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seedarklyxeroWelcome to another edition of SeeDarkly Sunday DisCOVERies and a new review of a goth, industrial, or dark alternative cover song!
First time here? Click here for details from first entry.
Lady Gaga or Lorde? Say what you will about the recent faux-controversy regarding "who did it better," but the need to pit one's tribute to David Bowie against the other seems to miss the point. In my mind, each had merit and both were reverent in their appreciation of the fallen Blackstar for all he inspired. As artists themselves, they've both already made significant positive impacts of their own, no matter what the subjective opinion of their art may be.
Perhaps some share in the trending sentiment on Gaga that seems to be "love to hate her," however this week's feature might be considered for those who "hate to love her":
A7ie - Bad Romance
Bad Romance was the first track on Lady Gaga's 2009 reissue album of The Fame, re-titled The Fame Monster. It was released as her seventh single just a few weeks before the album launch. Written by Gaga and her producer, RedOne, the track is unapologetically dance-pop with clear new wave, techno, and house influences. While lyrically the song seems little more than one-dimensional in its focus on wanting unhealthy relationships, her video for the track reflected on issues of sex trade, slavery, and finding empowerment over criminal oppression (albeit between various scenes of innovative, if unconventional, dance choreography.)
The song has been covered by a variety of artists in many genres: folk, swing, alternative rock, psychobilly, punk, and more. And with her music and style crossing over into certain segments of goth-industrial culture, (both seriously and as novelty,) it's not a huge surprise that this cover would be produced.
A7ie, formerly known as Aseptie, a harsh EDM industrial outfit out of France, released their cover of Bad Romance for free as a special download from a link given in the liner notes of their 2011 Narcissick EP. Originally they had intended the cover to be the principle track to compliment the theme of the EP, but they were unable to attain the required legal permissions before the scheduled release so they were forced to exclude it.
Of note: Some may recall that, also in 2011, "Weird Al" Yankovic had similar trouble with regard to his parody of Gaga's Born This Way, which, as it turned out, had less to do with Gaga and more to do with her oppositional management not even letting her hear it to approve it in the first place. It's not inconceivable that this same management could be responsible for A7ie's difficulty, and possible that some of those issues were eventually resolved since their cover was included later that year in the eleventh installment of the Extreme Sündenfall goth/industrial compilation series. However, A7ie have allowed the track to remain a free download which is now featured on their Covers & Remixes digital release, which also includes covers of songs by Project Pitchfork and Patti Smith.
The contrast between the two versions needs little qualification: it's EBM versus dance-pop. A7ie incorporate samples of Gaga's "Rah Rah" mantra from the original but their own vocals rasp harshly through the actual lyrics. It's an extremely stompy and aggressive rendition that strikes a very different tone on the theme of getting involved with someone who's just bad for you.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
Something wicked this way comes: it's a game or so they say...
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome!
I'll spin twice this month in Cambridge and once in Western Mass. Check my schedule for details and RSVP if we'll see you there. ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Feb 21 - Orgy - Blue Monday (New Order)
Feb 14 - Lovage - Sex (I'm A...) (Berlin)
Feb 07 - Daniela Andrade x Dabin - Heartbeats (The Knife)
Jan 31 - Halovox - Fly on the Windscreen (Depeche Mode)
Jan 24 - XP8 - Nightlife (IAMX)
Directory of All DisCOVERies
First time here? Click here for details from first entry.
Lady Gaga or Lorde? Say what you will about the recent faux-controversy regarding "who did it better," but the need to pit one's tribute to David Bowie against the other seems to miss the point. In my mind, each had merit and both were reverent in their appreciation of the fallen Blackstar for all he inspired. As artists themselves, they've both already made significant positive impacts of their own, no matter what the subjective opinion of their art may be.
Perhaps some share in the trending sentiment on Gaga that seems to be "love to hate her," however this week's feature might be considered for those who "hate to love her":
A7ie - Bad Romance
Bad Romance was the first track on Lady Gaga's 2009 reissue album of The Fame, re-titled The Fame Monster. It was released as her seventh single just a few weeks before the album launch. Written by Gaga and her producer, RedOne, the track is unapologetically dance-pop with clear new wave, techno, and house influences. While lyrically the song seems little more than one-dimensional in its focus on wanting unhealthy relationships, her video for the track reflected on issues of sex trade, slavery, and finding empowerment over criminal oppression (albeit between various scenes of innovative, if unconventional, dance choreography.)
The song has been covered by a variety of artists in many genres: folk, swing, alternative rock, psychobilly, punk, and more. And with her music and style crossing over into certain segments of goth-industrial culture, (both seriously and as novelty,) it's not a huge surprise that this cover would be produced.
A7ie, formerly known as Aseptie, a harsh EDM industrial outfit out of France, released their cover of Bad Romance for free as a special download from a link given in the liner notes of their 2011 Narcissick EP. Originally they had intended the cover to be the principle track to compliment the theme of the EP, but they were unable to attain the required legal permissions before the scheduled release so they were forced to exclude it.
Of note: Some may recall that, also in 2011, "Weird Al" Yankovic had similar trouble with regard to his parody of Gaga's Born This Way, which, as it turned out, had less to do with Gaga and more to do with her oppositional management not even letting her hear it to approve it in the first place. It's not inconceivable that this same management could be responsible for A7ie's difficulty, and possible that some of those issues were eventually resolved since their cover was included later that year in the eleventh installment of the Extreme Sündenfall goth/industrial compilation series. However, A7ie have allowed the track to remain a free download which is now featured on their Covers & Remixes digital release, which also includes covers of songs by Project Pitchfork and Patti Smith.
The contrast between the two versions needs little qualification: it's EBM versus dance-pop. A7ie incorporate samples of Gaga's "Rah Rah" mantra from the original but their own vocals rasp harshly through the actual lyrics. It's an extremely stompy and aggressive rendition that strikes a very different tone on the theme of getting involved with someone who's just bad for you.
The Cover:
The Original:
Next week:
Something wicked this way comes: it's a game or so they say...
Comments, suggestions, discussions, etc... welcome!
I'll spin twice this month in Cambridge and once in Western Mass. Check my schedule for details and RSVP if we'll see you there. ^_^
Explore the darkness,
-Xero
Previous DisCOVERies
Feb 21 - Orgy - Blue Monday (New Order)
Feb 14 - Lovage - Sex (I'm A...) (Berlin)
Feb 07 - Daniela Andrade x Dabin - Heartbeats (The Knife)
Jan 31 - Halovox - Fly on the Windscreen (Depeche Mode)
Jan 24 - XP8 - Nightlife (IAMX)
Directory of All DisCOVERies