Covers too bitchin’ for a ghetto blaster
By SHARON STEEL | August 22, 2006
Like, gag us with a spoon already! How is it that the neo-new-wave resurgence hasn’t managed to resurrect Fraggle Rock from the musical cartoon graveyard — or at least make snap bracelets legal again? The ’80s are enjoying a prolonged indie revival, and even the most unlikely of artists are getting into the nostalgia game. Here are four unexpected covers way too bitchin’ for a ghetto blaster.
José González, “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Not many would want to get inside Ian Curtis’s head, but it’s certain that he and José would have made super-sensitive-hetero BFFs. A finger-picking, classical-guitar-toting wizard who stops hearts with his intensely simple acoustic airs, González reinvents Joy Division the way only a Swedish/Spanish troubadour can.
The Boy Least Likely To, “Faith”
Finally, white R&B served with a double scoop of twee pop. Music bloggers have been cuddling up to this British duo all year, and here, The Boy Least Likely To transform George Michael’s sexy “Faith” into a quaint library story-time session.
TV on the Radio, “Mr. Grieves”
The Pixies gone gospel? Substituting Tunde Adebimpe’s icy-smooth vocals for Frank Black’s boorish screams sounds wrong yet is truly oh-so-right. All quintessential punk rock should get a doo-wop makeover at some point.
South, “Bizarre Love Triangle”
Only a band spurned from the ashes of Joy Division, the saddest motherfuckers this side of Manchester circa ’80, could release a pop-perfect single that’s both irresistibly danceable and lyrically crushing. South simply reinvent the New Order classic in this exclusive iTunes session.
Related:
Less is best, Pleasures still unknown, Joyful pursuit of excellence, More 
- Less is best
González possesses the will power and the patience to dig into each of his songs until he has exhumed its bleeding heart.
- Pleasures still unknown
Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) of the Manchester band Joy Division wrote songs that evoke, with incantatory inevitability, terror, delight, and ecstasy.
- Joyful pursuit of excellence
I was as captivated by James Parker’s article on Joy Division as I was disappointed by Peter Keough’s review of Anton Corbijn’s fantastic film Control .
- Shapeshifting
It’s a delicious surprise to find that Jose can get beyond the bedroom sound of Veneer , and by “get beyond,” I mean this guy can swing with a reckless, nerdy abandon that does nothing to rob him of his Nick Drake comparisons. Slideshow: Zero 7 at Avalon, September 12, 2006
- And three more boxes
Among post-punk offshoots, perhaps the hardest to define is “goth.”
- Rudder
This New York City instrumental quartet hold their ground somewhere in among Morphine, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, and Bitches Brew–era Miles.
- In the pines
Jose’s unapologetically no-frills style is all about the pathetically triumphant moment of restraint that stops you from drunk dialing an ex.
- Gotharama
It was a dark and stormy night . . . which made for a veritable holiday in the sun for the folks attending “Gotharama — New England’s Dark Music Festival.”
- The Cinematics
Despite the title of their debut album, it’s unlikely that there was anything particularly strange about the Cinematics’ education.
- She Wants Revenge
After enduring nonstop comparisons with Joy Division over the past four years, the guys in Interpol must be relishing the reception this Los Angeles duo are receiving.
- Disc by disc
The new Joy Division catalogue
- Less
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, Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, Punk Rock, Jose Gonzalez, George Michael, Frank Black, Ian Curtis, Joy Division, TV on the Radio, Less
