Throughout 2021, Kill Rock Stars is celebrating 30 years of releasing independent music with a series of cover songs from the label's extensive catalog. It's sold as a subscription and each week a new song comes out.
This week, we're lucky to debut a new song exclusively at SPB a day ahead of time, along with some deeper insight from the label and artist.
It all started by asking KRS to partake in our One Question Interview series, with label founder Slim Moon:
SPB: Which of the anniversary covers, so far, has surprised you the most – either in song choice or in how the covering artists reimagined the original (or replicated its magic)?
Moon: It isn’t out yet but TEKE::TEKE’s cover of Unwound’s “Corpse Pose” is a revelation -- I swear they are somehow channeling Los Lobos, and ending up sounding Post Rock, in a very good way.
The song is available everywhere tomorrow, but check out the video now:
Cover songs always come with a story, and TEKE::TEKE guitarist Serge Nakauchi Pelletier gives further depth:
Every time I think of Unwound, it’s hard for me to hide the excitement I have for this band. I discovered them a bit on the late, with their album "Repetition" and saw them for the first time when they were touring (alongside Blonde Redhead) in ’96. The show was absolutely memorable and I feel very lucky to have been in attendance. That night I understood the true meaning of "Power Trio". I also witnessed the most original and genius guitar work in rock music since hearing Voïvod for the first time, 5 years prior. Justin’s intricate chords and melodies sit so perfectly with the intelligence, creativity and power of the rhythm section (rest in peace Vern Rumsey, that bass sound, still influential to this day). The way the trio complimented each other so beautifully is what struck me most. "Corpse Pose’"particularly stayed with me that night and is arguably their most iconic song -- It has one of my top-10 favorite guitar lines of all-time! Especially in that ‘bridge’ part.
It was both exciting and challenging as a 7-piece band to think of a new way to approach this song. We knew
the best version was already out there, Unwound’s that is, so it made more sense to us to take it someplace else completely and try to make it more of our own, while respecting the important signature elements of the song (bass line, certain drum patterns, guitar chords…). It was a fun experiment but most of all an incredible honour to have the opportunity to revisit this classic from a band that had such an impact on me as a musician.
"Corpse Pose" originally appears on Unwound's Repetition, released in 1996.
Stay tuned for an upcoming SPB feature on the label's anniversary and history.
