You might think of Massive Attack's glimmering, perfect 1998 song "Teardrop" as the lead single from their classic album Mezzanine or as the theme of the TV show House. I think of "Teardrop" as the song that was playing on my Walkman headphones during a moment that's always somewhere near the top layer of my memory.
The song was brand new, and I was flying on my first trip back home to Baltimore from Syracuse, where I'd only just started going to college. I was in this tiny little propeller plane, and that thing scared the hell out of me. But when I looked out that little tiny plane window, I saw the most beautiful sunset rays shining over the upstate New York landscape, and I heard those perfect little harpsichord chimes and the elemental trill of Cocteau Twins singer Elisabeth Fraser, and I decided that I'd be OK. That's what I think when I hear "Teardrop." So if someone wants to come along and cover "Teardrop," I expect them to take the task seriously. Deep Sea Diver have taken the task seriously.
Deep Sea Diver, the Seattle indie rock band that started off as frontwoman Jessica Dobson's solo project, released their Billboard Heart album last year, and now they've followed it with a faithful one-off cover of "Teardrop." It's cool. The band does the original track's smothering soundscape in relatively lo-fi synth-rock style, while Dobson sings her heart out without coming too close to imitating Liz Fraser. In a press release, Dobson has this to say:
We have always loved the voice and spirit of Elizabeth Fraser; her collaboration with Massive Attack is one of my all-time favorite songs. I was stopped in my tracks as a kid the first time I heard it. It has a magic that is undeniable, and we wanted to live in that magic for a while and to show it to our audience. Doing covers brings us back to connecting us to what we love and as we are writing new songs; we are really trying to purely focus on things that we love and are drawn to, even if mysteriously, like this one. A mysterious beauty.
Deep Sea Diver aren't scared to cover a classic; they did Yo La Tengo's "Stockholm Syndrome" two years ago. Below, check out their take on "Teardrop," as well as the almighty Massive Attack original.
Deep Sea Diver's "Teardrop" cover is out now on Sub Pop. They're about to play two shows with labelmates Nation Of Language, July 17 at Forest Grove, Oregon's Grand Lodge and July 18 at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Washington.
