If there was ever a person I've felt I'd be saying "I knew her when… no really, I did" that would be Mary Magpie. A multi-culti cutie, who gets to pick and choose between (paying gigs) on stage or on a photo exhibition for the summer, has her own band, is a Conor Oberst fanatic, and has been writing for rock nyc since she was 12 years. She will be 16 years old this December.
Speaking of bands, the band in question is the trio Winters Of Discontent (made glorious summer by this daughter of Hartford, we know) , featuring guitarist Tristan Sayah accompnying Mary's vocals, drummer John Boysen is MIA here and the band threaten to overdub him later but I don't think this cover of Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" needs to be fucked with really. I don't like the original all that much but I like this version just fine. Why? Sayah contracts it to a dastardly lick that gets you at first and holds you through to the ends. The metronome and double tracked guitar are not necessary but are very sweet and the whistling on the break is a nice touch.
Essentially, Tristan leans hard on the lick and then pro(to)-tools around with it.
Mary's vocals are light and moody, the joy of the song disappears into an ambient fog where Mary seems to be viewing the kids from a distance. Foster The People's original is a dance song, a teen anthem, but Winters Of Discontent seem to be twisting the mood, it is a like a sulky teen brat moping in his bedroom (they should cover the Beach Boys "In My Room"). It is a perfectly self-obsessed.
Grade: B+