Hannah Cohen Covers Robert Lester Folsom's Cult Classic 'Music and Dreams'

Hannah Cohen has recorded a cover of Robert Lester Folsom's "Music and Dreams," released today as part of the cult album's 50th anniversary celebration. Her rendition arrives ahead of the full reissue, Music and Dreams: 50th Anniversary Edition, due October 16 via Anthology Recordings.

Cohen brings her signature touch to the title track. Her vocals are whimsical and feathery, set against a serene horn section. "I'm just dreaming in the summer sun," she sings. Her version follows Beach House's cover of "April Suzanne," which appeared earlier this month. Both covers appear on the anniversary edition alongside the remastered album and Folsom's original reel-to-reel demos.

Folsom recorded and self-released Music and Dreams in 1976. The album took decades to gain the recognition it deserved, eventually becoming a cult classic.

Cohen described her first encounter with Folsom's music in a statement. "I remember the first time I heard 'My Stove's on Fire,'" she said. "It was the deep belly of winter in upstate New York when the sun drops behind the mountain and it seems like the day has no end, and no amount of wood in the stove can warm your bones. Lester's music brought so much light and mischief into my living room. My ears perked up immediately at the sweetness of his songwriting. When I met Lester last year at Newport Folk Fest, I of course couldn't keep my cool and had to tell him how much I loved his music, and how it had helped me through a long winter."

Folsom recalled the meeting from his side. "In Summer 2025 I played at the Newport Folk Festival, and Hannah Cohen's trailer was next to ours," he said. "She was so friendly and open right off the bat. A real sweet spirit. We talked and talked and got along from our very first meeting. Her personality and music is so light and inspirational. Hannah's the kind of person that I feel like I could invite over for a plain old bologna sandwich, and she wouldn't bat an eye."

The Newport Folk Festival encounter in summer 2025 proved productive. Within months, Cohen had recorded her version of the title track for the anniversary edition, joining Beach House among the artists paying tribute to the 1976 recording.

Folsom is currently on tour supporting the reissue. The run hits North American cities first, then moves to the U.K. and Europe later in the fall.

The anniversary edition packages the remastered album with the demos and both covers, giving listeners the fullest portrait yet of a record that spent nearly half a century finding its audience. With Cohen and Beach House attached, the reissue positions Folsom's songs before an audience that spans generations of dream-pop and folk listeners.