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Martin
L. Gore
Loverman EP2
(Mute / Reprise)
Martin Gore may be one to reckon with in the style department
when he primps his songwriting talent to music fashionistas
Depeche Mode, but when he has stepped away on his own, the visual
specter of his work tends to come second to the more existent
body. Gracelessly titled Loverman EP2 (the DVD edition
of this single even more so awkwardly named), this “EP”
is actually a bloated single long enough to outpace many of
today’s full length releases. Featuring two cuts from
his recently released solo album Counterfeit2, it does
at times feel unequivocally overdone in its grand length and
lack of gusto.
Counterfeit2 is Gore’s second installment of
covers following the original disc released back in 1989 (that’s
when Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure hit
the screens). Once again presenting a supple collection of covers,
this go-around has his takes on work by Brian Eno, David Essex,
Nico and Nick Cave among them; the latter two being the artists
who has their work dissected on this single. But perhaps, ‘dissect’
isn’t exactly the word best used to describe his plodding
rendition of Nick Cave’s “Loverman.” While
vocally brooding like Cave himself, the sluggishly paced electronic
fidgeting leaves the vocals searching for identity amongst the
dreary echo. The Bola Remix sees the song infused with more
skittering treble glitches while the slow beat of the radio
mix is given some added pace (still, it feels like a slow bus
ride on a cold Sunday). The second mix also increases the song’s
length (to a meaty 6:42; still not as long as the album version),
which unfortunately means more of Gore blundering through Cave.
Once Gore is done with “Loverman” however, he shows
a little bit of pizzazz with the cover of Nico’s “Das
Lied Von Einsamen Madchen”, the single’s b-side
so to speak. And like the title track, Gore includes two mixes,
both atmospherically similar with only slight adjustments. The
Turner Remix boasts a delicate sense of romanticism scattered
over synthesized waves and Gore’s low croon before embarking
on the final outing’s more mystical ambiance. Hey, what
d’ya know! He finally does shine – displaying a
sufficient keen sense of interest while still flapping his own
identity. The second half is easily better than the first but
nonetheless, those interested in Gore’s cover songs should
consider Counterfeit2 instead.
Reviewed by
Billy Maulana
December 8th, 2003
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