Z.O.N.K. – You Oughta Know / 2006 Self / 1 Track / http://www.zonkaholics.com / http://www.h-machine.com / Reviewed 13 May 2006

The scratching and sampling of the beginning moments of “You Oughta Know” should remind individuals of artists like The Avalanches and Kid Koala; the sultry vocals that come soon after are a direct blend of Portishead and The Propellerheads. Of course, this is a cover of Alanis Morrisette’s original track, and the vocals pretty much stick to the blueprint that Morrisette created in the original; where the two tracks do diverge is in the inflection. While Morrisette’s track was one in which the anger and hate boiled over, the style of Z.O.N.K.’s cover is something that is much less emotional.

The distortion and echo that is present on the vocals during the track are perhaps the only thing that holds Z.O.N.K. back from succeeding completely. The track has been transferred into an industrial and gothic brand of sound while still having some of the charm of the original. In doing this, Z.O.N.K. goes further that most individuals that cover a track. By destroying the context in which the original track resided or by cutting a cover too close to the original, artists fail in a way that Z.O.N.K. skillfully avoids. This may only be a single, but this song shows that Z.O.N.K. will be coming out with more in the way of interesting tracks in the near future.

Rating: 6.0/10

[JMcQ]