There are several artists, in my opinion, whose songs shouldn’t really be covered, a mental and personal list of songs that perhaps are as good as they could ever be. Many of us have such lists, and most (dependant perhaps on your age) will include the likes of David Bowie, Kate Bush, Nick Cave and Jeff Buckley. There is just something so perfect and idiosyncratic about the music such people make that you can’t imagine how, or more importantly why, people would feel the need to rework such sonic idylls.
I did, up until now at least, have Mazzy Star, and particularly their iconic ‘Fade into You,’ on that list, but having heard this rendition by Siv Disa, I am at least prepared to say, cover it by all means, but you’d better do a damned good job.
Which, she does. This rendition stays fairly faithful to the original, retains that slow, understated grace, that feeling of darkness creeping through its twisted romance, and while no one could come close to Hope Sandoval’s vocal blend of little-girl-lost and utter surrender, Siv Disa has her own beautiful take on such a mood, different but the same.
Sonically, a few chiming and indeed charming musical moves are added, but none that distract from the strange and seductive feeling that lies at the heart of the song.
Covers should either be a celebration of the original or a complete reimagining of the song; sit in the middle ground, you get accused of just riding the coattails. Here, Siv Disa leans heavily towards the former, a place of tribute and personal attachment to the original, but adds just enough of the latter to make this a worthy outing.
There are still sonic realms that should be off-limits, but with Siv Disa’s beautiful venture into such hallowed ground, I’m prepared to soften my opinion on the matter, especially if such revisits are so deftly and delicately done.
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