As a rule, I very much dislike covers. I do not like playing them, I do not like listening to them, I often irrationally feel somewhat slighted when I find out a song that I really enjoy is actually a cover. Despite my rational brain, I just have a personal distaste for hearing someone butcher another person’s art by half-ass learning it just to get a huge round of "woos" when it comes around to chorus that everyone knows.
Now, before you get all twisted, I also know there are many, many exceptions to this. I know how pop music works. I understand the game. I really do. I actually have a long-standing conspiracy theory that the pop music industry is just some elaborate Wizard of Oz-esque hoax. Just one tired old mindless robot of a man hunched over in a room with no windows cranking out the next "Call Me Maybe" or "Starships." But, I’ll save that for another blog post.
Regardless, when a cover is pulled off correctly, it accentuates and elevates the original piece of music. It tips its hat to the original spirit while bringing in a new and exciting flavor. I suppose I can even make myself admit that covers can be an art unto themselves.
For a recent compilation by our friends over at Kill Your TV, James Christos and Wurm & the Madness surely reinforce that. The track is called "Revolt (Off the Wall)." Originally performed by James Christos (James D’ Conqueror) featuring Ava Bella, it is 3 minutes and 35 seconds of high-energy, sub-busting, dance-infused hip-hop. Christos’ precise and cutting verses lay a solid groundwork upon which Bella fiercely drives the hook with a soulful, sassy and scalding vocal that jumps off the track. It is lively, fun and accessible, even for a whiter-than-white-bread boy like me. I will freely admit I don’t often listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I would if it all sounded as good as this.
So, along comes Wurm & the Madness. They describe themselves as an art rap outfit. Philosophical and/or indie hip-hop would be another good descriptor. Revolt is a pretty straight forward party song, so I was certainly intrigued to hear what they would do with this track.
Driven by a verby and textured acoustic guitar, their take on the song wanders towards the Portishead or Soul Coughing direction. However, it’s not all folk and mirrors, as the track is accompanied by a most definite electronic percussion element and what I’m guessing is a distorted bass. Wurm’s verses drip with piss and vinegar, gradually building an aura of distress and tension. Kitten, the female half of Wurm & the Madness, handles more vocally than just hook duties and is often paired with Wurm’s half-spoken/half-sung vocals to great spooky effect.
The duo manages to transform the party song into a slow anxious stumble down a dimly-lit hallway, the masked killer certain to prey from the shadows at any moment. Occasionally the hook comes around to provide a strip of light to see by, but then quickly back into the dark and psychological. Wurm & the Madness’s version is the Saw trap that the original song got put into.
Both versions of "Revolt (Off the Wall)" are phenomenal in their own right. Even beyond that, both of these artists are certainly worth checking out. Christos may be one of the hardest working music people in this town.
In addition, Kill Your TV KC has a whole compilation of covers in the works. Locals covering locals. Keep your ears open as that gets updated. I hope all the efforts that come out of it are as good as these.
Other songs on the Kill Your TV KC Cover Up Series currently include:
- "Go Down, Baldwin City, KS" by Ddean Cassidy, covered by The Dirty Fingers
- "Ghost Movie.Octopus Girl" by The Black Bullet Promise, covered by The Swing
- "#4" by Kitten Tits, covered by Merriweather
- "Freak Out" by The Quivers, covered by Vitae and The Pale Horse
- "Rushmore" by Merriweather, covered by Kitten Tits
–-Zach Hodson
| Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black and Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects. He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn’t want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato). |