Imaginary Album Review: Miyavi - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Controversial opinion: Nirvana is kind of overrated. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Smells Like Teen Spirit musically. The grunge rock beat is galvanizing. Unfortunately, the song makes absolutely no sense lyrically or conceptually. Honestly, the message is not clear. Maybe the people who spend hours analyzing the track's lyrics for its meaning are the predecessors to K-Pop fans. Nonetheless, it is a gem musically, even if it is not the 5th greatest song of all time (looking at you Rolling Stone).
Thankfully, a good musical melody is something Miyavi can absolutely work with. Compared with slowing the song down, Miyavi chooses instead to tear through the song with the speed and aggressiveness I'd only expect from him. The drums and guitar absolutely are thrashing here, and it is golden.
Some of the best new moments in the song are the post-chorus, which goes full-on blazing speed, a classic Miyavi trick. The central refrain in the chorus also comes out as surprisingly solid.
If there is one issue with Miyavi's cover, it would be Miyavi's voice was not meant for this genre. He sounds a little strained (even if his English is sharper than ever. The lyrics are more clear here than in the original! Though that genuinely does not mean much). Nonetheless, he does his best.
The song also slows down for the first refrain in the chorus. The trick here does not work as well as in Warrior, and thus Miyavi instead builds for an absolutely powerful final chorus. It works great. The productional flourish of cowbell throughout the track is also golden.
After Warrior, this cover is slightly underwhelming, but it remains surprisingly strong, ripping forward with the speed expected from Miyavi.
Comments
Post a Comment