Vitamin String Quartet re-imagines New Order's "Regret"
I'm generally not a rabid fan of the fairly recent trend where an otherwise unknown string quartet releases an album containing their reworking of well-known pop tunes. I admire the skill and talent of the musicians and even though I can tap my foot along because I know the melody from the original, it always feels a bit counterfeit. "What do you mean? I always wear this monocle and top hat with my favorite morning coat!"
Nevertheless, I recently came across The String Quartet Tribute to New Order & Joy Division by Vitamin String Quartet and was able to set aside my preconceptions long enough to realize that it is actually quite well done. It helps that they've got some seriously catchy pop hooks in the original material. "Regret" is the standout track. Check it out on lala.com while you can:
(RIP lala.com 5/31/10 – let's hope it's an early sign of iTunes' long delayed migration to the cloud).
