I have been listening to untold amounts of The Smiths recently (and expect a post on that shortly) so I was pretty chuffed when I saw that Dum Dum Girls have covered "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" for their upcoming EP, He Gets Me High. The original is of course always coming up in "Greatest Songs Ever" lists and the like, and regarded by many fans as the band's finest hour. It's been covered umpteen times by a million different artists, but this cover really grabs me!
The girls give it a heavier, almost grungy twist, with Dee Dee's vocals drizzled like honey over the mix. Often with covers of big, famous songs like this one, the vocal delivery lacks any real emotional resonance, and the vocalist doesn't seem to be able to put any personality into lyrics that are embraced by so many (which is sort of peculiar) But Dee Dee's delivery on some lines is wonderful, and somehow manages to stay as seductive as she's sounded on everything else she's ever sung on! Genuine sex appeal on a Smiths track is something to be proud of. The line that springs immediately to mind is "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" (which is just a phenomenal lyric) The whole thing is urgent and frenzied, a buzzing and anthemic bundle of distorted guitars and thumping drums. Obviously it's not better than the original, I would never make such a heinous claim. But it's pretty darn good!
I'm looking forward to the forthcoming EP, and hoping that Dum Dum Girls end up as more than a flash in the pan badn from 2010. Click here to go and listen to the track over at Quarterwhipped.
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