Thought I better get these out asap rather than leave hanging a post that makes me sound like the bitter old queen I am but don't want to be
W.A.I.L. I.A.A.C.
Lunkhead – Love that squidgy synth. It’s almost cheeky. It’s a fairly faithful cover (not that there’s anything wrong with that). You pretty much nail the groove of the original. I would frug haplessly in a nightclub if this came on. Which is a compliment. Good cover, sir! That beautiful clean guitar tone is what stays with me as the song fades.
Balance Lost – I have to say, even as someone for whom vocalising is not a particular strength [!] I think you fudge the verses. Obviously well done, but while you nail the choruses 100%, in the verses I can’t quite believe you believe the questions you are asking yourself. Or – have you ever asked yourself? Now I may be a massive idiot (quite likely) but while the music is brilliant, and you capture the funky mood, “same it ever was” in the original is the highpoint of self-loathing frustration at the world at large, and I’m not engaging with the louche take on it as much. All this said, this is an incredibly brave choice of song and you did not do it or yourself a disservice in choosing it so big kudos.
BSS – this strikes me as a remarkably faithful cover of one of my favourite TH songs – a song I’ve tried to cover at least once and given up because I don’t have the subtle range of Mr. Byrne. That lovely guitar play is a winner, and I think this more than does justice to the original. It could do with a (more) prominent synth to give it that dumb carnival / smart art angle that I think TH were all about, but damn, if you don’t give a hard kick to the Rothkos to a surprisingly hard TH song, so me likey. Even the more strangled moments give it everything and I can’t help but love it as a result.
DJ Ranger Den & Johnny Cashpoint – I won’t embarrass myself by posting the link to me attempting the lead vocal. Den nailed the vocal, bringing a more insouciant edge, and therefore a new, intriguing angle to it – the way she sings “Washington DC-e-e-e-e” and overall the brilliantly subtle theatricality she brings to her vocal performances made her the perfect collaborator for a TH cover … I also think our voices work remarkably well together. Everything else is my fault
Caravan Ray – now I’ve made very clear my apathy towards “remain in light” elsewhere so it was always going to be a stretch to make me like a cover of anything from the “we’re serious artists, actually” album
You almost manage it, questions about the integrity of white afro-beat aside. Basically you’ve done a very good cover of a song that I’m not that fond of – so I don’t quite know what you could have done to make me absolutely love it. The arrangement as always is clever, intruiging and subtle. The vocal performance is top notch. But I will always blame this album for Vampire Weekend and their ilk. *shrug*
Glenny – in a weird counterpoint to Balance Lost – you nail the verses, but the chorus doesn’t quite have the impact Pete’s cover does – it’s as good and tuneful but it kind of disappears to these ears (on a crap, bass-light pair of speakers I should add) – you both get the groove on, but what I want to hear the two of you collaborating on this cover. That would be sparkly-fantastic. Also for me, neither of you quite nailed the legendary “same as it ever was” moment. Should be so much more sadness in the performance. Like BL, this is an incredibly brave choice – I would never dare tackle a signature tune unless I had it beat hands down, which makes you both better people than me.
The Kraken Wakes – Oh my, this is totes amaze balls. And not as some might think just because you’re playing the jr. card. The “young man” has timing and a sense of theatricality which nails that post-punk philosophy perfectly and makes me understand and enjoy far more what I've always considered a bland opener. Thank you, thank you, don’t even mention it. This rocks. [EDIT: Oh and on re-listen, meant to say that 8-bit-ish moment at 2.30ish is probably the peak moment, makes me happy happy joy joy, but you don't lose this listener beyond that point.]
Schlimminy – Oh god I love this song. I even like the
Simply Red cover of it, that’s how much I love it. So you are in potentially difficult territory. But the charmingly lo-fi, downbeat take on it works for me very much. You capture the melody of the original without feeling the need to over-arrange it, which kind of captures my idea of heaven the idea perfectly, if you know what I mean. I’m not sure the delay on the vocals works *all* the time, but when it does, it works very well. I have my box of matches out, in a ironic but appreciative way, which is good, right? And it ends at just the right time.
Sapient Network & Johnny Cashpoint – I *did* say to Lunkhead, don’t include this if there are already dozens of ‘Psycho Killer’ covers – but if you’re going to do a signature tune, no point pussyfooting around with a reverential cover! Sapient is the most wonderful man, and no huge TH fan, but he brought the music and made me sound like a proper musician for once. (Those choruses are just me downshifted through a lo-fi filter by the way). I am proper proud of this, mainly because it does something different with the source material but retains (in my opinion) everything that made the original annoyingly great.
So excluding my own vanity,and the fact that these are all really good covers, and those still to come (I can't wait to hear what I know Niveous is working on, for instance), currently I am torn between The Kraken and Schlimminy ….