Since the Afghan Whigs announced their reformation earlier this year, the fact they’re sounding as fresh and relevant as ever should be enough of a gift, but today we’re being spoilt, and boy, should we be grateful for it.
In a short statement earlier today, the band announced that their cover of Frank Ocean’s Lovecrimes, a staple of their reunion shows, would be available as a free download from their site www.theafghanwhigs.com at 12pm EST. The song originally appeared on Ocean’s debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra in 2011.
Of course Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli has a reputation for exceptional covers; see Massive Attack cover Live With Me, Björk’s Hyperballad, Desire’s Don’t Call and Leonard Cohen’s Paper Thin Hotel, and they’re just of the tracks that’ve been put to record. The Whigs’ take on Lovecrimes exemplifies what Dulli does best with other artists songs; without taking away the original feeling of the track, the band inflict their own delightfully dark, film-noir-esque sound on the song, with a rumbling arpeggiated synth and sleazy lead guitar building to the middle of the track where the beat kicks in alongside a beautifully placed string quartet, Dulli’s voice as fitting as ever.
As the song hasn’t been released just yet over on the band’s site, and I couldn’t hold back my child-like excitement and not write up this article as soon as I saw the news, you’ll have to head over to Fader where the song’s being streamed exclusively. If I haven’t already made it clear, it’s pretty goddamn good.
The Whigs are still enjoying a long string of reunion shows, of which the dates are as follows:
7/25/12 Melbourne, AUS Hi-Fi Bar
7/26/12 Sydney, AUS Factory Theatre
7/27/12 Byron Bay, AUS Splendour In The Grass – SOLD OUT
8/3/12 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza – SOLD OUT
8/4/12 Chicago, IL Metro – SOLD OUT
8/7/12 Helsinki, FI Circus
8/9/12 Oslo, NO Oya Festival – SOLD OUT
8/10/12 Goteborg, SE Way Out West Festival
8/11/12 Rees-Haldern, GR Haldern Pop Festival – SOLD OUT
8/14/12 Warsaw, PL Palladium
8/15/12 Prague, CZ Lucerna Music Bar
8/17/12 Hasselt, BE Pukkelpop
8/19/12 London, UK Koko
9/22/12 New York, NY I’ll Be Your Mirror Festival
9/26/12 Boston, MA House Of Blues
9/27/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
9/28/12 Washington D.C. 9:30 Club – SOLD OUT
9/29/12 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
10/3/12 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/5/12 New York, NY Terminal 5 – SOLD OUT
10/12/12 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival – SOLD OUT
10/19/12 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s
10/20/12 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
10/21/12 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
10/24/12 Detroit, MI Saint Andrew’s Hall – SOLD OUT
10/25/12 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s – SOLD OUT
10/28/12 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre
10/30/12 Denver , CO Ogden Theatre
11/2/12 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
11/3/12 Seattle, WA Showbox
11/7/12 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
11/9/12 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda
New Additions In Bold
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