In the previous month, MJ Lenderman unveiled a slate of new songs at Good Moon Festival, stoking optimism for a potential Manning Fireworks follow-up. There hasn’t been any update on that project yet, but the Asheville-based singer-songwriter returns today with a fresh Neil Young cover and a foreword for the Penguin Classics edition of Harry Crews’ 1990 novel Body.
Today also brings two new volumes in the Neil Young tribute series Heart Of Gold: Heart Of Gold: The Songs Of Neil Young, Vol. 2 – Out Of The Blue and Heart Of Gold: The Songs Of Neil Young, Vol. 3 – Into The Black. Lenderman’s take on “Separate Ways” — from Young’s 2020 LP Homegrown — is included on the third volume. He has performed the track live before, along with other Young tunes like “Lotta Love” and “Powderfinger.”
Meanwhile, the Penguin Classics edition of Crews’ Body lands next week, but The Paris Review published Lenderman’s foreword online today. Read it here, and listen to the “Separate Ways” cover below alongside the original.
