Cover songs can be many things: an inside joke, a knowing nod, a crowd-pleaser, a name drop, a respectful homage or a desperate cry for attention. They're what the early days of rock and roll were built on, and live on today with blogs dedicated to them, albums full of them and clever ways to get bands to do them.
Here at DC9 at Night, we thought we'd get in on the action with a new feature called Covering Tracks. Together, we'll scour the Web to find the very best covers -- or better yet, twist the arms of our favorite artists to lay down some sweet covers for us.
When done well, a cover can bring a smile to your face, or even send chills down your spine. It's the "just right" combination of subject matter and interpretation that can create magic. One I've been obsessed with lately is a cover of "Disintegration" by The Cure.
Culled from one of the greatest albums of the '80s, by one of my favorite bands of all time, the subject matter is dead on, although highly flammable if ham-fisted by amateurs. This version is done by a relatively unknown electronic act from Portugal, Papercutz. The duo of Bruno Miguel and Melissa Veras takes the goth gallop of the original and turns it into a synth symphony that sounds like the sapphic love child of Enya and Fever Ray. Much like the original, it's about five songs in one. Make sure you stick it out for the chimes that come crashing in at around the :50 mark:
While the video is artfully done, you really should download the mp3, turn it up and fully immerse yourself without distraction. This is honestly one of my favorite covers ever.
Do you have a favorite cover you'd like to see featured? Do you have an awesome cover idea for a local act you think we should string together? Are you a band that'd like to volunteer with no arm-twisting required? Hit us up, let's start covering tracks.
