Having debuted the project live at Newport Folk Festival earlier this year, Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have announced a studio recording of their "top-to-bottom" cover of the full Buckingham Nicks album.

Released in 1973, the long out-of-print recording remains the only album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as a duo. Both artists went on to join Fleetwood Mac in January 1975, transforming the band's sound into a world-conquering phenomenon.

Out digitally on 18 October and physically on 13 December, Cunningham Bird presents a decidedly intimate take on the original songs, recorded as a quartet with percussionist Griffin Goldsmith and producer Mike Viola on bass, keys, and additional drumming. In an accompanying press release, Bird describes the Buckingham Nicks album as the epitome of "excess and confidence," saying that "it only made sense to embody that spirit ourselves. The confidence, that is, to mess with an iconic, if underrated gem."

Cunningham describes the process as "one of the most creatively satisfying record-making experience I've had," adding "the unforeseen bonus was how relevant some of those lyrics would be to my own life in the time of making it. It became a lifeline for me, and I hope we’ve done it justice.”

Two tracks from the Cunningham Bird album landed on streaming services today. Watch the video for "Crying in the Night" and listen to "Crystal" – previously remade by by Fleetwood Mac for their 1975 self-titled LP and by Stevie Nicks in 1998 for the soundtrack to Practical Magic – below.

Cunningham's most recent album, Revealer, won her a Grammy last year for Best Folk Album. Bird describes her as "the most talented musician I've encountered," saying "She has a restless ear, always looking for a new sound or harmonic twist. Her voice is goosebump inducing, nimble and emotive at any volume. I just had to find the right project for us to go deep on and this is it.”

Providing more context to the pairing, Cunningham adds:

“Ever since knowing and playing with Andrew, I’ve wanted to join forces with him independently of our own projects. He's one of my favorite artists alive and one of the deepest musical collaborators I’ve been lucky enough to have. This buried Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham record found us in a place where we were trying to figure out what we could do together. Unfamiliar with it, but excited by its scarcity on streaming platforms, we decided to take it on from front to back, in our own way.

Cunningham Bird tracklist:

1. Crying in the Night
2. Stephanie
3. Without a Leg to Stand On
4. Crystal
5. Long Distance Winner
6. Don’t Let Me Down Again
7. Django
8. Races Are Won
9. Lola (My Love)
10. Frozen Love

This Friday, subscribers to Bird and Cunningham's mailing lists will get the chance to grab tickets for an exclusive Cunningham Bird show on 30 September at Los Angeles venue The Troubadour – the same venue that Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks played in October 1973 following the release of their lost classic.

There are two more festival dates coming up as well: Infinite Dream Fest in Iowa City on 27 September, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco on 5 October.

Bird also has his own shows coming up, reprising his annual Gezelligheid series for the 14th time. He plays Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church on 7, 8 and 11–15 December, with guests including Margaret Glaspy and Julian Lage.

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