The Man Upstairs marks the first time Robyn Hitchcock and legendary folk producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake) joined forces in the recording studio. For one week in October 2013, they made what Boyd calls “a Judy Collins album, such as Elektra would have released in 1967: part well-known favorites, part personal discoveries, and part originals.” The approach took pressure off Hitchcock the songwriter and put it on Hitchcock the interpreter, who excels with The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost In You,” The Doors’ “The Crystal Ship,” and “Ferries” by the Norwegian indie pop duo I Was a King, whose Anne Lise Frokedal adds harmonies throughout the album.