Under The Influence

When I was first alerted to this album I was enthralled - their previous effort, Late Night Tales, has been one of my favourite mixes of late (excuse the pun). So, try to imagine my joy on discovering that it's all covers. That's right, every last track on here is a cover, two cds worth!

Thankfully I'm only familiar with a couple of them (I'm all about the new tunes). In particular Devo's Satisfaction has been high on my list of years (I actually had the pleasure of seeing them play it live recently).

Obviously the sound is completely new wave. Highlights for me include Jet Boy Jet Girl (Elton Motello), If You Want Me To Stay (Ronny) and Route Nationale 7 (The Honeymoon Killers). Though of course it's all really good.

Joy Division finish the album off with their live rendition of Sister Ray... and who better to get the last word on this one?

Howzer! This is twisted. Really twisted. I believe this is the result of a school teacher deciding to teach his kids a bunch of pop songs (Beach Boys, Beatles, Bowie etc) - the recordings of which disappeared for many years before being unearthed and praised by the original composers (Bowie included).

Some years ago someone mentioned to me that they couldn't stand listening to children sing (that came out sounding worse than it really was). I think it affected me on some subconscious level as I've found listening to recordings of children singing (eg Stevie Wonder) a tad awkward since. This pushes far beyond those boundaries.

The choir is accompanied by acoustic guitar, a drum and a cymbal (oh and there's a piano sometimes too). It's basically out of tune/time most the way through but there are eery moments when everything falls where it's meant to. The girl that sings Desperado has a great voice.

Sweet Caroline is wicked, Rhiannon too. I think I'm actually starting to like this.

These three girls have voices like angels. I'm not sure of the connection between the artists but you can be sure you're on to a good thing when Emmylou Harris has stopped to praise their singing.

The whole thing is very traditional sounding. Interesting arrangements - almost exclusively for voice. Basically it's a big display of beautiful 3-part harmonies. Good variation in song energy - 't Jeugdig Groen is rather slow (and dark) while songs like 't Zoutvat are much more upbeat.

There's a delicious cover of Sinhead O'Connor's In This Heart on here and track 12 seems to be a tribute to the great Jacques Brel. I think my pick of the moment is going to have to be De Wanhoop though there any number of songs could have taken that spot.

When people mention acapella covers I normally cover my ears and start rocking back and forth. Even though I love covers I feel that I'm not strong enough to endure another bad acapella cover song. Luckily the good folk in Leuven picked a good one for me to enjoy this time round.

In covering some of my absolute favourites (such as Enjoy The Silence) you're heading into seriously dangerous territory. It just works though. The arrangements are lovely. I guess it's cheesy - but it's so damn beautiful.

In all honestly once I started I simply couldn't turn it off.

This album is far too short.

It kicks off with a great Rockabilly cover of the classic Strange Fruit. Actually, I believe the whole thing is a covers album, though I certainly don't know them all.

The song selection is varied and everything is given a top reworking to sound uniquely theirs. You can hear all sorts of different musical styles buried beneath the rock exterior.

Tears Of Rage is a great bit of americana, Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs is completely amping and Need A Job hits like a kick in the teeth - sounds a lot like Ivory Springer in some respects.

I really like this.

Stomping electro beats, filthy beats, distorted, twisted beats. They've definitely gone for the big noise approach, and it really works. It's German I believe. The vocals are definitely German - though the overall sound is a strange hard European/ Brit-rock hybrid.

We get a deconstruction of The Cure's Fire In Cairo (hence the covers classification... though it's a bit iffy) - stuttering so brutally that it's almost hard to take (the following Departure From Cairo mellows us out again).

Very infectious sounds.

When I first purchased this I was put off listening to it because it sounded a bit too happy, I was worried that it would simply be a novelty. Imagine how very pleased I was when I finally did listen to it through and discovered that it's darker than I'd previously judged it to be.

Not only that but it features a few bits but one of my favourite French artists, Fred Avril. Not only do they use his wonderful Urban Serenade, he also does the production work on their new cover, Come On Eileen.

There are too many beautiful tracks on here to name... I just tried to pick a few but couldn't. Gah! It's all great.

I'm sure I've probably mentioned it before but I love the Klezmer sound, it sounds so fresh to my western ears.

There are plenty of stomping tracks to dance around to - in fact almost all of them are really upbeat. A couple of songs are even sung in English so I can figure out what's going on some of the time. The production is great on here too.

Charlatan-Ka is great - it sounds like it's going to be a cover of Those Were the Days My Friend. And I know I've heard Golem Hora before but I can't pick from where... oh wait, The Saints (another Klezmer group from Poland) do a version of this too (though I'm sure the melody is more famous than that).

The other day someone asked me for the most embarrassing pick from my collection. Being the sort that can never bear to throw away music I have a good number of questionable records to nominate for this dubious honour. Even though the bulk of said collection lives on the opposite side of the world to me this one jumps still straight to mind.

I was given this album by a friend - from memory it came free with a guitar magazine. The music itself is not too bad (though it's pretty bad), it's the image that really does it. I believe he builds his own electric violins shaped like claws and the like and then gives them names like The Violator. Completely stuck in the past, not the good past either. I feel like I should give this problem a name - possibly Derek Sherinian disease

So anyway, I'm on Mark Wood's website (take a look at the promo video) and I notice something - he's in Trans Siberian Orchestra! You know, the guys that did that song made famous by the xmas house video. Solid gold.

One of the acts I was lucky enough to stumble upon whilst in Berlin last week. She was actually playing at the place we were staying (Bar 25). Great place by the way. Fun and friendly people supplying/enjoying a great selection of cultural highlights.

I don't really have that much to go on with this - just what I heard at the gig and the scattered bits I've found around the internet. The older recordings I could find have a Portishead quality to them (I think that's actually got a lot to do with the Phillicorda Organ she uses).

Great songs. Great twisted melodies. Check out Woodfull of Love on her myspace (sorry) page.

You can grab a few mp3s from Kliklak (Berlin music blog) including a cool little cover of Nirvana's Something in the Way.