M.E. 7’’
Sub Pop
2019
Rating: 7.5 wrong tires out of 10
On my list of things I never expected to hear, Metz covering Sparklhorse has to be near the top of the list, assuming such a list actually existed and I didn’t just make it up for the purposes of this dumb sentence. Apparently when a Canadian punk band tackles one of Mark Linkous’ rare upbeat tracks (“Pig”), you kinda almost get a Nirvana song. That actually makes sense when you think about it: Nirvana is exactly what you would expect when you combine noisy angst and weirdo introspection. The two other songs on this release are also covers – “I’m A Bug,” originally by Halo of Flies, which is no more interesting here than the original version; and the title track ”M.E.,” which most folks will know from the Gary Numan original, presented here in a scuzzier, more distorted format. Two out of three keepers – not bad for a grip of cover songs…I’ll take it.
Let it be noted: this is only a seven inch if you buy the Metz compilation “Automat,” as it is included as a bonus with that release (unclear if this inclusion was part of a limited edition release, or all releases). But Sub Pop also had the good smarts to also put out the seven inch as a stand alone digital single…I guess for those folks who are avid cover song collectors? Or dumbasses like me who only heard “Automat” via a definitely super legal download found randomly online that did not include these tracks.
