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Album Wed Sep 05 2007
Who's Got a Guilty Pleasure?
You know you do it. When no one else is in the car, you make absolutely no move to switch the radio station when Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" comes on. Maybe you're nostalgic for those middle school dances, or maybe you're just a sucker for a song you know all the lyrics to, but don't feel so guilty — even the most indie of indie musicians share in your dirty little secrets.
The latest release from Engine Room Recordings is Guilt by Association — a compilation of 15 tracks of pop, rock, and one-hit wonders, all remade by artists that love them, and aren't afraid to share. There's Will Oldham and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy performing Mariah Carey's "Can't Take That Away", Petra Haden crooning an a cappella version of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey (complete with a sung guitar solo), Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson's sweet, trembling acoustic take on Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" and The Mooney Suzuki tackling "Just Like Jesse James" made famous by the incomparable Cher. Most of the artists tend to go for the "let's slow this down a little" approach, so it can take a little while to recognize the song merely from the strum of the guitar and the whisper-soft vocals. Some songs, twisted and churned through the dark soul of indie rock, come out sounding like something you'd mosh to — like Superchunk's take on "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child. But mostly, these songs are sweet, slow indie nostalgia for nights where you heard them blasted out of the bar jukebox at 2am (oh, you know it wasn't an accident that you chose "Burning for You" by Blue Oyster Cult, fess it).
Petra Haden's cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" [mp3]
A full list of guilty artists and their pleasures is online, but a free listening party for the album is happening tonight at 8pm at Alive One at 2683 N. Halsted. There'll be drink specials and special giveaways.
