80's songs still haunting the present

The trend of covering 80's songs by contemporary artists persists much to the joy or chagrin of those who love the originals. As for me, I either like the cover or I don't, but whether or not someone thinks a cover is 'done well' seems to be a subjective matter anyway. My hypothesis is that one's opinion of whether or not a cover is 'done well' comes down to two factors, 1) how much they loved the original song and the band who wrote it (assuming the band wrote it in the first place) and performed it combined with 2) how much the listener enjoys artist performing the cover and how they decided to interpret the song. Personally, I can't seem to stomach a cover that is almost exactly like the original, I tend to think that any band who performs in a dive bar can take care of that. I want the artist covering the song to offer something more substantial; slow it down, speed it up, change the melody slightly, just do something so it doesn't sound like a night of karaoke was recorded.

A couple recent covers that have sparked my attention are Greg Laswell's cover of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Kat Edmonson's cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven. These are two classic 80's anthems that can easily be identified not only by those who owned leg warmers and abused gallons of Aquanet, but also by those born too late to succumb to the wrath of neon being in fashion. Kat's rendition of Just Like Heaven is a bossa nova jazz infused tranquilizer. Mild and mellow her pixie like voice is a gentle contrast to the driving energy of Robert Smith's exultation in the original. I think it was a brave decision to abandon the familiar guitar lick and rely on the lyrics to remind the listener of the original magic of the song. There is no doubt that I love the original version of Just Like Heaven, but Kat's cover also has a place in my music library (particularly in the chill- out playlists).

Greg Laswell's cover of Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an example of a stripped down and simplified version of the original. With just a piano and his wind scratched voice, he abandons all the flash and splendor of the original. Laswell also chooses switch up the two parts of the first verse and cut out a bit of the second. This gives the song an impromptu feel and the simplicity of the lyrics are transformed into a somber assertion instead of a boisterous declaration.

There are countless examples of covers gone wrong and covers 'done well.' I invite you to post some of your favorite covers here for embrace or scrutiny. And if you are interested in some more 80's covers, check out how they sound with a French touch with Nouvelle Vague's albums Nouvelle Vague and Bande a Part.

Dizzy ground

Her music is layered with sweet melodies and sober realities. She is a singer songwriter which may instantly give you a picture of just another girl on stage with an acoustic guitar and a prayer, but once the song starts to emerge from Jesca Hoop, all conventions of her genre classification melt away.

Since a posting about Jesca Hoop cannot be published without the mention that she was once a nanny to the children of Tom Waits, I'll start with that. Although I must admit that one of my favorite descriptions of Jesca's music comes from Waits himself (according to her Wiki page) who says, "Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night." I couldn't agree more. Listening to her songs is like diving into something dark, yet warm and magical.

Jesca Hoop first appeared on the radar of the Los Angeles music scene when Nic Harcourt of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic first started playing a demo she had submitted called Seed of Wonder. The song became so popular with listeners that it set a record for the number of times it was requested to be played on the show. Her debut album Kismet (which means destiny or fate) shows a colorful array of songs that force you to remember what a full and well rounded album actually sounds like. Songs such as Summertime, Money, and Intelligentactile 101 have a fun yet quirky pop sensibility and then as soon as you think you have her pegged she changes pace with songs such as Enemy, Love is All We Have (written about Hurricane Katrina), and Love and Love Again. Incorporating natural sounds such as the cawing of birds and echoes of a creaky boat into her songs, Jesca creates a landscape with her music and asks her listeners to stop and breathe it in.

In late 2008 Jesca Hoop released the ep called Kismet Acoustic which featured a handful of songs from her debut album in a stripped down acoustic style as well as a new song called Murder of Birds. This new song is one of those rare gems in my music collection, the song that can't be heard enough. The song seems to be invoke the spirit of a playful spring-time walk with a lover. It then subtly changes in tone when the lyrics speak of personal demons only to welcome you back into comfort with images of home-baked bread and turned down beds. Haunting yet sweet, it is a complex lullaby and I can't seem to help wanting to listen one more time.

Murder of Birds - Jesca Hoop

Back in your head...

To be fair, I became familiar with Tegan and Sara pretty late. It wasn't until The Con that I really started investigating their music. They have unique voices that I thought might drive me nuts if I listened to a full album, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I went to their concert here in LA a number of months ago and was pleasantly surprised at what amazing performers they were. Engaging with the audience, entering into a dialogue with them, it felt like a much more intimate performance than it was.

