Photo by Fredrik Egerstrand
I present to you the first ever Canvas of Stars "Cover Lover" post. What exactly is "Cover Lover"? Exactly what the name implies: good covers that make you feel the warm fuzzies. There are enough horrible covers in this world to make a person grow to despise music and society. I remember the day I heard a cover so horrendously bad that I wanted to break the sound system. Playing in the background at a store was Jessica Simpson's cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking," the classic song popularized by Nancy Sinatra. Sinatra's version was like the "Fuck-You Song" in a time when it was impolite to write a "Fuck-You Song," and between Simpson's synthesized voice, the limp country twanging and pump-pop beats, Jessica Simpson completely buried that song. She owes Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood an apology.
But enough about that, because "Cover Lover" is all about spreading the love. Today's offering is a scrumptious classic guitar cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Swedish indie-folk artist Jose Gonzalez. The cover is featured on Gonzalez's 2004 Remain EP. Although Gonzalez writes his own music, he is also noted for his covers, which include Massive Attack's "Teardrop" and The Knife's "Heartbeats."
Through Gonzalez's classical guitar creates a warm, full sound, his cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" manages to capture the cold, insular feeling of the original. Even Gonzalez's voice on the track, which sounds like it was recorded on the North Pole, is evocative of Ian Curtis' unusual, engaging vocal style: a voice that sounded like it was slightly detached from what it was singing; a person on the outside of the situation, looking in.
Jose Gonzalez deserves major props for his excellent version of this song. Joy Division is not an easy band to cover. Many who try end up making unmemorable, passionless ripoffs. Gonzalez's cover reminds you of why the original was so exciting, while still incorporating its own style.
Download and enjoy.
mp3: Jose Gonzalez- Love Will Tear Us Apart
Official Site
Here's a video of him performing the song live:
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