Now, here’s an interesting project for you.
Water Tower’s front man Kenny Feinstein is releasing his debut solo album this month. Nothing particularly special about that you’ll say, but what if I told you it’s a cover album? By that I don’t mean a selection of covers plonked onto one album, I mean a cover of a whole album. Hmm, interesting…and what if I told you it’s a full cover of My Bloody Valentine’s seminal ‘Loveless’?
Yeah, so, now we’re in agreement; this is a really interesting project.
Famed for the musical amalgamation of punk and bluegrass in Water Tower, Feinstein here re-creates a poignantly beautiful and dreamy version of his favourite album. Clearly a labour of love, the album brims with gorgeous earthy tones, with the elegant clang of mandolins and the dulled pinging of pianos suiting the singer’s ghostly voice perfectly. It’s subdued and melancholy, with a slow tempo throughout, but still captures that wall-of-sound element that made the original ‘Loveless’ so captivating. Not that this record should be listened to as a comparison to the original album – it’s a work of art in its own right, awash with colour, texture and, most importantly, feeling.
The whole album is utterly fascinating, though if there’s one stand out track, it’s the version of ‘What You Want’. An accompanying video (here) captures the surreal patchwork of melodies in a natural environment. Green, sodden with moisture and encompassed in smoke, the videos personifies the dreamlike quality of the entire album and appeals to something primal that this reviewer can’t quite explain.
In sum then, this album is worth a listen to any fans of the original, but could easily entertain those that have never even heard of My Bloody Valentine. ‘Loveless: Hurts To Love’ is recommended to those that like passion in their music from the first to the last note.
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