YOUR EYELASHES TICKLED MY NECK

N.B. If the main download links don't work, the alternative one's (all titled "Alt") most likely will. Thanks.

If a song is covered enough, what happens? Does it lose its shine and its sheen? Does it lose an extra bit of sparkle each time? Like an old VHS tape, recorded over and over again, worn down, until the picture isn't crystal clear anymore - where there are intermittent interruptions of static.

Or does a song gain from being covered so much? Does the adding, and stripping away of elements, help to illuminate what you truly loved about the song in the first place?

Or does it not matter in the slightest?



Dntel - "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan"

Dntel - "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan" - Alt
James - "Sick Dream (of Evan and Chan) (Dntel cover)" - Alt
Dntel - "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Superpitcher Compakt Remix)" - Alt
Dntel - "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Barbara Morgens Remix)" - Alt
Dntel - "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Lali Puna Remix)" - Alt

Today, we take a look at Dntel's "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan", and you can decide the answers for yourself. The original Dntel version of this song (featuring Ben Gibbard - who then became Jimmy Tamborello's songwriting partner in The Postal Service) has a lot of static to begin with - intentional, but, some might say, undesirable.
+ The James cover strips away all the static, all the fuzziness, even the drum-beat, and replaces everything with a soft, gentle voice, and smoothly played guitar lines - consequently, more emphasis is placed on the admittedly excellent lyrics.
- The Superpitcher Compakt remix removes the immediacy of the track, extends it by a minute and a half, and creates a fragile atmosphere full of ideas of loss and love.
+ Barbara Morgen's remix lifts the telephone sound and amplifies it, fills it out, makes it a focal point to come back to - emphasising the cyclical nature of the song ("and the telephone was ringing, ringing, ringing off"). The addition of a female vocal to complement Ben Gibbard's melodies also works extremely well.
- Lali Puna's remix removes all vocals entirely - the effect of which is that it becomes a come-down track. There's a definite tinge of sadness but you can make it personal. There are no words to dispute your own.

Figurine

Bonus

A tiny song. It barely starts before it ends. You could hold it in the palm of your hand. You could lift up it and press it against your chest. You could set it on the dashboard of your car, right beside that Post-It note, ("don't cry, we'll be there soon"). This track is also the work of Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello. The new Dntel album, Dumb Luck, is set to be released on April 24th. [Buy]

Sorry for the slow updates - my internet has been having fits for the past few days and completely refusing to work. On a brighter note, we now have hosting! Cue celebratory extra mp3:

Lali Puna

Faking The Books (Dntel/Postal Service Remix)