With The Lights Off - Rude (Magic! Cover)

Check out With The Lights Off You Tube channel here

There was no escaping from Magic's ubiquitous smash Rude this summer. Everywhere you turned, it was soundtracking another sunshine ice cream moment with it's faux reggae vibe, deconstruction of familial relationships and declaration of romantic intent. You might think that you have actually heard the song enough, that it's been a bit over-played. In one sense you would be right - that is until you hear Canadian four piece With The Lights Off take on the tune. The harmonious pop rock group manage to keep the charm of the original whilst adding facets of their own personality to the song - meaning that there are nuanced moments of thrilling enlightenment as they bring a more flamenco, acoustic infused element to the tune. It's an excellent way to get to know the skills of this up and coming group (check their You Tube channel for more innovative takes on popular songs), preparing the listener for more self penned releases in the future. Proving they are so much more than a combo of nattily dressed dudes (though that's important too - you know I love a sartorially pleasing group who know how to rock the bow tie and pocket square), With The Lights Off's take on Rude showcases how they understand the construction of a pop song and how to successfully play around with that formula. It all kicks off with Spanish guitar riffs that conjure up images of flamenco dancing and the lambada, giving the introduction a highly sensual evocative glow before a wall of strummed guitar melange provides the ideal backdrop for lead singer Brandon's easily engaging vocal style. Having Brandon undertake the narrator role while Matti delivers the quoted script works brilliantly as does those beautifully textured vocal moments in the chorus (where Julian and Andrew give some effervescent falsetto harmony). Similarly when they punctuate and underscore certain lyrics ("Oh we will run away") with a pause in the music and just an all group harmony, it gives the words a more emphatic denouement than is shown in the original version - and sounds bloody marvelous to boot. More alluring flamenco invades the middle 8 to accentuate the romance and the boys bring it back home with style and aplomb. Breathing new life into such a well known song isn't an easy task but the lads have more than succeeded here meaning Rude sounds fresh & new even With The Lights Off...

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ MAX, Darling (NE)
20 ~ Taylor Swift, Out Of The Woods (NE)
19 ~ Taylor Swift, Shake It Off
18 ~ Auryn, Puppeteer
17 ~ Bleachers, Rollercoaster
16 ~ Satin Circus, Dreamgirl
15 ~ Jason Mraz, Hello You Beautiful Thing
14 ~ Erasure, Reason
13 ~ Mary Lambert, Secrets
12 ~ Betty Who, Glory Days
11 ~ GRL, Ugly Heart
10 ~ Bright Lightx2, Lust for Life
09 ~ Marit Larsen, I Don't Want To Talk About It
08 ~ Kylie, Kiss Me Once
07 ~ Maroon 5, Animals
06 ~ One Direction, Steal My Girl
05 ~ Take That, These Days
04 ~ Olly Murs, Wrapped UP
03 ~ McBusted, Air Guitar
02 ~ Walk The Moon, Shut Up And Dance
01 ~ Auryn, Pillow Talk (4 weeks)