Hear James Blake’s Heartbreaking Cover Of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound Of Silence’

James Blake has used his radio show on BBC Radio 1 as a platform to debut his tearjerking cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound Of Silence.

Before debuting the track at the end of the show, Blake dedicated the song to a friend that passed away on New Year’s Eve giving the cover even more gravity.

It’s a beautifully simplistic rendition, revolving around Blake’s layered, emotional vocal and surrounded by warm keys. The original is of course beautiful, but there’s something very profound about Blake’s spine-tingling version.

The Brit is no stranger to covers either. He included an equally beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell’s A Case Of You on his Enough Thunder EP while his breakout cut was a cover of Feist’s Limit To Your Love.

During the same radio show he was joined by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon who encouraged Blake to play at his music festival Eaux Claires and also showed-off a Bob Dylan impression. The pair have been friends for a number of years and collaborated for Falls Creek Boys Choir in 2011.

Blake is working on his third record which he announced earlier this year would be called Radio Silence. The album will feature collaborations with Vernon and Kanye West.

Listen to the Simon & Garfunkel cover below and the entire radio show here.

Listen: James Blake – The Sound Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel Cover)

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