erasing clouds
 

Letting You Down Again: Lo-Fi Vs. Depeche Mode

reviewed by dave heaton

Can Depeche Mode withstand a 78-minute attack from 31 lo-fi bands, ripping and tearing their way through the band’s discography? Or no, not attack, I meant tribute. Which is it? Does it matter? Certainly, it’s a celebration, a black one – the CD appropriately clothed in black felt, and a loose, fun and wacky one. Some songs are played with synthesizers, some with your basic guitar rock set-up. Some of the songs are played with obvious nostalgia for the ‘80s, others with obvious love for the song at hand, and others with no obvious reverence at all. And all were done in DIY style, with no doubt an iota of the money, in total, that Depeche Mode spent to record one song. In other words, this CD is absolute fun start to finish – bound to evoke memories, but also enjoyable for its own sake. Some of my favorite versions are H Bird’s “But Not Tonite”, sleek and synth-happy; Let’s Whisper’s stripped-down and cute take on the immortal “Somebody”; Bad Knees turning “Get the Balance Right” into a Modest Mouse song; Manipulator Alligator’s clap-along “Blasphemous Rumors”; The French Toasts’ ramshackle voice-and-toy xylophone “People Are People”; and This Bank Holiday’s lovably off-key “Enjoy the Silence”. Between songs are the contributors’ anecdotes, spoken aloud, related to Depeche Mode. Like the covers themselves, some stories are devotional, some nostalgic, and at least one reveals that the contributor knows nothing about Depeche Mode at all, and hasn’t even heard the song he’s covering. The perfect mix of reverence and irreverence, then, for taking on a band as iconic as Depeche Mode.

{www.asaurus.org}


this month's issue
archive
about erasing clouds
links
contact
     

Copyright (c) 2008 erasing clouds