"Cobra Den Invitationals" is a new web-performance series wherein the art collective known as Goddamn Cobras picks a band to play a certain song in a certain venue, and then films the performance. For the first episode, the Cobras corralled up-and-coming Brooklyn baroque rockers Wakey!Wakey! into a Williamsburg loft and got them to record a stirring version of Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp." Wakey!Wakey!'s sweeping strings and group chorus expose the folk-song sloganeering of Yeasayer's original, and that final group shout-out has a distinct Arcade Fire vibe. Recasting the synthy-bass line with violins was a great idea -- that part seems decidedly more powerful here. And it's a beautiful video, besides.
The Goddamn Cobras have some high-profile guests lined up for the second episode. Stay tuned. Wakey!Wakey!'s debut album, Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You is out now.




















They certainly do have a lot of shots of that pretty girl who doesn't play any instruments and sings backup, don't they. I guess that's one way to do it...