When it came time for
Rasputina to release a follow-up to its 2002 critically acclaimed effort
Cabin Fever, a covers album wasn't exactly what one would have expected. The reissue of 1999's
Lost & Found EP is great supplement to the eerie-cool
Rasputina collection, not to mention an interesting look at some of the trio's favorite cuts of yesteryear. Producer
Mike Viola (
the Candy Butchers) assisted
Rasputina for seven cello-drenched songs -- and the presentation is flawless. To imagine classical arrangements around any of these songs is an odd feat. For instance,
Pat Benatar's 1981 hit "Fire & Ice":
Melora Creager isn't exactly a match for the vocal prowess of
Benatar; however,
Rasputina's version is beautifully detached.
Marilyn Manson's "Tourniquet" is switched up for layered, goth-like melodies and scowling instrumentation -- it's quite theatrical and alluring. One might laugh at the thought of trio's rendition of
Led Zeppelin's "Rock & Roll," but don't sell
Rasputina out just yet.
Rasputina's talent in ignoring the industrial rock trap for a chaotically beautiful scene all its own has allowed the band to stand out all these years, so the nasty, raw appeal of "Rock & Roll is a suitable cut.
Robert Plant would be pleased, for it's an impressive twist of depth and desire -- and a much better cover of a
Led Zeppelin song compared to
P. Diddy's lackluster "Kashmir" translation in 1998's "Come With Me."
Lost & Found captures
Rasputina's peculiar chamber style and listeners should find it strikingly entertaining. ~ MacKenzie Wilson