Covert Stations collaborative series darkens the corners of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love"

With numerous college radio hits unequivocally helping tilt Alternative rock from the hidden corners of the 80s into the welcoming, mainstream 90s, it’s unsurprising that Covert Stations chose R.E.M. as one of their focal points in the singles series. “The One I Love” from 1987 and its instantly recognizable chorus-centric guitar lead out of the gate, is a song that is unsettling and easy to, well, love. Maybe it’s the repetitive verses or the single-word chorus that soars to our brain receptors without asking, yet that familiar, awful feeling of a relationship gone wrong yet gone on too long, is something that strikes deep for many.

Covert Stations manages to make you feel just a little more uneasy, without forcing it. If that’s possible. Here, the fourth band member switch-up of the series consists of Adam Staszewski (Desoto Jones/Kiska) dirtying up guitars with classy amp-buzzing nuance; Chris Badami (I Can Make a Mess) pounding the drums yet with a detailed finesse; Rob Avery (Son & Heir/ex-Boysetsfire) getting gnarly by driving the low end down a fuzzed-up path; and the vocal glue of the series, Craig Cirinelli (Damn This Desert Air/The Atlantic Union Project), embodying the song’s intent while bringing it just little darker. This version will stare you down with a little extra attitude and enhanced mystery in a twisted key moment of reinterpreting structure. While some bands risk going too far, this one went just far enough with minor rearrangement alongside a 90s rock feel—and by the Covert Stations series mission statement, that’s exactly what the doctor ordered.

For more information on the Covert Stations evolving collaborative covers series, head on over to:

http://www.covertstations.com