SMELLS LIKE

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when I heared Aranis was going to do an album of Nirvana covers. I was never a big fan and is the Nirvana material not a bit too simple for a chamber rock band like Aranis? Luckily the band proved me wrong; Smells like Aranis is MUCH better than I expected.

First; this is not really an album of Nirvana covers. They are Nirvana interpretations. Sometimes it is easy to recognize the original tune, in other cases it takes minutes before you realize what tune is being played. I dare to say that most 'notes' on the album are penned down by Joris Vanvinckenroye and not by Kurt Kobain & co.

Second; There are also 5 tunes on the album which are not Nirvana tunes. There are the S.L.A part I to V ( S.L.A. II is missing for some reason) and there is "the man who fell to earth", which is of course a David Bowie tune (but covered by Nirvana). For me this is the absolute highlight on the album. A wonderfully intense and original version with a great Violin solo by Liesbeth Lambrecht. One of the best David Bowie tributes you will hear. Other highlights include S.L.A IV and V and 'Rape me', which even gets a bit of a Philip Glass treatment.

I am not going to say that this album is as good as 'Songs from Mirage' or 'Made in Belgium II'. I am going to say that is a safe purchase for anyone who liked the music of Aranis before. Because of the relative poppier nature of some of the material this might even be a good starting point for newcomers.