The first Tegan and Sara songs that got me curious were Where Does the Good Go? and Walking With a Ghost. The candid and blunt lyrics combined with the melodic harmonies of Where Does the Good Go? was refreshing. Instead of dancing around what we want to hear from a significant other, they just lay it out there. No fancy metaphors needed. As one who tends to be more blunt in nature than passive, it appealed to me. In a similar way, the stripped down pop tone of Walking With a Ghost seemed to be a clean slap to modern pop music. Instead of being overwhelmed with synthesizers and other layers of sounds that don't come out of a typical instrument, there is restraint in the use of something other than a guitar and drums. The guitar riffs are quick, deliberate, and distinct.

When Back in Your Head started making the rounds of Los Angeles radio my ears perked again. Their distinctive style seemed more polished than ever and compelled me to finally download the albums So Jealous and The Con as an introduction to their music. I now consider myself a full Tegan and Sara convert. Their songs are intense, direct and a welcome dose of candor in an environment that seems more akin to romantic comedy musings.

Nineteen - Tegan and Sara

Anecdote of uncool

Let me start by saying that I have met a celebrity or two and been in complete control of my composure. With that said, the complete opposite happened when I came face to face with one of my favorite bands, Nada Surf.

The show was on March 19th of this year and had Nada Surf as the headliner with Sea Wolf opening. I had been loving Sea Wolf since first hearing the single You're a Wolf and was really enjoying the whole album Leaves in the River. I can best describe Alex Church's music as easy-going with a hint of melancholy, like that of an introduction to a Southern childhood narrative; moving slow with a faraway look as the story unfolds. I think it is the string arrangements that give the music this slow gait, but an insistent guitar gives it a contradictory sense of urgency. It was refreshing to see Alex working his own merch table as I walked into the theater and the set that followed was amazing. Simple yet clear, powerful yet controlled, it was a perfect compliment to Nada Surf.

Then there was Nada Surf. I must admit that I have been a fan of this band since the song Inside of Love poured out of my stereo's speakers in my first year of college. I have been to a few Nada Surf concerts in my day, but this one definitely surpassed them all. Matthew's lyrics are haunting yet familiar in See These Bones, the perfect soundtrack for a good day in Beautiful Beat, simplistic in narrating the quiet in The Film Did Not Go 'Round. With the new album, Lucky leading the charge while songs from Let Go, The Weight is a Gift, and The Proximity Effect provided support the show was nothing short of amazing. It will be tough to top, but I'm anxious for them to try.

Having obtained two wristbands to the meet-and-greet after the show by sheer luck (and a really really nice merch girl!), my friend Alexis and I made our way upstairs to the patio that features a fantastic view of Hollywood Blvd. Now, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I've met a few celebrities while living in Los Angeles. They have been actors, mostly and I've never had a problem putting together a complete and cohesive sentence. However, when speaking with Matthew and the rest of the band this elementary skill somehow became difficult. Thank goodness for my amazing pal Alexis for helping me hold it together, but I think that is one of the first times in my life where I can say I was utterly beside myself with awe. I had a chance to have a one on one conversation with Matthew (which I hope to repeat sometime more articulately), a chat with the thoroughly entertaining Ira, and a brief but appreciated Thank You exchange with Daniel. I have to say that this has officially made it into my top 10 life moments. They were humble and conversational, so easy to approach and talk to.

On top of all that I had a chance to say hi to Alex Church of Sea Wolf on my way out. It was an excellent way to round out one of my favorite nights of 2008.

If you haven't had a chance to check out Nada Surf and Sea Wolf I encourage you to do so! Here is a little sampling below.

Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter

If any of you were unfortunate enough to watch some of last season’s American Idol, then you were forced to endure many tragic renditions of the song “Feeling Good.” Now, I don’t know about you, but it made me a little sad to hear many of the auditioners say, “Michael Buble’s, Feeling Good.” I thought it was common knowledge that Nina Simone’s version was the far more superior and well-known recording. While she didn’t write the song (it was originally written for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint) and she wasn’t even the first artist to cover the original recording (John Coltrane beat her to it), in my humble opinion she just kills the song like I’ve heard no other.

Hearing Nina Simone’s recording of “Feeling Good” again on the soundtrack for the show Six Feet Under (Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends) sparked my curiosity. Her voice is hardly that of a typical soul songstress such as Aretha Franklin or Gladys Knight. It has the power of a soul singer behind it, but there is also a bluesy melancholy and subtleness to it that sets her apart. Sometimes known as the High Priestess of Soul, she was not only a singer but also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist.

