OK, I’m not a huge fan of covers. I’m even less of a fan when a band butchers a song by one of my favorite groups.
Luckily, Division Day does not incur my wrath on its cover of Sunny Day Real Estate’s Every Shining Time You Arrive. (I’m pretty sure the guys in DD were worried what I thought, too.)
The cover is part of an eight-week promotional assault – a new cover or unreleased track every week – by the band and Eenie Meenie, which is rereleasing Beartrap Island on iTunes Sept. 18 and in stores Oct. 2. (Look at what Bishop Allen started.)
Anyway, I can appreciate Division Day not taking the safe route here; I don’t believe I’ve heard Sunny Day covered before. Plus the song choice – Every Shining Time You Arrive – doesn’t really stand out as one of Sunny Day’s more popular/accessible tunes.
One of the unwritten rules of covers – at least in my head – is to not totally mimic the original. What fun is that? And Division Day obeys that, reimagining a drum-less Shining with more lo-fi, tempered vocals compared to Jeremy Enigk’s upper-register/dramatic style.
I’m here to say that I’m a fan of this cover (mark this date in history).
Sunny Day cover?
Off what is, for me, their high watermark album – that’s some sacred ground to traverse…
interesting none-the-less.