I was a record from England
A well-chosen cover song is a lovely thing when performed live. If it’s familiar to the audience it can provide a shot of energy, camaraderie, or pathos. Or it can be laughable and destroy any goodwill the originals may have garnered.
Recorded covers are dangerous territory, moreso than live. Live covers are there and then gone; recorded covers exist forever and sometimes embarrassingly provide a group’s only mainstream exposure (Alien Ant Farm much?).
This past week I received a very nice surprise in the mail: along with my LP copy of Heresy & the Hotel Choir by Milwaukee’s Maritime, the band included a free 7″ with a couple of cover songs. In particular, one especially exquisite cover song. One of the finest covers I own.
“Boy From School” was originally written and recorded by the English group Hot Chip for 2006’s the Warning. The magic of Maritime’s version is that there’s really nothing different from the original version aside from the instruments it’s played on. Vibrant guitars replace buzzing keyboards and female vocals turn the vocal melody into a pristine duet.
But more importantly than that, the cover helped me realize how good the band’s original works are. Prior to the vinyl release showing up at my door, I had a digital copy that provided me little joy. Aside from lead track and first single, “the Guns of Navarone,” I really couldn’t get into any of it. “Boy From School” opened it up, and there are several pristine pop jems on the album that really beg hearing.
So here’s to you, cover song, for all the good and evil that you do. I thank you for this one.
Maritime - Boy From School [5:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Maritime - Be Unhappy [3:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Maritime - Guns of Navarone [3:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadMaritime’s website says to go to Foreign Leisure to buy vinyl, but it’s all sold out on there from the looks of things. So try:
InSound: Might be your last shot. Oh, and they have some CDs.
iTunes: three full lengths here, buddy
