A couple years back Albarn honoured The xx' magnum opus, Crystalised, with a stirring rework to convincingly ameliorate its original recording. Needless to say the soufwest London trio have been around and about a little of late, having last week released
the long-awaited sophomore effort in Coexist although this one again betters anything contained therein. It's Crystalised that is once more recombined almost chemically, but this time it's trip hop alchemist
Martina Topley-Bird who's the artist most prominent. And another eminent redux it is, too: the jazzy St. Pancras songstress assumes the role of Romy Madley Croft, her perfunctory croon effortlessly bettering that of the track's architect, whilst the wearied, wilderness snarls of
Mark Lanegan play the part of the adorably insouciant Oliver Sim. As with Albarn's innovative re-imagining, languorous xylophones provide the skeletal backbone down which shivers of smoky duet ratchet, whilst
Warpaint feature somewhere or other amidst the impeccably produced (that'll be Robert Del Naja) soot of it. The way in which Martina and Mark's vocals interlace as those of its authors once did is enough to keep us more than satisfied for at least another cover longer...
DOWNLOAD:
Martina Topley-Bird, Mark Lanegan & Warpaint, Crystalised.
One perhaps even for the most impertinent fan of Faith No More...
