Jared Louche and the Aliens
Covergirl
Invisible
Well, the cover has me impressed, though other, more workmanlike types, might deem it a bit too pretentious and precious. I’m thinking Bowie if he spent too much time at a leather bar? Cowboy hat, leather jacket, rings on every finger – is that nail polish? – martini in one hand, and of course, cigarette glued to his lips, perhaps to cover a knowing sneer. I certainly don’t remember this chap peering at me from the menacing covers of those old Chemlab records. But it is the same Jared, only showing us a very different side, and why shouldn’t change be the cornerstone of an artist’s aesthetic? Yet to truly follow the new, one must first clear the air of the old, and to that end, Jared Louche has cranked out Covergirl, a set of, yes, cover versions that will perhaps serve as artistic signposts pointing toward future musical (and otherwise) directions. First, he gets in my eternal good graces by doing up Roxy Music’s “In Every Dreamhome a Heartache” in grand style, all necessary airs are affected, and there’s even a bit of digital hell noise added as a middle section intermission. Almost ranks up there with Rozz Williams’ and Gitane Demone’s sublime take on the song. There’s a couple of Iggy Pop tunes – “Sister Midnight” comes off well, only because Louche now finds himself in the same position Iggy was in then, shedding old skin and casting about for new influences, but “Search and Destroy” fares less well, just because it’s a tough song to pull off with the requisite conviction. Louche fares much better with dual takes on Air’s fizzy “Sexy Boy,” pickled in irony, toasting the audience with a girlie drink, complete with three paper umbrellas. Hey, our boy Jared can even get earnest and unplugged with Leonard Cohen’s ever-popular “Famous Blue Raincoat.” Elsewhere, there’s pseudo-lounge and PiL to be had. Come for the drinks, stay for the transformation.
Invisible Records, P.O. Box 16008, Chicago, IL 60616; http://www.invisiblerecords.com
