I owe thanks to either another blogger or an unsolicited email for helping me stumble across MESH's cover of an old Tears for Fears song called "Mad World." According to Mesh's bio over at CD Baby (where you can also buy his EP):
"Mesh is a native New Yorker graffiti artist born and raised in the heart of the city. Diverting his creative energies to music when illegal graffiti no longer became an option, Mesh attempts to paint with sound. Where letters as pictures fail, words and music suffice. Suffice it to say, Mesh is on a mission to merge all the experiences of his life into a succinct representative sonic output, therefore thus MESH, an outgrowth of growing up in New York City in an era with every class and kind of people on earth, and the unique experiences it brings."
The whole "paint with sound" thing would sound completely cheesey if it weren't an apt description of what is going on with his cover of "Mad World." It sounds like a mixture of James Brown, James Chance and A Certain Ratio, with maybe even a little of The Bomb Squad on the production end. I practically owe the guy royalties from playing it so many times in my weekly DJ shift. Good thing I can now find his stuff on the iTunes music store, so I can drop a dollar any time I see fit.
I actually love the original Tears for Fears version, an unexpectedly dark song from a band some people treat like a punchline when they talk about '80s music. What can I say, I have a soft spot for them. "Head Over Heels" is a great song. Their "Mad World" can be found on their 1983 debut, The Hurting.
"Mad World" was also covered in a vastly different way by Gary Jules on the soundtrack to Donnie Darko. Here's his version.
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