"That's me! All day. No computers. Only thing [digitally enhanced] was the tattoos. My momma gave me the picture for me to put on the album cover. I don't know where my momma found that picture. My momma, she gave me that and one more. If you would have saw the other picture, you'd be like, 'She got too many pictures.' "
From the people that brought you such essential collections as The Dub Tribute to the Black Eyed Peas, The Sweet Sounds of Slim Shady: The Lounge Tribute to Eminem, and Un, Dos, Tres: An Electronic Tribute to Ricky Martin comes yet another masterpiece, Strung Out on Indie Rock Vol. 1: The String Quartet Tribute.
The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie's "Transatlanticism" makes its second showing on a Vitamin Records release here, having previously appeared on 2006's Ghost: The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie; the Pixies' "Debaser" and Elliott Smith's "Needle in the Hay" first surfaced in 2004, Sonic Youth's "Kool Thing" ,Bright Eyes' "The Calendar Hung Itself", and Muse's "Time Is Running Out" got the treatment in 2005, the Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" came out last year, and Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" showed up in 2003.
Alas, Interpol's "The Heinrich Maneuver" and the White Stripes' "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)" were too new to have graced last year's Interstellar: The String Quartet Tribute to Interpol and 2005's tribute to the White Stripes.
Thanks to Taylor Loftin for the tip.
Strung Out on Indie Rock Vol. 1: The String Quartet Tribute:
01 Debaser (The String Quartet Tribute to Pixies)
02 Kool Thing (The String Quartet Tribute to Sonic Youth)
03 You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told) (The String Quartet Tribute to the White Stripes)
04 The Heinrich Maneuver (The String Quartet Tribute to Interpol)
05 Transatlanticism (The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie)
06 Needle in the Hay (The String Quartet Tribute to Elliott Smith)
07 Time Is Running Out (The String Quartet Tribute to Muse)
08 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (The String Quartet Tribute to the Arcade Fire)
09 The Calendar Hung Itself (The String Quartet Tribute to Bright Eyes)
10 Last Goodbye (The String Quartet Tribute to Jeff Buckley)
Despite leading much of the material, Brendan Benson doesn't contribute any "Brendan Benson songs" here; both he and White simply step forward as the occasion demands. The two vocalists, therefore, blur into one another in their roles as dual frontmen. White grows tremendously as a singer and gets a little of his mania back, while Benson tightens his belt a few notches and manages to sound just as excitable, notably on the tag-team vocal of "Salute Your Solution". Whether it was intended or not, White's personality sometimes overwhelms, and makes Consolers sound like a little sibling to Icky Thump-- a little less unique, certainly, but another loose, comfortable affirmation of what they do well.
