Imaginary Album Review: Miyavi - Youth of the Nation Ft. Troi Irons
While I am not a Christian, I do enjoy the Christian metal band P.O.D's Youth of the Nation. Its bleak themes apply to everyone, especially in a modern society, where the youth suffers from a lot of issues. Thus, it is a great choice for Miyavi to remake. It also is certainly less omnipresent than Smells Like Teen Spirit, and thus a much better choice for a cover.
This time, Miyavi is collaborating with Troi Irons. I personally have not listened to a lot of her music, but I am willing to take suggestions! Her smooth and melancholy voice is perfect for the song, blending with the soft beat.
In fact, compared to the original song, Miyavi slows down, letting the lyrics and themes of the track take hold. From the police sirens and calls to the slow, grinding guitar. Compared to the speediness of the album so far, Youth of the Nation slows things down to basically nothing.
Pianos and drums also take an essential stance in the song. Helping building the essential themes throughout the song. Around two minutes into the song, the slow-building tune fully pauses.
It returns with a grinding guitar riff from Miyavi, accompanied by the police sirens. It is immediately followed by Miyavi and Irons chanting with a stomping crowd to support. Then, just when you'd expect the song to explode, it closes.
Initially, this choice bothered me. Why did the song not explode? However, eventually, I appreciated the decision. The original song goes full on hard, thus the slow down actually works as a brilliant contrast. Plus, this is a current issue, not one that can be covered with a rock riff, that would be disengenuous.
The lyrics also are quite different, with the dark story replaced with some statements about teenage doubt and longing. It works well. While Youth of the Nation might not be perfect, it is an excellent cover worth appreciating.
Comments
Post a Comment