The contemporary Irish-folk quartet Lankum has teamed up with director Leonn Ward and his team to create a spellbinding cover and music video for “Ghost Town.” The original version by The Specials put the social issues of the 1980s—urban decay, unrest, unemployment, societal chaos—on the table for everyone to see. This (of course) was done in a sort of ska-Brit-punk genre. Now, Lankum has recreated the song, making it what this Stereogum article is calling “doom-laden experimental music.”
Their cover was originally recorded for the dance show Specky Clark, but then the band decided to take a chance when choreographer Oona Doherty reached out and asked them to record a new piece of music for a Halloween scene. “A cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation, we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey,” the band said.
On the cover, one wouldn’t know it was “Ghost Town,” at least not at first. The beginning is an eerie wash of sounds. Out of white noise, low strings and undulating violins appear. Then, a minor feeling, reminiscent of a funeral march, begins moving forward, slowly, mournfully. That is, until a moving 8th note arpeggiation takes off to a reprise, and then? New heights.
It’s not until five minutes into the short film that the piece begins ramping up from the original composition into a cover. As the camera roams the fields of Ireland, burning synths and red-hot drums create this colossal feeling that’s impossible to put into words. And as for what happens in the end?
Watch to find out:
For more great covers by The Specials, check out this link! https://www.covermesongs.com/tag/the-specials
