Cult folk legend Vashti Bunyan made a comeback in the mid 2000s after the long-overlooked artist was repositioned as a forebear to the “freak folk” movement of the era, and all the new attention helped result in Vashti’s second-ever album and first in 35 years, 2005’s Lookaftering, which Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom both contributed to, following Vashti’s appearance on Devendra’s 2004 album Rejoicing in the Hands. The same year she released Lookaftering, she also released a collaborative EP with Animal Collective.
For its 20th anniversary, Fat Cat Records is giving Lookaftering an expanded reissue featuring eight demos recorded between 2001 and 2005, as well as an alternate take of “Wayward” and a live recording of “Lately” from one of her early comeback shows, in LA in 2006. The reissue also features new reflective liner notes written by Vashti, Devendra, producer Max Richter, and Dave Howell, as well as a 16-page lyric booklet with paintings by Vashti’s daughter Whyn Lewis, which “have closely, and coincidentally, reflected the lyrics of the album at times.” It comes out February 7, and you can pre-order it here.
The first single is a 2001 demo of “If I Were,” a rendition that’s just as gorgeous and even more stripped-back than the album version. It’s a treat to hear this, and you can do just that right here:
Tracklist
1. Lately
2. Here Before
3. Wayward
4. Hidden
5. Against The Sky
6. Turning Backs
7. If I Were
8. Same But Different
9. Brother
10. Feet Of Clay
11. Wayward Hum
12. Lately (Live, The Echo, Los Angeles, 2006)
13. Here Before (Demo, 2005)
14. Wayward (Alternative take, 2005)
15. Hidden (Demo, 2002)
16. Against The Sky (Demo, 2004)
17. Turning Backs (Demo, 2003)
18. If I Were (Demo, 2001)
19. Same But Different (Demo, 2005)
20. Brother (Demo, 2002)
21. Feet Of Clay (Demo, 2002)