A celebration of the 41st anniversary of the iconic label
4AD
's founding,
Bills & Aches & Blues
gathers covers of songs from the imprint's storied history as performed by artists on its 2021 roster. However, the collection focuses more on some chapters of that story, and some artists, than others:
Grimes
,
Deerhunter
, and
Pixies
are all represented with two songs apiece; there are three by
the Breeders
. To be fair,
Tkay Maidza
and
Bing & Ruth
bring fresh viewpoints to "Where Is My Mind?" and "Gigantic," respectively.
Maidza
transforms what might be the band's best-loved song into loping electro-indie that has more in common with
Santigold
than
Black Francis
and company, and the ambient duo makes "Gigantic" a five-and-a-half-minute instrumental reverie that could never be accused of following in
' footsteps too closely.
tUnE-yArDs
try to out-fuzz
' version of "Cannonball" but can't obliterate the song's catchiness completely, while
Bradford Cox
heightens the band's experimental undercurrents on his stark interpretation of "Mountain Battles." There are other adventurous moments:
Helado Negro
gives a serenely introspective twist to
's "Futurism," and
Jenny Hval
completely reinvents
Lush
's "Sunbathing," transforming it into a flash of heat shimmer with beaming synths and slightly scorched guitars. Elsewhere, deep cuts make for some of the most striking performances.
Maria Somerville
's ambient pop makeover of
Air Miami
's "Seabird" is an unexpected standout, and
' minimalist folk version of fellow Midwesterners
His Name Is Alive
's "The Dirt Eaters'' honors the original's mystique.
doesn't spend much time with
's earliest days;
U.S. Girls
' reimagining of
the Birthday Party
's "Junkyard" into witchy exotica and
Future Islands
' ultra-'80s version of
Colourbox
's "The Moon Is Blue" are the closest the set gets to representing the label's old guard. The collection gets a bit meta with
SOHN
's cover of
This Mortal Coil
's transcendent version of
Tim Buckley
's "Song to the Siren," but his simple and sincere reading of the song acts as a bridge between the other versions and provides one of the brightest highlights. Compilations like these are almost always a mixed bag, and
is no exception. Nevertheless, it's entertaining overall and supports a good cause: the first 12 months' worth of the project's profits benefits the Harmony Project, an after-school program that supports children in Los Angeles who lack access to arts and music education. ~ Heather Phares