nothing will keep us together

August 30, 2021 1:53 PM

Enter Shikari's acoustic+ cover of David Bowie's Heroes from their Spring 2021 pandemic/at-home/refresh/alt-versions album Moratorium (Broadcasts From The Interruption)

Bonus covers by UK trancecore band Enter Shikari:

Know Your Enemy - Rage Against The Machine

Chop Suey - System Of A Down

Game Of Thrones OP

Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds covers Everything Is Borrowed by The Streets from Torch Songs

Enter Shikari previously: I, II

posted by glonous keming (8 comments total)

Speaking as someone who's a bit obsessed with "Heroes," I like. Some of the production decisions, I'm not too fond of, but that's a primo vocal performance. Thanks!
posted by Quasirandom at 2:36 PM on August 30, 2021 [2 favorites]

someone who's a bit obsessed with "Heroes,"
Another cover for your obsession, Vera Blue.
posted by Thella at 2:48 PM on August 30, 2021

I found an actual David Bowie mostly acoustic version for comparison Now I'm just sad that David Bowie is now more.
posted by interogative mood at 3:42 PM on August 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

I was confused for the first thirty seconds. "This is not Shakira."
posted by AJScease at 3:43 PM on August 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

Bowie's singing is so underrated that anyone thinks they can do it as well. I... I am also a teensy teensy bit obsessed with the song and, uh, I hate with a fiery passion any version that tries to make it 'pretty.' It is not pretty, it's not not pretty, but it's not a lovely, sweet happy song.

Some songs lend themselves to anyone covering them and they sound between great and pretty damn good ... at the same time, the bad versions stand out, but there are enough 'good' cover versions to over-shadow that. I think "Heroes" is misunderstood enough that I don't think I've ever heard an adequate cover. This is a good song, well sung but the original song is... much more profound. At the half-way mark when the... I'm not conversant enough to go into all this but - the key changes and Bowie belts it out and it's - cathartic. But that catharsis is a factor of the build-up of the first half, that it isn't bright or lovely and then there's a moment when that constriction gets shed and... It's a great song. (Here's Visconti talking about putting it together. The song is a masterwork of late 20th century music. I know, that hyperbolic, but I think it's right on. I stand by it.)

(Seu Jorge does great Bowie covers as well.)

Thanks - this is interesting.
posted by From Bklyn at 6:07 AM on August 31, 2021 [2 favorites]

At the half-way mark when the... I'm not conversant enough to go into all this but - the key changes and Bowie belts it out and it's - cathartic.

The key doesn't change, but the energy goes way up, and Bowie's voice goes from a croon to being full-throated. The lyrics also go from being more dreamy and romantic, even though there's passing reference to nothing being able to keep them together, to an acknowledgment of just how fragile the relationship is. That tension--between living in the moment of the hope and idealism of the affair, to admitting what the reality of the moment really is--is what keeps the song fresh and powerful for me.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:27 AM on August 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

Speaking as someone who's a bit obsessed with "Heroes,"

I... I am also a teensy teensy bit obsessed with the song

My people!
posted by Aznable at 7:19 AM on August 31, 2021

At the half-way mark when . . . Bowie belts it out and it's - cathartic.

Apparently they had microphones at different distances from Bowie with volume thresholds, so when he was singing softly the close one picked it up, but when he started belting the short one shut down and one several feet away kicked in, giving it that special feel.

Yup, I love the original too.

So I was a bit skeptical of this cover. But it can hold it's own.
posted by mark k at 8:38 PM on August 31, 2021