Duncan Sheik has been flying below the radar in regards to albums since his 1996 debut single “Barely Breathing.” He has worked on film scores and on Broadway, including the multi-Tony Award winning Spring Awakening.
Now Sheik has emerged with an album covering songs from the 80’s. The album, fittingly enough, is called Covers 80s, and brings a stark, stripped down arrangement to several favorites of the 80s. Unfortunately, the stripping down of several of these songs reveals the flaws within.
Sheik Brings Something New to the 80s
Covers 80s would be a fantastic EP of reinterpreted New Wave classics. It is too bad that Covers 80s is not an EP, but is stretched into a full length album. The sparse arrangements are the equivalent of tearing up carpeting and hoping for hardwood floors underneath. On some songs, like the painfully earnest and sensual “Stripped” by Depeche Mode and the Thompson Twins’ classic “Hold Me Now,” the removal of synthesizer and unnecessary production reveal some truly great songs. The hook on The Cure’s “Love Vigilantes” sparkles in this atmosphere, as does the melody of “The Ghost in You” by The Psychedelic Furs.
On other songs, removal of its synthetic shroud reveals very weak songwriting, especially lyrically. Best that these songs hide beneath their production instead of coming out into the light.
Traits of Covers 80’s
- Bare
- Spare
- Intense
- Minimalist
- Nostalgic
- Emotive
- Artful
Duncan Sheik’s Tour Troubles
Duncan Sheik has been forced to cancel part of his tour supporting Covers 80s. According to Sheik’s website, he had to cancel his tours of the East and West American coasts “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Whether this implies sickness or some sort of logistical problems remains to be seen.
Sheik will still be performing dates scheduled in Indonesia next month.
Covers 80s Tries but Ultimately Fails
It is obvious that Sheik feels very connected to these songs. He tries his best to give them a loving touch. However, some songs are so connected to a time that they only make sense during that time. An attempt to update them makes them look like the old man at the dance club hitting on 21 year olds. They may have been The Man once, but now they're just sad. The best work shines through, but the listener has to go through a lot of rough in order to get to the diamonds.
Grade For Covers 80s: C
Craig Sanders - Craig Sanders is happy to be the Suite101 Feature Writer for Folk Music, as writing and music have been his twin loves his whole ...
