I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again in the future: I love a good compilation. This recent one from Kalamine Records almost feels like it was made specifically for me; it’s full of covers of songs from bands I love, including Joy Division, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Kraftwerk, The Normal, The Residents, and, well, post-punk icon (?) Frédéric Chopin.
Aside from the excellent choices of sources material, this is a great listen. As you might expect, some of the covers hew closely to the originals, and some go in complete different directions. Here’s a sample of some of my favorites:
- Deal With Death does a bracing cover of Joy Division’s “Disorder.” It could almost be an alternate mix of the original.
- Lady Shampoo does a version of “Back to Nature” (Fad Gadget) that almost sounds like a Frank Tovey low-key demo version. And I can’t help wondering if the band’s name was inspired by another Fad Gadget song – “Lady Shave.”
- Idolbrain does a cool, edgier, and scarier version of “Jennifer” (Eurythmics).
- Label honcho Zumaia does some interesting things with “My Lisztomania” (Phoenix). It sounds like a cross between plunderphonics and a total twisting of the song inside out; it’s darker and more beat driven that anything you might expect to hear from Phoenix.
- There are two Death In June covers. Lisieux plays “Runes and Men” with lovely female vocal, acoustic guitar, and some lo-fi electronic embellishments. As for the version of “She Said Destroy” by Reflex Condition, I’ll just say if a song could be possessed by an evil spirit, this is what it would sound like.
- Interestingly, there are two covers of The Normal’s “Warm Leatherette.” Andreï Fyodorov does a fairly faithful version, while Mezire gives us a wild reinterpretation. It’s really scuzzed up and sounds like what a live Throbbing Gristle version might. It doesn’t sound like it’s being played, more like it’s escaping from underground.
[If you happen to want to read more about The Normal and their complete catalog, I wrote about it here a few years back.]