At its heart, ''"Apistat Commander''" from Xiu Xiu'''s A Promise was a sappy electro pop song. Jamie Stewart'''s white noise blasts and emotionally naked delivery might have concealed that from listeners who weren'''t ready to tolerate a little ear violation from their miserable anthems. While I'''m sure Spencer Krug and co. will win more fans with their cover version from the forthcoming Xiu Xiu compilation Remixed and Covered (April10th), it won'''t be for upping the pop quotient.
It starts out sweeter at least. A bed of wobbly xylophone takes the place of the feedback stabs kicking off the original (and will save itself from immediate iPod shuffle shunning as a result). Spencer'''s vocals, while still reeking of desperation, aren'''t as close to collapse. He'''s surrounded by shifting instrumental noodles and the clutter cuts down on the stifling solitude. But while Stewart let his synth simmer towards a rushing climax, Sun Rub crescendos early and often, deadening some of the cathartic impact . We float in the bobbing surf waiting for another wave to crash, instead of being flattened by a surprise tsunami.
The real problem with this otherwise engaging rendition is a bit of bloat. Spencer makes the strange choice to cling to the original's plodding mid song detour and expands it even further. Only a deliberate drum beat guides us through the mumbling, scraping blur. Of course, when he returns to the triumphantly sad melody and refrain, this time in tandem with band mate Camilla, it'''s a lovely suckerpunch to the chest. It'''s waiting around to get hit that'''s the trouble...
Sunset Rubdown - "Apistat Commander" (Track Removed)