“A Forest” is originally by The Cure, and is a classic piece of goth-rock. It was originally released in 1980 on the band’s second album, Seventeen Seconds. This tune had more production/polishing than any of the other songs on the album. It is also decidedly darker more ornate.
Whiskey Daredevils is a Cleveland, Ohio-based rock band. Self-described as being “America’s finest country punkabilly band,” this 4-piece outfit has both the gusto and the sound. So what did the punkabilly quartet do with this compositional masterpiece? Reinvent it.
The original opening guitar line was once spacey, ethereal, but Whiskey Daredevils have made it a bit chuggier, a tad heavier. The bass drum is clearer, less tinny. It’s as if we’ve focused the lens of the sound and entered a new era…until we make our way up to the chorus. Then, there’s this brilliant cacophony, a completely new tone and texture.
Whiskey Daredevil’s cover of the song did not change the notes or chords, but they’ve completely redone the underlying timbre and feeling. If The Cure’s version of the song were the color neon green, then Whiskey Daredevil’s changed that hue to a gritty purple. The Cure’s version might be something one plays in a movie during a rainy scene set on an urban street: this version feels more like a deserted highway at sundown.
For more great covers of The Cure, check out this link! https://www.covermesongs.com/tag/the-cure
