I’m working on my column for next week’s C-VILLE and the theme that seems to be emerging right now is one of mash-ups, or convergences, or coincidences. (See: Girl Talk; Lawrence Weschler; and what happens when hundreds of bands decide to name themselves after wolves at the same time.) Or, perhaps, musical adaptive reuse.
But I’m getting ahead of myself and my deadline. All this is to simply say that ATO Records clients Rodrigo y Gabriela—no strangers to strange combinations and interpretations—will release a new full-length in September. The album is titled 11:11 and will be released through ATO.
Coincidentally, I’ve been listening to R&G’s cover of "One," by Metallica. Below, a prime example of adaptive reuse in the musical world—a cover that ties up not only an old Metallica classic but also Dave Brubeck’s jazz standard, "Take Five," with the duo’s own style in a way that reduces unnecessary musical sprawl. Take that:
Listen to the collective "Whoa!" from the crowd when R&G switch from those muted triplets into 5/4 time. "Darkness! Imprisoning me!"
Share some of your favorite examples of musical adaptive reuse below. Covers, mash-ups, whatever you’ve got.
