Best Covers: Talking Heads Take Me to the River”

What makes Al Green so unique as a soul singer is that he’s not a belter – he sings like he’s holding something back, like he’s trying to get you to come in closer. That’s a key component of his most seductive songs, like “Let’s Stay Together” and “Take Me to the River,” the latter of which became a hit for David Byrne and the Talking Heads. Smartly, the Talking Heads’ cover keeps the original’s light touch, paring away anything that could get in the way of the song’s slinky groove.

4Ever Songs: Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’

Talking Heads have always cut a peculiar shape amidst the pop-culture milieu, and that’s only partly due to the massively oversized suits David Byrne wore in a bid to make his head “appear smaller”. They burst onto the scene as a totally original entity, classifiable by nothing other than a Bowie-Esque otherworldliness. They were art-school punks of the highest order sporting a benevolent rebellion against mundanity.

After their initial surge onto the airwaves with Talking Heads 77, the group grew further into their welcomed weirdness. Nowhere was the bands middle finger to banality thrust more forcefully than with the flippy floppy madness of ‘Once In a Lifetime’. Released 40 years ago today, the track still stands up on any playlist as an incomparable piece of music for a multitude of reasons.

Introducing…Crack Cloud

Calgary collective Crack Cloud are a many-headed beast. In their present incarnation there are seven of them, playing various strains of guitars, percussion and synths, but you get the feeling that could change with the wind. They could just as soon be a three piece, or a full art-rock orchestra, or just one person on their own with a sample pad.

Their music is like a lost gem from post-punk’s most arty moments: urgent, strange, and groovy  in danceable akin to Gang of Four and early Talking Heads.

Vancouver collective Crack Cloud have finally announced that their debut album is on the way! Following 2018’s EPs ‘Crack Cloud’ and ‘Anchoring Point’, the group’s first full length ‘PAIN OLYMPICS’ is set to land on 17th July, and to celebrate their sharing the video for punk-funk lead single ‘Ouster Stew’ as well.

 

Hit of the week: Working Men’s Club ‘Teeth’

Whilst previous single ‘Bad Blood’ aims for Talking Heads, ‘Teeth’ makes you look silly by destroying all previous conceptions of what you thought Working Men’s Club  would be musically; but they help you dance away the smirks regardless.

A lazy review would associate ‘Teeth’ with LCD Soundsystem, however instead there’s more of a Post-punk Kraftwerk at play – coupled with a very prominent Mark E Smith esque vocal – that doesn’t so much invite you to the dancefloor as much as putting a stopper in your dancing shoes.

In short this is perfect evolution for WMC with its obnoxious synths that build throughout before detonating into an indie fuelled samba jam that gets more and more incessant as the track draws on.

Favourite Gig: Artificial Pleasure

La banda londinenca Artificial Pleasure, deutora de David Bowie, Roxy Music o Talking Heads, acaba de llançar el seu nou EP Wound Up Tight, un autèntic himne dels vuitanta amb reminiscències a la millor música disco i el primer house d’ambients més pop. Els seus directes són una autèntica experiència dance, on els seus nous hits, com Wound Up Tight o Better Than Nothing, sonen amb una contundència molt més gran del que hagin fet mai abans. Aritificial Pleasure és un dels grups més excitants de la nova fornada pop, i això és només el principi. Aquesta nit a Razzmatazz.

Best Covers: Fenech-Soler “I wanna be your lover”

Electropop duo Fenech-Soler just dropped an EP that consists of covers of some of the 80s greatest hits. Appropriately titled “The Covers EP”, Fenech-Soler pays tribute to Prince, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Robin S., and Janet Jackson. The group released “Zilla”, their second album, in February, so it’s a nice surprise to get more music from them. Fenech-Soler does a great job keeping the essence of the original songs while infusing it with their unique style of electronic, pop, and a little rock. Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” is definitely our favourite one.

Music by Bergman: Park Hotel

Park Hotel are a London based post-electronic dance outfit centred on the creative duo of Tim Abbey and Rebeca Marcos-Rosa. The band explore the mirrorball-noir territory between alternative arena electronica and wired downtown songwriting. ‘Gone As A Friend’ is the bands impressive debut single – a sort of cross between Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem.