Yahoo and Pepsi combined forces to reach all-time low when Pepsi Smash on Y! Music presented Flyleaf, a 5 member ‘teen angst’ band out of Texas, covering the not-to-be-touched classic, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. The video starts with the group’s mousy and utterly forgettable lead singer, Lacey Mosley, attempting to explain how they’re nervous about screwing up. No worries, no need to be nervous, because you absolutely did massacre it. Unfortunately, Mosley goes on to explain:
“As an entertainer, as an artist, you don’t want to entertain you want to offend people.”
What? Well again no worries because you in no way entertained and 100% offended me.
The performance consisted of Mosley dismantling, line by line, Cobain’s musical child. Mosley’s voice lacks the rough, cutting edge that gave Nirvana’s performance the believability of angst and rebellion. She instead replaces this with tone deaf vocals as she grabs and paws at her head and staring out with half closed eyes. Maybe this was an attempt to convince herself this isn’t happening. I should have tried it too. However, the real kick in the balls is that in the background of the set the original Nirvana video is playing on 3 large screens. Covering the song was a big mistake, but attempting to draw any comparisons between this and Cobain is a colossal failure.
The rest of the band performed well (read: amateur, but skilled) on their respective parts, but it wasn’t enough to pull this up from a bad teenage garage band performance. I’ve got a mental picture of that poster where the little kid tries on his dad’s boots or coat, obviously not fitting them, and ends up looking ridiculous.
Yahoo you should be ashamed of yourselves for wasting the bandwidth. And to you Pepsi, the provider of my sweet, sweet cola, you don’t seem to know what to do w/ the piles of money you have laying around. So next time, please either send it directly to me or flush it directly down the toilet.
You can view the disaster here: http://music.yahoo.com/promo-18684304-53-20070226
Think I’m wrong? Comment and tell me.
Posted on: Wednesday, February 28, 2007
February 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I just discovered Flyleaf. I think they have a lot of free new tunes. Nice to hear something new for a change.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:53 am
Bach, you make a valid point. I did not go back and list to their other material. I should probably have done that to be a little more fair in my review.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Actually i think she did quite well considering the orginial artists i would love to see you get up there and try it yourself.She is’nt Kurt Cobian and she is’nt going to sound like him,if she did i would be alittle worried considering that she is female.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:21 pm
HeartReaper, I wouldn’t get up there because I would make it sound terrible, maybe as much so as she did. She didn’t need to sound like Kurt Cobain, she just needed to sound like she was capable of performing a song. Her whole show of “teen angst” by pawing at her head through the video was laughable. It was absolutely awful and that whole band should be ashamed.
Wait, I just remembered it’s April 1st. Was your comment, “she did quite well,” a joke?
December 24th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I think the article you wrote was a matter of opinion. When you cover a song you don’t try to make it sound like the original, you just don’t, and she made it a little different so you say it sucks….you’re in title to your opinion just don’t make other listen to it
December 26th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Of course it’s my opinion. It doesn’t matter that she didn’t sound like the original. Even if this had been the first time the song was ever sung it would have still be terrible because the performance was pathetic.
While “I’m in title” (I suppose you meant, “I’m entitled”), why is it okay for you to state your opinion but not for me to state mine?
February 5th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Alright sweetheart here’s the thing you are entitled to your opinion, but you dont need to be jackass about it. Everyone performs in their own way and if you’ve watched performances than you know that each artist has certain things they do and for Lacey that is touching her hair. Look, if you were a performer you too would have quirks that others would find annoying or stupid. You have an opinion and that’s fine, but your rude review was uncalled for. Simply saying that you didn’t think they did it justice would have sufficed. You also excluded the part in Lacey’s quote were she mentioned inspire as well as offend. Seriously if you are going to give a review you should be sure to be objective, not rude, and seriously do your homework on the band. As for my opinion, I believe the band did just fine including Lacey. She was not tone deaf and sang to the beat of the song which many others can’t seem to do and the band is not mediocre. They are good and you seriously need to lighten up or not write anymore reviews, because I simply don’t think you are the right person for that job if your other reviews are like this one.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:54 am
After careful review I’ve been able to determine that Flyleaf is better off left at home, had a terrible cover, and shouldn’t ever, ever do that again. I stand corrected.
March 25th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Ok, i am a fan of flyleaf, and i do agree that smells like teen spirit was pretty massacered.
And who Wouldnt be nervous performing such an landmark anthem? i think ANY band out there would be soiling themselves.
But i do greatly reject the ‘teen angst’ label you have given them.
Lacey Mosley (the singer)had one of those upbringings that you wouldnt wish upon your enemy, shortly after she turned to drugs an whatnot.
that was untill(and no im not a Christian myself) she ‘found God’ as they say.
Her mannerisms of ‘pawning’ mean exactly the same to her as some violent type in a moshpit. its passion and losing yourself in the music…(though i do restate i wasnt impressed with this cover).
The groups other songs are of fantastic quality, and as for live performances(mainstream gigs, not pepsi endorsed bull), im yet to see something as entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
March 25th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Draven, you’ve made the most intelligent disagreement on this site I think I’ve ever read. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you keep reading here.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Well, I have to agree fully. After watching the video, my wife and I laughed so hard it brought tears. They definitely should have played something else. The way they massacred that song was painful to watch. As a huge fan of Nirvana, it nearly broke my heart to see that song run through a shredder. The facial expressions were ridiculous, the whole pressing the hands to the face and looking like she was staring at a crushed puppy was incredibly retarded, and the whole constant bending over looking like she was trying to perform self-oral was annoying to see. I am actually a fan of Flyleaf which makes this video all the more pathetic. I too was thoroughly offended.
The whole idea of a rotten upbringing is just a pathetic emo excuse. I wouldn’t wish my childhood on my worst enemy but I don’t use it for an excuse to be retarded.
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
While they may not have performed their best with that song, she can’t be expected to be the next Nirvana, alright? I am kind of offended that you’re bashing one of my favorite bands. Please don’t criticize Flyleaf, because their music is really good. Whatever she was doing, I don’t even know, it was odd but don’t try and understand a teenager if you’re not one.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:44 am
okay yeah it was pretty shit. but come on. have you seen this version, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsS811o21-k
now i dont know much about Nirvana, but if i was in a band and some bands covered my song i’d feel touched that someone would even try attempting it. And Flyleaf have looked up to Nirvana, as most artists look up to other artists and they always like to do a cover song of their favourite artist who inspired them blah blah. So good on them for trying, didnt sound great. but they had the guts to do it. do you?
June 6th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I think you guys are too harsh on her. if you’ve heard im so sick, she is perfectly capable of having that edge. However in this song its obvious she didnt want that edge in this song. I personaly think she did good, i still prefer it being sung by a male singer but hey shes a girl and she did alright. My personal thoughts if you got up there and tryed to sing Im So Sick, i highly doubt you could. So why dont you give it a rest and review something positivly??
August 15th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I actually like the review. I dont agree with it, but thats not the point. We are playing right into what she had commented on before the song was even played. Everyone here (like or dislike) was inspired by her performance. Music is art and throughout history artists have changed this world through words art and music. The band successfully covered this song, offending some and pleasing others and that is the role of an artist. So let whomever may; write their offensive articles and let whomever may write their comments its all good. Personally i think the cover was great, and i absolutely love the clawing and pawing, its got a GRUNGEish feel. I also think if kurt cobain was around he wouldn’t give a s… oops almost slipped, my apologies. Theres a comment to get offended about. There, I played my part.
August 17th, 2008 at 8:25 am
To be honest… I’m thrilled to get to here another song from Flyleaf. Is it as inspiring as her music? No. But I would contend that many of the ideas and the statements they come to on their own are just as good as anything Nirvana did. I think that the people who put teen spirit on a pedestal can at least have the decency to allow Flyleaf to have one too… if not sharing the exact same pedestal.