Lou Reed & the Killers

Since my last post brought out the bile in so many, namely Gabriel and his toadies, I'm going for a kinder, gentler Rotard today. (JR, you totally made my day giving me a nickname that sounds like I'm a snooty French whore! D'accord!)

But I've decided to keep with yesterday's Joy Division theme and point everyone in the direction of the Killers' cover of "Shadowplay." So what do y'all think? When I first heard they were covering Shadowplay, my initial reaction was, "Oh, Brandon, no you are NOT!!!" Covers so rarely turn out well, particularly covers of songs that are near and dear to my heart. And really, the only decent Joy Division cover I've ever heard thus far is from Sir Trent himself with "Dead Souls."

But as it turns out, I've been pleasantly surprised with the Killers' take on "Shadowplay." They update the song without changing the general melacholy mood. But they don't veer too off course with their updates either, making the song unrecognizable. It's definitely a more uptempo take on the song, but one that stays true to the source. Of course, Brandon Flowers's nasally voice is quite at odds with Ian's monotone drone and I think competes with the strong bass of the song. Perhaps I'm just too used to Ian's sound, but I find myself wishing it were Ian's voice set to the Killers' instrumentals.

The Killers' new album, Sawdust, comes out next Tuesday, and based on their "Shadowplay" cover and their new single "Tranquilize," I'm excited. Like so many sophomore albums, Sam's Town was less than interesting, especially considering the brilliance of Hot Fuss, which still is in my regular rotation three years after its release.

Their video for "Tranquilize" is pretty interesting, given that Lou Reed not only makes an appearance, but his voice eminates from Brandon Flowers. Sorry, but Brandon aint' got nuthin on Lou. In any event, take a gander.