Lou Reed - Transformer
There was something so interesting to me about this raw, unpolished sound. It's not a massive, up-tempo album at all but it has all this energy. I'm so fascinated by it, by his voice. It was a late discovery for me though. I was in my 20s and already had established my own music. It was very interesting then to get to know his music and lyrics and everything. It's since become a very essential part of my life.

I remember when I first heard it I just thought it was weird. It took a while for me to get used to the unpolished feeling. But sometimes you just need someone to say, "Listen to it one more time".

When it came to Giovanna and I covering 'Perfect Day' on Go Dig My Grave, it was she who picked it. I was excited but I didn't know how on earth we were going to do it. We started to play but we couldn't really get the hang of it. Then, during several days of rehearsals in Basel – where Giovanna lives – we were just relaxing one evening, eating delicious food and drinking swiss schnapps (which loosened everything up). Giovanna showed me this Kalimba that she had. I started fooling around with it and playing with it and that became the opening for 'Perfect Day'.. So it became this stripped down version with single notes instead of plucked chords. It's totally different... quite melancholic.