The extent of my knowledge re: T. Rex basically begins and ends with “Bang A Gong (Get It On),” and only because The Power Station covered the 1971 single in 1985. The Robert Palmer-fronted supergroup reached #9 with their re-do, besting the original single’s placement on the Billboard Hot 100 by one notch.

Twenty-five years later, Neon Indian provides a new path to discovering the British glam band’s catalog with a revamped “Children Of The Revolution.” Released as a standalone single in 1972, Marc Bolan’s menacing anthem of teenage rebellion had a much slower tempo than T. Rex’s previous hits, marking a new direction for the band’s sound that broke their run of four consecutive UK number ones.

Neon Indian (aka Texas synth wizard Alan Polomo, who counts Joe Jonas as a fan) retains the heaviness of “Children Of The Revolution,” with his threat of an uprising filtered through a Nine Inch Nails-like electronic haze. The sparkling 8-bit videogame sounds that come in during the chorus slightly lighten the dread, but really only underline my feeling that in the Neon Indian universe, the “children” that won’t be fooled are now, in fact, computers:

<

Neon Indian’s cover of “Children Of The Revolution” is set for inclusion on a February reissue of T. Rex’s 1973 album, Tanx, but the song has been provided as a free download all over the Interweb.

Free download of Neon Indian – “Children Of The Revolution” (T. Rex cover) via Pitchfork.