I logged on, and spotted a post by thecoverlovers. I listened to the most recent post, Labrinth covering Wildfire by SBTRKT. It wasn't bad, but I was not impressed. It sounded like the original, but not good enough. Maybe I was being petty. Scrolled down further, past some Beatles cover, to Rose Royce's Love Don't Live Here Anymore being covered by Bastille. I loved the original, and I was yearning to listen to it this morning. It was comforting, the familiarity of the song and the connection to my mood at the time. It was just what I needed. However, I was curious to find out about the cover by Bastille. The name sounded familiar; maybe I had come across the name before, but not paid much attention to it. I played the cover, Love Don't Live Here (the word 'Anymore' was dropped from the title). I wasn't sure why they dropped the word, but I soon came up with my reason when I listened to their version. I've included the link to the post where I listened to the two versions, so you can do the same too.
Love Don't Live Here [Anymore]
My take, after listening to the songs again, is this. Rose Royce's song is a great soul track. It is a sad love song. If the lyrics are anything to go by, it is a song of love long gone. And it is a song of longing and hope. The groove also makes it more palatable to the ear, making it subtly uplifting. Listening to Bastille cover it made me sad. Really sad. Not because it was a trashy cover. Quite the opposite. The production was astonishingly good! The tone of voice seemed filled with emotions; angst; despair; resignation. And just when I thought it was ending, as the song was fading out, the instantly recognisable beat of Ms. Jackson by Outkast faded in, followed by a verse of rapping. I loved it! I did a search of the group and found out that they have a mixtape, Other People's Heartache. Its's available for free download here. I had a listen to it, and it's not a bad mixtape. It's got a set sombre theme to it, almost like the Weeknd or Nguzunguzu. Listening to it will definitely, if not make you feel more blue, keep your energy level down low.
It wasn't a good start to my Monday. I definitely needed a pick me up. But at the same time, I did not want to jolt myself with high energy pick-me-ups. So I rummaged through my collection, and found the one album that I hoped would work for today: Since I Left You, by the Avalanches. For those of you who don't know the Melbourne based group, don't beat yourself over it. They've had just one release, over 10 years ago, and fans are still waiting for their sophomore album. We hope that this year will be the year. The title track kicks of the album, and it is a beautiful track. You can watch the video here, but be warned, it is NSFW.
Oh, yeah. I meant Not Safe For Wusses. I'm sorry if you were hoping for blood, bare breasts or something more. Well, carrying on, I spent the rest of the morning listening to the album. It's a comforting album, and uplifting, and strangely familiar. Every time I listen to it, it's like hearing it for the first time. And a lot of that is because almost the entire album is made of thousands of vinyl samples. Yes, vinyl. Samples. Imagine the work for that. It's easier nowadays, with electronic equipment, MP3s and such. Vinyl samples. Over 3000 of them! No surprise it's taking them this long to get the next album out. The Avalanche's album is an explosion of sound that goes down really well. It starts of slowly, and paces itself well, bringing you up a step with each track, allowing for short breathers in between. And it lets you down easy too. Truly one of the best albums I've ever listened to.
It helped me, in the end. It got me writing, and this post is the result of that. I still feel a little under the weather. And it is also likely due to the weather. I will be heading out soon and need to get ready. More musical experiences to come later on. Have a good week!
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