SONG OF THE DAY [#330]

'six different ways' [the cure cover] | the postmarks

from the get go the postmarks drew comparisons to saint etienne. this, of course, made me notice them because depending on the day, my favorite bands of all-time are depeche mode and saint etienne.

after hearing the postmarks debut album a year or two ago, however, i wasn't really buying the comparison. sure, the two bands were fairly similar, but the postmarks sounded more like a couple of saint etienne songs rather saint etienne the band.

that all changed, however, when i heard the postmarks' cover of the cure's classic, 'six different ways.' it's 110% saint etienne. [that's not a slight, but a good, old-fashioned pat on the back. good on ya, postmarks]. their version of 'six different ways' sounds like it belongs with those absolutely classic 'he's on the phone' b-sides 'groveley road,' 'the process,' and 'is it true.' those three songs are three of my fav saint etienne songs, so, you know...

aside from the fact that the postmarks' version of 'six different ways' sound terrific, it bears not a single resemblance to the original. in fact, were it not for the lyrics, i might not of known it was the cure they were covering. it's refreshing because in this day and age of vapid and banal cover songs [which usually consist of some dood or chick with willowy, wispy vocals and a guitar basically just playing an acoustic version of the song. in my opinion that's not really a cover, but rather a gimmick and an attention-grabber], the postmarks manage to make 'six different ways' completely their own. it's no small feat and it's gutsy because they didn't take the easy way out like so many bands do.

so enjoy some postmarks, some cure, and some mighty saint etienne... and have a great weekend!

→ the postmarks: six different ways
→ the postmarks: goodbye [tahiti 80 remix]
→ the cure: six different ways
→ saint etienne: groveley road
→ saint etienne: the process
→ saint etienne: is it true