French label Unknown Pleasures has released a new tribute compilation, this time dedicated to one of the bands that started this story we love so much: Bauhaus. Taking advantage of the fact that I was recently able to see them live, I’m going to tell you about this new tribute. Honoris III features some classic names from the label, such as Blind Delon, La Main, Kill Shelter and Judith Juillerat, all of them creators of interesting albums that we would also like to recommend to you.
French act Versari, another of the bands that have released on the label, opens the compilation with a very personal version of “Terror Couple Kill Colonel”, with killer guitars slightly attenuated by a sound more typical of English rock bands. The song, one of the band’s most original, has its experimental part, which Versari adapts in their own way. SFD and Diamond Dog perform a gloomy and powerful version of “In The Flat Field”. Opium Dream State, whom we have been getting to know thanks to these tributes, get solemn with their “Double Dare”. It is curious to find here The Married Monk, a French group closer to indie rock, who present a heartfelt interpretation of “Who Killed Mister Moonlight” on piano and with electronic touches. Although the vocals remind me of the great Peter Murphy, Kill Shelter manage to make their version of the classic “She’s in Parties” their own. Selfishadows, another recurring name on the label’s tributes, offer us a danceable version of “Kick in the Eye”, while Swesor Bhrater, on the other hand, brings “King Volcano” closer to his strange neo-folk world with an original interpretation. While we anxiously await Judith Juillerat‘s new album, we can content ourselves with this ethereal version of “Hollow Hills”, which is quite good.
Years of Denial, a duo we like a lot, take on “All we ever wanted is Everything” and like everything they play they do something unique, passionate and at the same time cool. Crystalline Stricture were not very well known to me and here, together with McIntyre, they offer an electronic version of “Swing The Heartache” with a carefully crafted atmosphere. French EBM band La Main, another of our favourites, take on “The Three shadows part 2” and enhance the tension of the original. I was curious to see what approach a group with so many faces as Blind Delon would take to “Mask” and on this occasion they are relatively faithful. Chris Shape teams up with the singer from Velvet Kills for an electronic version of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” with a thrilling passage. One of the best of the tribute. Radikal Kuss participates with “Dark Entries”, a cover in their own electronic vein, although less frenetic than the material they recently released in Barro. Continuing with national labels, Soil Records boss Soj, together with Petra Flurr on vocals, produce a powerful “Lagartija Nick”. Next up is Carlos Marín, better known as Mynationshit, who collaborates with From Hell, journalist and promoter with Mots Music. Together they perform “Slice of life” in a more darkwave vibe. Greek producer Alpha Sect (whose reference on Soil I would like to recommend you) offers a powerful version of “Dark Entries” that we think is one of the best on the album. And finally, Edgar’s Dream‘s cover of “Hollow Hills” highlights the tribal sound that Kevin Haskins brought to the band.
If you liked the other two Honoris (dedicated to the Sisters of Mercy/The Sisterhood and Death In June) you’ll like this one too. In it we find several names that repeat, something normal being Unknown Pleasures a label with a great predominance of post-punk and gothic rock, although in this one we miss some collaboration with HIV+. The artists attending the tribute show great respect at all times and we don’t doubt that they have been fans of the band from Northampton. In addition, the line-up includes some of our favourite artists of the last few years, so we could hardly like the selection more. And finally, the tribute manages to remind us what a great band Bauhaus was/is and will be.
