Based off of my observations, pop culture is going through a huge 90s phase (one which I am a willing participant in). Jean on jean, flannels, and crimped hair (just look up pictures of Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga if you don’t believe me) are on the rise. The decade features revered artists such as Blink-182, The Wu Tang Clan, and Natalie Imbruglia, archetypes for today’s music scene. A lot of artists who have created their own hit songs are not afraid to look to previous works and revel in the past. Music groups in pop, indie, hard rock and many other genres are catching the 90s wave and recreating already venerable music and shedding some light on some old school jams that you may have put on the back burner (or rather in a box of cassettes in the back of your closet).
“Losing My Religion” by Lacuna Coil
R.E.M took home an MTV Video Award for Best Breakthrough Video in 1991 and a Grammy in 1992 for the group’s music video for “Losing My Religion.” In 2012, Lacuna Coil released their version of the classic on their album Dark Adrenaline. The hard rock act is frequently played Sirius XM Octane so it was interesting to hear their take on one of my favorites from Sirius XM Lithium (everyone should listen to satellite radio). Lacuna, female and male fronted and founded around the time that R.E.M. was receiving it’s rewards, chose to keep the lyrics the same; what made all of the difference was the combination of two strong voices, prominent chord progressions and descending minor seconds at the end of many lines in the second verse (the “-er this” part of “consider this…” for ) to open up the track and allow some aggression in.
“No Angels” by BastilleNow on a more waveless note, Bastille featured singer-songwriter Elle Erye in their cover of “No Angels” (originally named “No Scrubs”) by TLC. TLC, the same all-female group that brought you Waterfalls in 1994, recorded “No Scrubs” to ward off the broke down dudes who “try to holla” when they couldn’t and wouldn’t take care of a woman if they had one. Bastille made the most prominent changes regarding the musical style, number of voices and the dialogue added in. Looking closer at how all of these fit together though, one can see a sort of shift in meaning. As two voices sing, male and female, both make the same declaration, the dialogue in between, again, a man and a woman suggest that maybe the scrub doesn’t want to be the way he is; he may just feel trapped, hopeless, and as a result, feigns apathy when picking up chicks. I don’t think Elle is convinced, though.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Joan Jett & “Lithium” by St. VincentLast, but not least, at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Joan Jett covered Nirvana’s legendary “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a tribute to both the rock act and their late lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Jett, the frontwoman of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts joined the living members of Nirvana to perform the band’s most popular song before they were formally inducted. As she played rhythm guitar, Jett worked the stage, performing the song to her fullest ability as the crowd went wild. St. Vincent’s Annie Clark also performed with the grunge trailblazers for “Lithium.” The multitalented singer played the lead guitar parts in addition to singing leads. She seemed very at home as she played the well-know guitar riff and repeated “I’m not gonna cry. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and Lorde also paid their tribute by doing vocals for “Aneurysm” and “All Apologies” respectively. The present members each played the instruments that they played while they were in Nirvana.