This Is Our Jam: :papercutz, “Disintegration”

When :papercutz emailed me about their cover of The Cure’s “Disintegration,” the headline read: “We covered The Cure… Now it's up to you to tell us if we screwed this up.” Well, here’s my honest feedback: You didn’t. In fact, not only is :papercutz interpretation of “Disintegration” not a screw up, it achieves what is often most difficult about a remix or cover: Paying homage to the source material, while making it newly compelling. All of the what made the original “Disintegration” a classic—the angst, the introspection, the desperation—is still present, yet now the song is carried by a dark, near-industrial dance groove and singing that oscillates between angelic whispers and vocal manipulations à la The Knife. The effect is less immediate and bare than the The Cure (how could it not be), but a successful re-imagining.

As a bonus, also check out :papercutz rework of Courtship’s “Housed,” below as well.