JARED LOUCHE and the ALIENS - Covergirl
Songs: 10  Time:  42:42
Louche is no newcomer to music.  As the frontman for Chemlab for many years, Louche has returned from wherever his disappeared to with this new CD, Covergirl.  Now, if you're expecting Chemlab part three, forget it.  Covergirl is about as far from Chemlab as you could possibly get.  Ok, let me take that back.  Polka could be as far from Chemlab as you could possibly get and Covergirl doesn't approach Weird Al's favorite genre although it wouldn't had surprised me if it had.  At any rate, on with the review.  Covergirl contains 9 cover songs from everyone from Roxy Music to P.I.L. to Frank Sinatra and even Chemlab.  There are so many different musicians involved that every track sounds very dissimilar.  The high point of the CD is the album opener, Bryan Ferry's In Every Dreamhome a Heartache.  Starting slow and building to an amazing crescendo, this track incorporates a wonderfully, trippy beat that evolves into a wild gabba / drum 'n bass hybrid.  Nearly as impressive is Sister Midnight, originally recorded by Iggy Pop.  Sister Midnight has a fuzzy, blurred guitar sound, Jared's hungry vocals, and some distorted synth patterns.  The low point of the CD is a hideous, acoustic Leonard Cohen cover entitled Famous Blue Raincoat.  This track wouldn't be so bad, but there's all this unnecessary crowd noise in the background that is supposed to represent people in his dressing room after a gig.  Blah.  The reworked version of Suicide Jag sounds like something that you'd hear in either a mod coffee shop or a piano bar.  Comprised entirely of jazzy bass sounds, ever so mild drums, and a Wurlitzer (sp.) sounding organ, Jared vocals really seem quite out of place atop this track.  The next few tracks keep the album in a lower keyed atmosphere before the cover of Iggy and the Stooges' Search and Destroy.  This track is reminiscent of more accessible punk music than anything else.  Surprisingly enough Jared does pull off a cover of Sinatra's Summer Wind quite nicely.  There are some subtle horn sounds, muffled beats, and a low toned synth sounds.  Actually, when I first popped this CD into my player I was very turned off, but as it turns out this is one of those CDs that does have the ability to grow on you.  Granted, not every track is a masterpiece, but the ones that are good are very good.
     
INVISIBLE RECORDS                      The Aliens are:
P.O. Box 16008                                    Chris Greene / Martkin Atkins / Jim Coleman / Martin King
Chicago, IL 60616                                 Jason McNinch / Dave Baker / Bob Jones / Patrick Skinner
INVISIBLE homepage:                       Kick the Cat / Tucker / Geno / Slo-Hand / The Soul Revue
http://www.invisiblerecords.com       George 'n Becky / Van Christie / Luke / Gnat 'n James
                                                Gomez

1)  In Every Dreamhome a Heartache    2)  Sister Midnight      3)  Sexy Boy
4)  Famous Blue Raincoat (suture)     5)  Suicide Jag          6)  Poptones
7)  7 and 7 is... (suture)            8)  Search and Destroy   9)  Summer Wind
10) Sexy Boy (outro suture)