Paper Planes was such a ubiquitous song in the last year that I'm always a little hesitant to touch on it for fear of overwhelming backlash against what went from obscure gem to popular song to beating a dead horse over the course of about 4 days. So when I first heard the Pale Young Gentlemen covering the track, I wasn't sure what to do. I figured I'd let it ruminate for a couple days before doing anything with it.
I'm really glad I did. But even after a few days of listening to it and thinking, I'm still not really sure what to think. Part of what I love about M.I.A.'s version is the bombastic intro (ripped from The Clash's "Straight to Hell", not Spanish Bombs as I had originally mis-remembered), and that's missing here. Another thing I like about the original is the ever present gun shot, also removed in the PYG version. And the lead singer sounds like he's really tired and had to be convinced to sing the song.
But against all odds, I like it. I could deal with it being a little louder and a touch faster, but the strings sing nicely in the background, I like the cutesy bell, and for some reason the track really grows on me. I think it's the final vocal bridge that seals it for me - a kind of trailing off that sounds like the thought behind it is "that's the best we could have done with it, let's let it linger."
I dig what they did with it.
and for kicks:
The Clash - Straight to Hell (YSI) (filesavr)
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