Violent Femmes Go 'Crazy' on Gnarls Barkley
Once upon a time -- 2006 to be exact -- Gnarls Barkley turned out a cover of the Violent Femmes' 'Gone Daddy Gone' on their debut album, 'St. Elsewhere.' Now the Femmes are returning the favor by taking on Gnarls' signature track, 'Crazy,' albeit a little (OK, a lot) late to the game. The Femmes, who haven't issued a new studio album since 2000's 'Freak Magnet,' will release the song digitally and on limited edition light blue vinyl through violentandcrazy.com on June 24.
"I might compare it to a calm pond," Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Loo Green says of the Femmes' rendition in a web post. "I caught my reflection in it. And I seemed momentarily at peace. This track sounds entirely different in the rain, and supports some intriguing lilypads."
Um, sure. For a better understanding, the issuing label, L.A. 's the Secret Life of Records, describes it this way: "Like a Morricone style dirge recorded by the Mamas and Papas, Violent Femmes' cover of Gnarls Barkley's infamous 'Crazy' is like nothing you've heard from the legendary alt-rock trio before. Their oft-imitated folk-punk sound is flavored with surf rock guitar and Theremin, creating a tranquility that is somber and otherworldly."
Meanwhile, 'Crazy' has previously been covered by everyone from the Kooks and Nelly Furtado to the Zutons, Ray LaMontagne, Shawn Colvin and the Raconteurs.
