Espers Cover Nico, BヨC on New Album

Espers, a band that has clearly done some extensive folk-rock homework over the years, seem like a natural fit to compile an album of covers. That being said, Blue ヨyster Cult still comes as a bit of a shock. On October 18, Locust Music will release The Weed Tree, a seven-track disc consisting of road-tested and druggie-approved cover songs. The ethereal Philadelphians will pay homage to the Durutti Column, Nico, Michael Hurley, and, yes, the pride of Stony Brook University, Blue ヨyster Cult. (Alas, they don't do that BヨC song.)
The Weed Tree will serve as a teaser recording for Espers' next full-length release, the yet-untitled follow-up to their majestic debut. Information on this sophomore outing is presently scarce, but we do know the record is due sometime in early '06. Along with the covers mentioned above (and again below), The Weed Tree includes two traditional folk songs: "Rosemary Lane" and "Black is the Color". The album also includes one new and original composition, entitled "Dead King". With each track in sequence, the structure of the recording looks precisely like this:
01 Rosemary Lane (Traditional)
02 Tomorrow (Durutti Column)
03 Black is the Color (Traditional)
04 Afraid (Nico)
05 Blue Mountain (Michael Hurley)
06 Flaming Telepaths (Blue ヨyster Cult)
07 Dead King
As for that, well, not-so-vague album title, it's apparently named in honor of an actual weed that blossomed behind the band's Philadelphia headquarters. Uh huh, suuuure. As for the cowbell content on the album itself-- that's yet to be determined.
Right now, Espers only have one live date scheduled, and that's on November 19 at the Khyber in Philly, with resurrected psych-folk giant Gary Higgins. His album is called Red Hash. I'm sensing a trend here, folks.
Espers: http://www.espers.org/
Locust Music: http://www.locustmusic.com/