SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – MOPING IN STYLE: A TRIBUTE TO ADAM GREEN

VARIOUS ARTISTS
MOPING IN STYLE: A TRIBUTE TO ADAM GREEN
CAPITANE RECORDS/ORG RECORDS

Since the early 2000s, Adam Green has made a name for himself as a musician and artist. Whether as one half of Moldy Peaches or solo, he has developed a fan base and influenced many artists along the way. This is evident with the long list of artists on this lengthy tribute album. All of them are fans and have been influenced by Green. The Lemonheads, Ben Lee, Cut Worms, Sean Lennon, Lou Barlow and Father John Misty are just a few of the names that can be found in this collection. It is a very diverse album, full of different sounds and different moods. One thing about Green, however, is that he can be quite amusing when dealing with fairly serious topics and has a way of articulating himself which dips a bit into Leonard Cohen but with a bit more humour and, at times, anger.

The album kicks off in style with Regina Spektor and Jack Dishel with their version of the brilliant “We’re Not Supposed To Be Lovers”. The two artists complement each other beautifully and the strong melody and wonderful lyrics results in a moving and engaging song. It is the perfect welcome to the album. The sparse, piano based arrangement is perfect. Other highlights include Father John Misty’s take of “Musical Ladders”, which sounds like a Father John Misty song. Interestingly, the song is covered a second time at the end by a band called The Dooors, which is a rather amusing idea of how The Doors would have recorded the song.

Elsewhere Sean Lennon takes on “That Fucking Feeling”, which although brilliant, is guaranteed not to get played on regular radio. Lennon taps into the emotion of the song and delivers one of his strongest vocal performances to date. Cut Worms equally stand out with their cover of “Cigarette Burns Forever”. Here again, Cut Worms taps into the sadness and loneliness of the song.

Moping In Style – A Tribute To Adam Green is a wonderful tribute album to a living and breathing artist, which is not always the case. And with tribute albums, the intent is to encourage fans of the artists covering these songs to locate the source material and discover a brilliant artist. As good as the covers are, and for the most part they are excellent, it is always best to hear the original versions. Green is a very unique and original writer who has not achieved the level of fame that he deserves. He is more of a cult artist, and perhaps Moping In Style – A Tribute To Adam Green will bring more attention to these fantastic songs.

Adam Green Links