Estonian band Holy Motors have covered "Superstar," the song by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell that was a 1971 hit for The Carpenters and has been covered by everyone from Luther Vandross to Sonic Youth. Holy Motors' version is both heavy and ethereal, with the dreamy guitar chords heavy on the whammy bar, and does a great job of reworking the chorus to make it fit with the very vibey arrangement. It's out now via Wharf Cat.
Says guitarist Lauri Raus of their rendition, “Some years back I saw James Wilsey’s performance of 'Superstar' on the internet. The melody was spaced out in echo and beautiful, and he was just pushing it down hard on the vibrator bar of his silver-sparking fender Stratocaster. In a strangely similar fashion in ’71, Richard Carpenter happened to hear Bette Midler sing this same song on late night television. And then Karen sang it in for the Carpenters. But originally the song wasn’t written by a sibling duo, as you might have heard or known from yer own previous existence, but a married couple of soul and country music named Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. I think that’s cute. They titled it 'Groupie.' It’s definitely not a lament. What is sad though, is that James Wilsey in his solo career never finished a recording of his own 'Superstar.' And that’s the motivation and gist of it for our recording.”