A few weeks ago, Neneh Cherry & The Thing shared
their excellent cover ofSuicide's "Dream Baby Dream," one
of many brilliant covers off the group's collaborative album, The
Cherry Thing, out June 19 on Smalltown Supersound. As
the release date nears, they're giving a further glimpse into the range of this
project via the video for"Accordion," the MF
Doom song and perhaps the most surprising cover on the album. The mask
wearing MF Doom first uttered these words when he collaborated with producer Madlib on
the critically acclaimed, Madvillainy (Stones Throw;
2004). Premiered this morning viaThe FADER, the
striking Neneh Cherry performs this track in complete darkness throughout the
eerie video. Director Ted Says remarks, "we wanted to create an
atmosphere that would sit well with the unpredictable music of The Thing and be
playful yet creepy. I didn't want to restrict Neneh too much either - she had
to have a platform to do her thing undisturbed. Shooting in darkness, amongst
the trees with a bunch of lasers it was then."
And a few words straight from Miss Neneh on making the
video:
" . . . oh how i DO love to work at night!!! getting
the blasted contact lenses in was an emotional thing. F**KING near killed me.
you'd think it'd be easy but . . . i wasn't gonna do the blair witch thing now
was i so in they had to go! i was late turning up (as per) so we worked all
night. Ted the director was full on enthusiastic and Barca were playing Real
Madrid on the laptop... full on. Judy Blame came thru with the outfits &
Ian Jeffries socked it BiGTiME on the hair & make up . . . made
an old biddy look like her young self again! . . . hope Doom gets the
joke with the mask..."
In addition to Suicide and MF Doom, The Cherry Thing,
Neneh's first new album in 16 years and debut release with spectacular
Scandinavian jazz trio The Thing, features the music of The Stooges, MF
Doom, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, and Martina Topley-Bird,
plus original pieces by Neneh and The Thing's Mats Gustafsson.
RAVES FOR "DREAM BABY DREAM":
"Cherry's voice begins as more of a late-Billie Holiday
croak but ascends along with the song, one step leading to the next as it grows
in intensity and feeling. For their part, the Thing treat the song's simple
melody the way Albert Ayler did European folk ditties, mixing breezily
sentimental yearning with a rush of emotion so torrential it borders on
violence and terror. 'Dream baby dream baby dream baby dream baby dream baby
dream... keep those dreams burning... forever.' They'll never last that long,
and neither will the people dreaming them, but that's the beautiful thing about
music: When the song reaches its peak about six minutes in, I start to
believe."
- Pitchfork [Best New Track]
"It's an exultant interpretation, a track that follows
a chaotic, cathartic instrumental breakdown into the clouds, Cherry chanting
'Dream baby dream ... keep that flame burning!' the whole way. It's a notable
angle and a powerful interpretation, for sure."
- Stereogum
"Member of Rip Rig + Panic, stepdaughter of trumpet
player Don Cherry, voice behind the chart-busting 'Buffalo Stance,' and
one-time Michael Stipe duet partner, Neneh Cherry graces this hypnotic cover of
the 1980 Suicide cut from Nordic free-jazz unit The Thing (the former Neneh
Mariann Karlssson was born in Stockholm). And she sounds fabulous."
- The Stranger
"Here Is The Best Thing To Appear In Our Inbox In
Forever . . . it's amazing. It put us right back in the main of why music is electric
and the feelings it can give you and how weirdly closely connected it is to
this thing that we do in how much it motivates us and never really stops giving
us things. We love this. "
- Philebrity
Neneh Cherry online:
https://www.facebook.com/nenehcherryofficial
https://twitter.com/#!/misscherrylala
http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/
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