Brendan Angelides teams up with Serj Tankian from a System of a Down to reimagine Bowie track
That’s a mouthfull of a title isn’t it? I wrote a couple options down for that title, but it’s a real puzzle when you have to try and fit three huge names into the headline. The long version is: Brendan Angelides has just teased his new album by taking a classic David Bowie track (“I’m Afraid of Americans”) and enlisting the amazing voice behind System of a Down (ie: Serj Tankian) to reimagine the song for our tumultuous times.
David Bowie, Serj Tankian…. those are two huge names, but Brendan Angelides has also got an impressive catalogue in his own right. He has spent years moving between electronic music, orchestral work and screen composition, working under monikers like ESKMO and Welder. But with this new album, (entitled Can You Feel The End Begin?), it seems like he’s brining things back to a much more personal place where he can make a statment.
More than that, by opening with a massive Bowie hit like “I’m Afraid of Americans,” Angelides is announcing that he’s ready to take big swings on this album. Rather than playing it safe, he pulls the track apart and rebuilds it with dense electronics, and a moreish bassline.
Eliza Bagg of Roomful of Teeth also adds vocals, while Angelides’ twin kids appear woven into the track too, giving an already strange and unsettling cover another unexpected layer.
It’s a bold choice of song, and one that feels especially sharp right now.
Brendan Angelides – I’m Afraid of Americans (Bowie cover)
