Friday, May 14, 2010

Jónsi Does MGMT


When this man opens his mouth, the angels speak. It's as simple as that. The fact that Jónsi can conjure his ethereal vocal timbre on command is a testament to the capabilities of the human voice. Especially in this age of AutoTune and lip-syncing, such a feat is even more remarkable. Entering the indie mainstream with "Boy Lilikoi" (see 1:01) this past winter, Jónsi has hit the festival and gigging circuits of late, playing all over the US and Europe. The Iceland native peddles his own take on dream pop, which has proven to be far more accessible to the average indie listener than the Vonlenska-laden post-rock of Sigur Rós. Aligning with the accessible bent of his solo effort, Jónsi covered MGMT's 2008 crossover hit "Time to Pretend" during a live performance on BBC Radio 1, reimagining the song entirely. The cover is rather sparse texturally, an airy piano accompanying Jónsi's otherworldly voice as the tempo is slowed and what originally was the indie equivalent of a club banger is transformed into to a thoughtfully melancholic look at the realities of pop stardom.

Time to Pretend (Live cover on BBC Radio 1)

0 comments:

Post a Comment