A classic from a different perspective
Contemporary indie-rock band Cults take on the task of covering the entire self-titled album by The Motels on their latest release. To some, a full cover album may seem silly, but Cults does a great job of taking something that was released many years ago and making it their own by adding unique character to each track.
The album opens on the track “Anticipation,” which on the initial listen seems to be a little odd, but ends up picking up and becoming a great jam song. What stands out the most about this specific track is the vocals and the interesting nature of them. Along with strong vocals, this track has a lot of layers musically that end up creating a somewhat futuristic sound; but nonetheless, it is a bop.
“Kix” is the next track on the album and possesses a similar feeling to the opening track, but as the song goes on, it develops a more dramatic sound to it which adds just enough difference between the two tracks to help the listener separate them from one another. If this track were to be summed up into one word, it would have to be dreamy due to the nature of the overall vibe of the song.
While the first two tracks share a similar sound in the beginning, the third track sets itself apart from the rest of the album just based on the initial vibe. “Total Control” possesses a more romantic feeling to it that makes it feel like it should be featured in a movie scene like the school dance scene in Napoleon Dynamite. One of the best things about music is when it makes you feel something, and this track does just that.
Following the theme of fitting perfectly into movie scenes, “Love Don’t Help” does this effortlessly. Seconds after hitting play on this track, the listener will be transported into the feeling that you get when watching the opening scene of an indie film where the sun is warm and the footage is shot from a driving car. Due to the chill nature of this track, it is easy to get wrapped up in it and want to listen to it continuously.
Later in the album, “Dressing Up” stands out because it has a more upbeat feel to it in comparison to the rest of the album, making it more of a hype song. As the song goes on there is a random section that has an island sound to it, which is nice to hear because it switches things up and keeps the listeners on their toes.
The album closes on the track “Counting,” which stays true to the previous sound Cults presented and makes the band unique. This track is a strong one to end on because it does a great job of wrapping everything up and even possesses a sound that feels like the album is coming to a close. Although it is the last track on the album, it is one of the most stand-out ones as well.
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