A blissful and exciting tribute
The Faithful: A Tribute to Marianne Faithfull is a 19-track album paying tribute to Marianne Faithfull. It includes artists such as Iggy Pop, Feminine Aggression, and Lydia Lunch covering her songs. The variety of artists on this album creates an extremely interesting listening experience. While some songs are slower and less exciting, others are upbeat and fun to listen to. The change within the album keeps the listener on their toes, not knowing what type of music to expect next, all while staying within the discography of one artist; Marianne Faithfull.
The album opens with a crunchy guitar part and a simple drum pattern. The layered vocals introduce “As Tears Go By” and continue throughout the song. The introduction track is slow and peaceful, although there is not much variety in the piece as it keeps the same general motifs throughout its entirety. There is a small break near the middle of the song that does mix it up some but the vocals return to the same inane melody. The song is slightly hard to get through due to its lack of alteration but it is a pretty song. The next track, “This Little Bird” is more exciting than the song it follows, its’ drums parts are a bit more active and engaging. However, yet again, the song does become a bit boring. This song is definitely more interesting to listen to but it doesn’t feel very stimulating. Near the end half of the song, the tempo picks up with the addition of strings and other instruments but other than that it lacks in variety.
However, there is a rapid change of pace once we reach the third song, “Summer Nights.” This track is upbeat and exciting, like children’s music in a way. Feeling as though it was made for dancing with its evenly-paced drums and happy snare hits, it is a nice change from the past two songs. As the album continues, it changes genres multiple times. Songs like “Sister Morphine” and “Working Class Hero” are darker and warmer. There are even electronic songs like the sixth track, “Why’d Ya Do It.” This techno track feels like it is made to be in a club. The crude, deep, spoken vocals separate it from the songs before it. In addition, rock influences can be heard in songs such as “Brain Drain” and “Before The Poison.” Even with some of the songs slow tempos, having rapid changes like this is a plus. Elements of disco, folk, and punk can even be picked out.
This album is not a favorite but it can keep a listener interested, waiting to find out what comes next. Hearing the individual renditions of these songs and being able to embrace the music all while hearing the cover artists’ influence is something very special.
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