Blog Paper pale gentleplanes

When my co-worker Jessica Steinhoff (who also writes about music for Isthmus) told me she was writing about Pale Young Gentlemen covering M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," I decided to shirk all journalistic responsibility and avoid hearing the track. Once in a while I just have an irrational fear that I really won't like a piece of music, and that it'll screw up my feelings about, say, a band I generally think well of and a song that's quite catchy. (The key word there is "irrational," I admit.) Plus, do something like this once, and there's always the chance that some folks at a band's shows will show up way too exicted about possibly hearing the whimsical one-off number, and show a bit less appreciation for all the good originals the band has slaved over. So, you know, if someone starts yelling out "'Paper Planes'! 'Paper Planes'!" during one of PYG's songs tonight at Café Montmartre, please punch that person for me. After all, Mike Reisenauer is an imaginative (if sometimes puzzling) songwriter, and the crowds at that place are always too damn loud.

Today a friend finally talked me into listening to the cover track (now up for free download on the Gents' website), and it actually reminded me why I like the band. (Granted, I'd still rather hear just about everything else they've ever done, but I must give them credit.) Instead of hamming it up and doing, well, any number of godawful things a band could do under the circumstances (think about every cheesy dance-music or ironic hip-hop act you've heard over the past five years), the band has modestly adapted the tune to its own style. Mike R.'s vocals stay low and a bit slurred over his acoustic guitar, and it's not immediately obvious that the song is "Paper Planes," except for four the "bang-bang-bang-bang" snare-drum hits that stand in for that gunshot hook. People love the song for its cocky vibe, but also for the simple, warm, welcoming chord progression (sampled from The Clash's "Straight To Hell") that goes with it. Pale Young Gentlemen have picked up on that, making for a cover version that's affectionate rather than gimmicky. Picky little me should've had a bit more faith.