Automatic
“Shadow Play” (Joy Division cover)
Stones Throw Records (available via Bandcamp)
I love watching a band go back and pay homage to their musical roots. That’s exactly what the Los Angeles duo Automatic did with their recent cover of “Shadowplay” by Joy Division.
It was recorded and sort of buried away on a soundtrack for a Vice documentary, but now it’s free and available in the world and for everyone to enjoy thanks to Stones Throw Records.
And it’s just in time for Halloween!
Automatic’s Halle Saxon-Gaines doesn’t quite match the bass tone of Peter Hook’s original throbbing bassline, but who would? And purists will always whine about covering anything Joy Division because it’s sacred territory after all.
But here, that’s kind of the point. It’s a sonic love letter. Also this isn’t about completely copying the original. This is about spilling out a ton of love with music that clearly influenced Automatic. This is about funneling that influence through the lens of Automatic, where it’s delivered with a bit of a sterile, mesmerizing delivery of Izzy Glaudini’s vocals. Here, the original sizzling guitar line that Joy Division's Bernard Sumner laid down is switched with a synth, giving it a spooky calmness instead of the cathartic original.
If one person is turned on to the music of Joy Division through this cover, that’s a win.
And if a whole bevy of folks hop on the Automatic bandwagon after hearing this lovely send-up of “Shadowplay,” the world is a better place for it.
