Trusty TiVo remote in hand, I usually skip past most commercials, but in an attempt to burn through my burgeoning DVR library, I’ve been giving multi-tasking a try. Since my attention isn’t completely focused on the screen, often whatever I’ve recorded gets the rare chance to play out in real time, commercials included. Which is why I happened to look up (involuntarily) from whatever other thing I was doing upon hearing these words being sung:

“And so the conversation turned, until the sun went down…”

The melody was similarly familiar, but I didn’t immediately place the tune playing under this sunwashed spot. Then came the chorus, and my delayed realization that it was a super-slow take on The Human League’s “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” scoring a bid to ignite sales of Kingsford charcoal (however late in the grilling season it may be).

Featuring Rob Crow of Pinback on vocals, this change-of-pace cover comes via Singing Serpent, a music-production house that works with ad agencies. DDB San Francisco (howdy, neighbors!) created the Kingsford commercial currently in heavy rotation (measured by the mix of shows I watch, anyway).

As a fan of The Human League’s third-biggest U.S. hit (which peaked at #8 this very week in 1983), I wasn’t totally sold on the new slow down. But a carbon-copy cover of the peppy original would never quite measure up either. Then remembering that some of my favorite cover songs fall into the left-field category, I’ve embraced this languid take. It’s really a perfect match for the lazy, hazy days of summer:

Free download of Rob Crow – “Keep Feeling (Fascination)” (The Human League cover) via the Singing Serpent blog.