SOUNDTRACK: NADA SURF-If I Had a Hi-Fi (2010).
I have enjoyed Nada Surf more with each album. But for some reason, I never bothered checking out this covers album. Which is my loss. Covers albums fall into all different categories–bands that try to ape the original exactly, bands that mess around with the original, and band who take the songs and make them their own. In this case Nada Surf takes all of these songs and makes them sound just like Nada Surf songs. Sometimes, they make them sound unlike the original and give them specific Nada Surfisms.
I didn’t know all of the songs on this record. In fact, I knew very few of them (which is a pretty unusual way to run a covers record, no? This falls into the “introduce your fans to songs you love category).
I knew “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode) which is incredibly different. Obviously, the original is synthy, but while Nada Surf keep it dark, they add a bit of jangly chords and change the way some of the verses end (the way they do “and forgettable” is so intriguing). Even the ba bas at the end transform the whole nature of the song. “Love Goes On!” (The Go-Betweens) is a song I knew a little and Nada Surf sounds an awful lot like the original (but I like the way they make the chorus even bigger). “Love and Anger” (Kate Bush) is similar to the original but with that Nada Surf twist. It’s not big and epic and Matthew Caws doesn’t try to hit her notes (he does have a high voice though), but it’s a gorgeous rendition. “Question” (Moody Blues) is probably the most famous song on the disc. Nada Surf rocks the song pretty hard. The pick up the tempo, but slow it down just right for the slow part. It’s quite faithful, without being in any way proggy.
The rest of the songs I didn’t know. And some of the bands I’ve never heard of (!). “Electrocution” (Bill Fox) opens the records and while I don’t know if it’s any different, it could be a great original jangly pop song from Nada Surf. “Janine” (Arthur Russell) is only a minute long. It’s a pretty, delicate acoustic guitar song. “You Were So Warm” (Dwight Twilley). I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a Dwight Twilley song, so I have no idea how this compares, but I like the way the last long of “Janine” is the chorus to this song. I rather assume the original is not as poppy as this (but I don’t know Twilley, so why do I think that?–Turns out I was entirely wrong, the original sounds an awful lot like this version).
“The Agony of Laffitte” (Spoon). I know Spoon, but not this song. I can imagine how Spoon performed it, and I imagine that Nada Surf have smoothed the song out and made it prettier and slightly less dramatic. “Bye Bye Beauté” (Coralie Clément) is sung in French. I’ve never heard of the original performer. I don’t know how the original sounds, but this could easily be a Nada Surf song (they have done songs in French before) and the harmonies are beautiful. Speaking of French, the also do “Evolución” (Mercromina) in French (“ev-oh-loo-see-own” is much more fun to sing than “ev-oh-loo-shun”). This song starts out slow with a cello stating the melody. It then turns into a dark acoustic guitar song, minor key and tension-filled. Vocals don’t come in until a minute and a half in (the song is 5 minutes). I’m not sure what the song is about, but even the catchy chorus is kinda dark.
“Bright Side” (Soft Pack). Soft Pack is another band I’ve never heard of. This song is a fun almost punk track–fast and catchy with simple lyrics a fun chorus (and ahhh backing vocals). The disc ends with “I Remembered What I Was Going to Say” (The Silly Pillows) another band I’ve never heard of. It is played on prepared piano in a waltz style. Perhaps unexpectedly, it has no words. It’s a nice capper to the album
Incidentally, the cover is a wonder line drawing that is fun to stare at and the liner notes (which would be much much easier to read on vinyl) are just jam packed with information about the original artists.
[READ: September 18, 2012] “Madame Lazarus”
Another story with a dog. This one begins in a rather amusing manner. An older gay man has just received a small terrier as a present from his younger lover, James. The narrator is worried about his boyfriend staying around (he is so young and beautiful, while the narrator, who has just retired, is getting older and older). The narrator doesn’t like the dog, but decides it will be one more thing to tie him to the James, so he decides to keep her. He names her Cordelia.
The story is set in Paris, and the older man walks the dog around the city. But mostly he thinks about his age and his past. He says that anyone his age is amazed that he survived the Nazis much less lived to be an old man. He also thinks of his ex-wife, Simone, whom he meets for lunch from time to time.
The story seems like a sweet story of age and love, lost love, but love nonetheless. But then the flashback introduces some darker moments. (more…)
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SOUNDTRACK: SLOTHRUST-7:30AM (2011).
This song is the opening theme to the FX show You’re the Worst, which I like very much.
I Just Read About That... 