauty” to try to make sense of my feelings. “Random Rules” is a long time Berman favorite of ours and a song we always thought we would record if we ever made a cover album. It holds some of the greatest lyrics ever penned and shows the genius of David Berman. We hope the songs can be some kind of comfort.”

Berman died of an apparent suicide at the age of 52. His latest project Purple Mountains had just released a self-titled album a month prior to his passing. His label Drag City shared an obituary on the singer in the week following the news. Check out First Aid Kit’s cover of “Random Rules” and their new song “Strange Beauty” below, and check out our feature on Berman’s musical evolution here.