Fortunately Michael Buble hasn’t been the only artist influenced by Ms. Simone lately. The lesser-known Nina Simone song “Sea Lion Woman” appears on Feist’s most recent album The Reminder. Only Feist doesn’t just cover the track, she re-interprets it. Modernizing the song by adding an electric guitar, some pulse driving claps, along with a break that insists you get out of your chair and MOVE; the song starts to resemble something of an anthem for the independent woman of the 21st century.

Another great Nina Simone discovery has been the album Remixed and Reimagined. It features some classic standards with Nina Simone on vocals and various DJs creating a new way of listening to a unique voice. One track that particularly stands out is the song “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter.” You can feel the influence of James Brown-style funk and soul, the occasional appearance of a modern hip hop downbeat along with the sass that drips from Nina Simone’s voice makes this track particularly interesting. Another track worth experiencing is “Here Comes the Sun.” Given a light, ethereal remix you can almost picture yourself walking in a park on a sunny day, or dancing in the middle of a crowded floor with this pouring out of the speakers. As for the last track on the album, I just won’t even spoil it. You have to listen for yourself.

I like where that capo is going

Not terribly long ago I went to a Rocky Votolato show at the Troubadour out in West Hollywood. He was on tour to promote his new album The Brag and Cuss. After streaming the album for free on Barsuk’s website I decided to grab a $12 ticket.

The set was raw and organic yet sweet to the palette. His sandblasted voice drips with passionate intent. The only slight annoyance throughout the show was some guy standing just in front of me who repeatedly requested the same song during every break in the set list. By the end of the show I could have punched him, and with his last comment of “I like where that capo is going” I could only hope that Rocky was about to play the song (at the very least to make the guy shut up).

He closed with the song I had heard so heatedly requested throughout the entire show. When he first started picking at the strings of the guitar it was as if the roof of the Troub had opened up and the stars were shining in time. Quiet yet distinct the song took flight, then was grounded again with the introduction of that sandblasted yet gentle voice and some phenomenal lyrics…..

“I am a prisoner in the sunlight
You are my cellmate in the darkness
There’s a box full of mix tapes with titles you came up with

They can show us where we came from but not how to get back there
Listening to the songs can’t heal my broken fingers
It’s just weight for the anchor to keep your ship here”

And then the harmonica cracks a wail that echoes the melancholy howl of a sad hound dog abandoned by its master and you can't help but get lost in the reflective story of the song.

The album on which the song appears (Suicide Medicine) became a part of my collection upon my next Amoeba shopping run and if I was only a half hearted Rocky Votolato fan upon entering the show, I was a full convert after the purchase of the album.

Enjoy.

R.I.P Hy Zaret

On July 3, 2007 the Tin Pan Alley lyricist who penned the words to “Unchained Melody,” one of the most frequently recorded songs of the 20th century, died at age 99 (just a month shy of his 100th birthday). Written in 1955 for a low-budget prison film titled “Unchained,” it brought Zaret and Alex North, the composer, an Academy Award nomination for best song.

The song was recorded by artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Lena Horne, U2, Guy Lombardo, Vito & the Salutations, Joni Mitchell and (my personal favorite) the Righteous Brothers. In all, the song has been recorded more than 300 times, according to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. ASCAP listed it in 1999 as one of the 25 most-performed musical works of the 20th century.

Hy Zaret’s works ranged from jingles to songs about science to ballads of love and war. Mr. Zaret liked to recall the time the composer Alex North called him to say he had written a song for a movie and needed words. Mr. Zaret replied that he was busy painting his house, but found the time to write the lyrics for “Unchained Melody.” Zaret refused the producer’s request to work the word “unchained” into the lyrics, instead writing to express the feelings of a lover who has “hungered for your touch a long, lonely time.”

This is one of those songs that always made me stop and get lost in a moment. The lyrics accompanied by the haunting quality of the music still gives me goosebumps to this day. NPR did a wonderful piece on the death of Mr. Zaret stringing together pieces of all the different recordings of the song. The version done by the Righteous Brothers stuck out for me, but perhaps you were first touched by a different version. Either way, I am grateful to Mr. Zaret for creating such an indelible piece of music. May he rest in peace.

AP News Wire: Entertainment
New York Times: Arts