All
Music Guide Review:
Tribute albums are nothing new,
tribute albums to other albums also not quite new -- but tribute
albums to specific songs are generally few and far between. Thus
the conceit of this collection, which is indeed literally 19 versions
of one song, Wire's "Outdoor Miner." The original is
certainly one of that band's prime moments, a pop song like few
others (and which allegedly might have almost actually charted
at the time of release). Its reputation had already been demonstrated
throughout the nineties via a number of unrelated covers, two
of which appear here as ringers -- a 1992 take by Lush and a 1994
version by Flying Saucer Attack, both of which are pretty fine
examples of the respective groups' styles. The rest were recorded
specifically for this collection, starting with a low-key acoustic-led
version by Swervedriver's Adam Franklin that eventually dissolves
into some gentle guitar drones. From there the compilation weaves
all over the place -- hearing the same song over and over could
be dulling but there's enough variety to make it work, though
a number of the remakes essentially replicate the original while
adding nothing to it. Given the slight shoegaze bent of the Words
and Music label it's no surprise that many of the contributions
fall into that vein (though perhaps Lush's cover served as a model).
The more outré or specifically different covers stand out
all the more as a result -- Kick on the Floods' dreamy minimal
Beach Boys-via-electro-pop take, Fiel Garvie's surprising industrial-strength
clamor, Above the Orange Trees' elegant, sorrowful slowcore, Sharron
Kraus' gentle banjo-led version, Should's warm all-instrumental
take. Then there's the art-punk-grind thrash through the song
provided by German band Boy Division, which wins the best quirky
band name award at the least.
~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
Pop Matters Review:
It would be foolish to suggest
that a single song kicked off the entire dreampop sound that flourished
during the late 80s and early ‘90s, but when you hear Wire’s
1979 song “Outdoor Miner”, you can certainly understand
how huge an influence it indeed was. When you hear the song today,
all the characteristics of what would become prototypical dreampop
are there: a pretty, lilting melody, gentle lead vocals, chiming
guitars, background vocals that offset the lead vocals perfectly,
and neopsychedelic lyrics that seem to make no sense, but sound
perfect when heard in such a lovely song. To wit:
No blind spots in the leopard’s eyes
Can only help to jeopardize
The lives of lambs, the shepherd cries
An afterlife for a silverfish
Eternal dust less ticklish
Than the clean room, a houseguest’s wish
He lies on his side, is he trying to hide?
In fact it’s the earth, which he’s known since birth
Face worker, a serpentine miner
A roof falls, an underliner
Of leaf structure, the egg timer
One of the most-loved songs in the entire Wire catalog, “Outdoor
Miner” has been covered by many artists, such as Lush, Luna,
and Ted Leo, and Minneapolis record label Words on Music, ever
the astute purveyors of quality dreampop/shoegazer music in America,
are definitely aware of the song’s importance. Tribute albums
to bands are so commonplace nowadays, that it’s hard to
get excited about any of them, but a tribute album to just one
particular song is as interesting as it is daring. The concept
has been tried previously, most notably on the deliriously weird
2002 compilation Painted Black, a tribute to the Rolling Stones’
“Paint It Black”, featuring post-rockers Acid Mothers
Temple and laptop ace Christian Fennesz; even Wire themselves
even released The Drill, a 1991 album featuring nine re-recordings
of “Outdoor Miner”. While it doesn’t get anywhere
near as strange as Painted Black, A Houseguest’s Wish: Translations
of Wire’s “Outdoor Miner” is for the most part
a highly enjoyable experience.
Containing no fewer than 19 versions of the same song, the album
seems like it would get very repetitive very quickly, but the
great majority of artists involved with the project (several of
whom are part of Words on Music’s roster) deliver versions
of the song that are creative enough to prevent monotony from
setting in. Swervedriver singer/guitarist Adam Franklin steps
away from his band’s trademark guitar drones, in favor of
a quiet, acoustic rendition, while English artist Sharron Kraus
takes it even further, delivering a hushed folk performance, featuring
a plaintively-strummed banjo. Still keeping with the acoustic
theme, Christian Kiefer performs a blues version that isn’t
nearly as disastrous as the idea would seem, and For Stars singer
Carlos Foster’s project Kick on the Floods contributes a
Brian Wilson-style interpretation, featuring layers of gorgeous
harmony vocals.
The more eclectic the arrangements get, though, the better the
album gets. British band Fiel Garvie completely transforms the
song into a trippy shoegazer/noise pop excursion, while Should
employs both clarinet and Rhodes piano melodies in an instrumental
performance. Orchestral pop artists above the orange trees’
beautifully melancholy performance slows down the song considerably,
as does Timonium, whose male-female lead vocal duo recites the
lyrics in a barely audible, whispered tone.
Of course, there are some artists who are better off performing
the song as is, best exemplified by Typewriter, Canadian band
Titania, and Flying Saucer Attack. Best of all, Words on Music
scored a bit of a coup by including the 1991 recording by UK greats
Lush, who tear though the song as if it was written especially
for them, the dual vocals of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson sounding
perfectly suited for the song’s original arrangement.
There are a few bumps along the way, as The Meeting Places’
bland performance, German band Boy Division’s ska-punk cover,
and Polar’s clunky, organ-driven version become tiresome,
but over its hour-long running time, A Houseguest’s Wish
manages to stay fresh. And if it does get repetitive from time
to time, well, with a song as wonderful as “Outdoor Miner”,
hearing it over and over again isn’t a bad thing at all.
— 6 December 2004
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