Hot Chip’s Transmission
Posted by BrokenSilence | Filed under Hot Chip, Joy Division
Joy Divison; one of my favorite bands. Hot Chip; one of my favorite bands. Put them together, well, that’s pretty great. A while back Hot Chip covered Joy Division’s song ‘Transmission’. I like it a lot. Hot Chip keeps the same melody as the original but makes it their own by converting it into an electro, disco-esque tune. I’ve always loved Alexis Taylor’s vocals and that’s no different here. They’re softer and soothing when compared to Ian Curtis’, who sings with grit, anger and depression. But Taylors’ are better matched to the new melody. Looking forward to their new album next year.
Tags: Cover, Hot Chip, Joy Division, Transmission
This Must Be The Place
Posted by BrokenSilence | Filed under Arcade Fire, Talking Heads
The Talking Heads have always been one of my favorite bands. Their New Wave style mixed with punck rock, avant-guard, pop and funk was an instrumental influence in the sound of the 80s and on future bands. David Byrne’s arcane and whimsical lyrics crafted so many amazing songs and so many hits, one being ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’. A track off of their fifth album, the title ‘Naive Melody’ refers to the music. On the song, the guitar part and the bass part are doing the same thing throughout the whole song. According to David Byrne, many musicians wouldn’t play a song written in that manner and that is what makes the melody naive. According to Byrne it’s a love song, which is usually a topic he stays away from because it’s ‘kinda big’.
The reason for this post is that Arcade Fire does a cover of the song and does it well. Their version has a Caribbean style matched with strained vocals and the more introspective nature of the band. It also features a nice string arrangement.
Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Arcade Fire - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Tags: Cover, David Byrne, New Wave
Losing Love Is Like A Window In Your Heart, Everybody Sees Your Blown Apart
Posted by BrokenSilence | Filed under Hot Chip
Originally posted on April 23, 2008
I guess I’m really on a covers kick here. Paul Simon, without having to say, is one of the greatest musicians of all time, and also by far one of the best lyricists. I would have to put him as maybe the best lyricist along with Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd’s duo of Roger Waters and David Gilmour. Simon’s song ‘Graceland’ is of course exceptional and Hot Chip does a pretty excellent cover of it. It’s a slower version but Alexis Taylor’s voice does a great job.
On a side note, I saw Hot Chip in concert for the first time a few weeks ago and I thought they were pretty amazing. They look like they’re having the best time up on stage and they change the arrangement of their songs so everything is kind of new. They never played ‘My Piano’ though, which was pretty sad.
Hot Chip - Graceland (Paul Simon Cover)
Tags: Cover, Hot Chip, Paul Simon
Sweet Child O’ Mylo
Posted by BrokenSilence | Filed under Flat Pack, Mylo
Originally posted on April 23, 2008
Given that I just discussed a cover song I’ll continue with another. This might be blasphemous to some but I’ve never been a huge fan of Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. I always thought ‘Rocket Queen’ was the better of the lesser known songs on Appetite For Destruction. Regardless, Flat Pack does a cover of the song, which on its own I like better than the original. I love the female vocals, which gives a completely different effect than Axl. And then Mylo’s touch turns it into a jumpy, dance house tune.
Flat Pack - Sweet Child O’Mine (Mylo Remix)
Young Folks Cover
Posted by BrokenSilence | Filed under The Kooks
I’m sure everyone knows the song ‘Young Folks’ by Swedish group, Peter, Bjorn & John featuring Victoria Bergsman on female vocals. The Kooks do a cover of this song, which I really like. Female vocals this time are provided by Simon Wilcox. The song is a lot more stripped down, without the heavy drums and iconic whistling of the original. It really is just done in good ol’ Kooks fashion. Not as good as the original but definitely worth a listen.
Tags: Cover, Peter Bjorn & John, Simon Wilcox, The Kooks, Victoria Bergsman
