Is that the sound of flowing water and who left that Echoplex on and unattended? Teen Brigade’s take on “Joanne Creasy” is a remarkable departure from Castle Oldchair’s original. It’s unlike any cover song I’ve ever heard, so much that I’m questioning its definition. It’s like Greg Lindberg dipped a cassette in peyote and hooked it up to an assortment of vintage Roland equipment. 

Pardon me, but when I hear something this left of center I start to make as many analogies as a Dennis Miller stand-up routine. Like this track, things might get a little weird. You’ve been warned.

From the ocean waves and pulsing tones, emerge samples of the original vocals--snipped, cut, and rearranged with a truckload of reverb. Even some of the driving acoustic guitar is still there before a synth takes over.

The synth shares the space with more of Castle Oldchair’s vocals. But they’re distorted with a distinct warble not unlike the warped set of Gremlins read-along records I had when I was a kid. My parents wouldn’t let me watch the movie, yet having its entirety in comic book form with narration was fine. 

But I digress…

The synth and drum machine turn off for a moment where the vocals return in a clearer, yet still heavily effected form for a moment. It’s not long before tribal drums swell into the mix. It’s a stark rhythmic change before the track is taken over by the sounds of a submarine fucking an orca. 

In summation, I like this track and if I were writing a psychological thriller of a novel I would listen to nothing else. Nothing. Else.

You can hear more from our IN Covers series in the archive, and read about the project here.