Years ago Adam Franklin recorded a cover of Wolf Parade’s “Shine a Light”. The original plan was for White Whale records to release a split 7″ with that as the a-side and a Handsome Furs cover of Swervedriver’s “Sandblasted” as the b-side. Unfortunately, the “Sandblasted” cover never surfaced and “Shine a Light” was stuck in limbo.

Fast-forward to 2012 and Adam Franklin ended up releasing it sans Handsome Furs. (instead Franklin covers “Elm Grove Window” by The Clientele for the b-side – not as exciting, but it will do)

Wolf Parade’s version of the song was a stompy piece of garage-rock with a wistfulness to it. Franklin’s version dials back the volume. Instead it relies on a wall of sound generated by acoustic guitars, piano, Franklin’s instantly recognizable voice and a lot of well-placed reverb.

The arrangement is a strong contrast to the noisiness of the original. While Wolf Parade’s version seemed to be build up tension throughout, Franklin’s is a steady release. Serenity now.