As previously announced, Gang of Four co-founder Andy Gill was working on a retrospective of the band’s album Entertainment! before he tragically passed away last year. To carry on his work, Gill’s widow Catherine Mayer organized an impressive tribute album in his honor featuring cover songs by a wide range of artists. Today, she’s sharing one of her favorite cuts: “Paralysed” as played by Warpaint.
For their contribution to The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, Warpaint use their trademark take on atmospheric pop to give “Paralysed” a haunting vocal performance, speckled guitar work, and one slinky bass line. Warpaint’s bassist, Jenny Lee, produced the track, which may explain why it has a similar feel to her solo album right on!.
In a press release, Lee explained that she and the rest of the band decided to choose this song because of how the lyrics impacted their lives. “‘The change will do me good.’ (Damaged Goods). Best piece of advice that pretty much changed my life. Not to mention Dave Allen’s bass playing also changed me forever. Made me wanna play bass,” said Lee. “It was cool to get inside of ‘Paralysed’, and for Gang Of Four to give us freedom to freak out in our way… it was a beautiful opportunity and we’re SOOO excited. It’s an honor actually to be a part of Andy’s tribute.”
As Mayer pointed out, Gill was actually a huge fan of Warpaint and would be thrilled to know they were a part of his tribute album. “Andy loved the way Warpaint created not only songs but atmospheres, without sacrificing drive and danceability,” said Mayer. “The marriage of their unique sound with ‘Paralysed’, on the face of it one of the least likely dance tracks ever, is spectacular. The lyrics are also incredibly resonant at this moment in time where so many people feel helpless in the face of regressive populism and disfiguring inequalities.”
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In addition to this cover, The Problem of Leisure features contributions from Tom Morello, Flea and John Frusciante, La Roux, Helmet, Gary Numan, and many more. Pre-orders are currently ongoing ahead of the album’s release on May 21st.
If we’re lucky, this won’t be the last we hear from Warpaint in 2021. Two years ago, they revealed they were hard at work on a follow-up to their 2016 album Heads Up. Here’s hoping it’s as beautifully gloomy as their last record — though after a five-year-long wait, anything would be better than nothing at this point.