Thom Yorke, Cymbals Eat Guitars

Miracle Legion hasn't even been heard of since 1996. And during the 13 years of the band's existence before than, they were still a relatively unknown band, unable to find mainstream success amongst other 80's sensations like Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode or Madonna. "All For The Best" might be the biggest song the 80s missed out on. Finding the Miracle Legion original, off their debut LP "Surprise Surprise Surprise" released in 1987, is no easy trek. But after finally obtaining and listening to the song, it's easy to see why one of the most influential musicians of this century wanted to model his own impression of it. Thanks to its country swagger and endearing lyrics, "All For The Best" could have competed with C.C.R. and Crosby, Stills and Nash had it been released in the late 1960s. Alas, it became a forgotten gem; a precious dying breed of 80s culture when all of a sudden, Thom Yorke miraculously bestowed it upon today's modern society and to his legions and legions of undying, loyal fans, by covering it.

Yorke's version is successful in being Radiohead-esque; it's electronic, it's lengthier, it's unconventional. However, it's Yorke's voice that captures the essence of the original, that maintains the same premise Marc Mulcahy was trying to convey. Ironically, it's also what makes this song completely unlike anything that doesn't have Thom Yorke's vocals attached to it. "All For The Best" was released alongside a new Mark Mulcahy song, "Ciao My Shining Star." The record was released to raise funds for the Mulcahy family after the unfortunate demise of Melissa Mulcahy, Marc's wife. While the song infers 80's dream pop, and sounds like something off the debut Wild Nothing album, it has not yet brought Mulcahy to the mainstream, though the song is poetic and likeable enough to at least bring him success in the indie world. I personally hope it does, he's obviously a great musician. He just wasn't at the right place at the right time.



Cymbals Eat Guitars were obviously influenced by Elliot Smith's music. Their gloomy cover of the artist's more well known "Ballad of Big Nothing" sounds nothing like anything the band has come out with before, and pretty much exactly the same as the Elliot Smith original from 1997. But there can be reasons for this: perhaps the late musician's unfortunate demise seven years ago, at the early age of 34, left an emotional impact on the band. Perhaps it's too soon to transform his classics; perhaps they considered it blasphemy to heavily alter the song. Either way, it forces Cymbals to grow up a bit as a band. It forces them to do a song that isn't seven minutes long and comprising of long guitar solos and climatic transitions. Don't get me wrong, all that stuff is great, I mean really, really great. "Why There Are Mountains," their acclaimed debut LP is unique in all the right ways; it sounds like an elated mixture of Titus Andronicus and Brand New's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me." But since the New Yorkers released the "Tunguska" single, they've sounded lighter and more elevated. It appears that the band might be heading down a new path. Let's hope it leads them in the right direction.