To describe Omar Rodríguez-López’s 2016 as ambitious would be the understatement of the year. The prolific singer-songwriter made the decision to release 12 albums in 6 months, or a new album every week. Rodríguez-Lopez has continued to stick with his word and this week released the latest of his promised 12 new albums. Number 3 on the endeavor, 11-track Blind Worms, Pious Swine, features a slew of new material along with one standout surprise: a cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights”.
Rodríguez-López creates a completely different take on the synthy original by finding the darkness underlying the dance tune. The lyrics, which are more difficult to catch in the original, stand front and center here. The song and lyrics such as “And I’m not sleeping now/The dark is too hard to beat/And I’m not keeping up/The strength I need to push me” seem to take a creepier, more eerie meaning as it’s played out from a new angle. Check out the cover below.
“Lights” was released in 2011, it’s release following Goulding’s cover of Elton John’s “Your Song.” The follow-up was a sleeper hit and launched Goulding into mainstream popularity. Goulding has confirmed that the lyrics are “about being scared of the dark and not being able to sleep with the lights off, which I still can’t do unless I am with someone.”
Omar Rodriguez-López has gathered a following after his success with At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta. He is also a bassist and producer and has worked closely with a wide variety of artists such as such as El-P, Faust, John Frusciante, Lydia Lunch, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Damo Suzuki.
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