Cover Story

The Hidden Cameras & Snowblink cover Duran Duran

June 9, 2013 0 Comments

Celebrating the Canadian indie label’s 10th anniversary, Arts & Crafts has released an album featuring insular collaborations from its roster of artists.

Contributors to the fittingly titled X include Feist, Stars (plus a solo turn from Amy Millan), Ra Ra Riot, The Hidden Cameras, and revived musical collective, Broken Social Scene. Some of the tracks on X are originals, but several are covers, with songs by New Order, Duran Duran, Constantines, Nancy Sinatra, Bob Marley, and Elliott Smith receiving the team-up treatment.

DuranDuran1981Climbing into Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur,” Hidden Cameras frontman Joel Gibb takes the wheel from Simon LeBon, with Toronto duo Snowblink coming along for the ride.

“The Chauffeur” is probably Duran Duran’s best-known album track, one of two non-singles from 1982’s Rio for which a music video was also filmed (though no band members are present in the NSFW clip). Additionally, the acoustic Blue Silver version of “The Chauffeur” twice served as a B-side, first on “Rio” and then again in 1993 for “Come Undone.”

It’s easy to get lost in The Hidden Cameras and Snowblink’s luxurious cover of “The Chauffeur,” the musical equivalent of highway hypnosis. Sing blue silver…

Here’s the tracklisting for X:

01 Broken Social Scene x Years – “Day Of The Kid”
02 Apostle Of Hustle x Zeus – “Bizarre Love Triangle” (New Order cover)
03 Feist x Timber Timbre – “Homage”
04 Still Life Still x Zulu Winter – “Era”
05 The Hidden Cameras x Snowblink – “The Chauffeur” (Duran Duran cover)
06 The Darcys x Ra Ra Riot – “Time Can Be Overcome” (Constantines cover)
07 Chilly Gonzales x Stars – “Nothing Good Comes to Those Who Wait”
08 Hayden x Jason Collett – “Lonely Is As Lonely Does”
09 Gold & Youth x Trust – “Lady Bird” (Nancy Sinatra cover)
10 Amy Millan x Dan Mangan – “Chances Are” (Bob Marley cover)
11 Dan Mangan x Zeus – “Waltz #2 (XO)” (Elliott Smith cover) [iTunes Bonus Track]

Purchase The Hidden Cameras x Snowblink – “The Chauffeur” (Duran Duran cover) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.