Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Spooky Love-In

While this may not be news to any NIN or Peter Murphy fan out there, I have been too intrigued by this video lately to stay silent about it. Apparently, back in 2006 when a reunited Bauhaus was touring with NIN there was a series of cooperative radio performances done as a creative exercise for the bands, as well as a bonus for uber-fans. Most of these songs have found their way onto YouTube, but one in particular sticks out for its bizarro appeal.

It is a reimagining of the NIN song "Reptile" from 1994's The Downward Spiral. Simply shifting this song into a stripped-down version without the drilling percussion and guitar tracks of the original would be unique enough for most. Adding the masterful, if not occasionally puzzling, vocal styling of Peter Murphy to the mix yields a very fresh take on one of the best songs in the NIN catalog. Some of the commentators decry Peter's theatrical vibrato and uber-spooky delivery. However, I admire his personal style, including his unusual choices in melodic progressions.

All in all, I think it's a great success as a reworking with the only weak point being the corny "haunted" outro. But enough yammering, check it out for yourself:





If you like Peter's voice you can catch up with him this June as he undertakes his first tour in a few years. I'll certainly be at the Boston date.
Should NIN tickle your fancy, I'll be at the Aug 8th show in Worcester, tickets are on sale, if not already sold out, right now.

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