British rock legend Peter Gabriel takes on a selection of songs from cool kids of the indie/alternative genre like Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Elbow, as well as classic artists such as David Bowie, Paul Simon and Neil Young. Re-working them with only piano and orchestral accompaniment, the result is an album with a strong classical flavour and more than its fair share of woe.
Eight years since the release of his last studio album, former Genesis rocker Peter Gabriel has put together an unlikely collection of orchestral covers. Employing the same technique throughout much of Scratch My Back, many of the songs begin quietly, slowly, you could even say feebly, before the orchestra at Gabriel's disposal bursts forth in bold, convoluted arrangements. Though not wholly successful on Bowie's 'Heroes', this works surprisingly well on Arcade Fire's 'My Body Is A Cage', which sees the heartbreaking lyrics come to light above basic piano accompaniment before strings and horns fly in all directions, taking no heed at all of the original material.
Vocally, Gabriel is still is distinguished as ever, ranging anywhere from a low mumble to his trademark cry to one Sigur Ros-esque high note on Neil Young's 'Philadelphia'. Several of the songs chosen are understated, bashful tunes to begin with, and while renditions of Bon Iver's 'Flume', Lou Reed's 'The Power of The Heart,' and The Magnetic Fields' 'The Book Of Love' are pleasant enough to listen to, they seem to have lost some of the simple elegance of the originals. To be fair, there are some truly inspired moments too, like the translation of Talking Heads' organic rhythms and 80s synths into layers of tetchy strings on 'Listening Wind', or the use of airy violins and heavy bass to differentiate light and dark spaces in Regina Spektor's 'Apres Moi'.
There is a sense that Gabriel is overcomplicating matters though. So intent is he on completely transform these songs that he can sometimes go too far in the wrong direction. This is the case on Radiohead's 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'. Always a bleak song, here it is jarring and no longer resembles anything like the original melody. This is the point where the sullen tone of 'Scratch My Back' becomes too much to bear.
If nothing else, Peter Gabriel takes some of your favourite songs and forces you to listen to them differently. He has created a covers album that doesn't sound like a covers album, and that's an accomplishment in itself.
