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Reimagining an overplayed classic-rock radio staple always goes one of two ways: either it reaffirms your dislike for the track, as Foo Fighters did with Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street," or it puts a fresh spin on it, as Local H have done with Pink Floyd's cold and tired "Time" — particularly when Scott Lucas screams over his crashing guitar crescendo before the fade-out. The Chicago duo have excelled at the covers game for years, messing with tracks old and new, standards and deep cuts, never failing to rough them up. Dated only in its reference to old-school mixtapes, this EP of other artists' songs delivers a punchy take on Agent Orange's "Bloodstains," a pleading and chugging version of TV on the Radio's "Wolf like Me," and a tame whack at the Jesus Lizard's "Puss." Unafraid to flirt with romanticism, the Wolfman/Pete Doherty collaboration "For Lovers" keeps the genres mixed yet nicely balanced. And spinning Concrete Blonde's alcoholic love song "Joey" into a grunge piece is one thing, but turning out "Last Caress" by the Misfits as a tender acoustic ballad? Well, that's a stretch of brilliance that might even make Glenn Danzig smirk.
