Give the People What We Want

The title doesn’t lie. Cleverly disguised as a Kinks tribute album, Give the People What We Want gives the people what Sub Pop wants, which is a platform to promote their bands and their bands’ friends. While less than half the artists here actually record for Sub Pop, the rest are all either local Seattlites who presumably will one day or offshoots of Sub Pop acts. That complaint aside, there’s actually much to recommend. The Kinks songbook is fertile ground for this diverse batch of interpreters, whether its Mark Lanegan turning “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ’Bout That Girl,” into smoky, downbeat blues; the Murder City Devils transforming “Alcohol” into a sordid, barroom stomp; or Heather Duby’s mesmerizing and atmospheric take on “The Way Love Used to Be.” Probably the best track, though, is one of the least adventurous. The Fallouts’ fired-up version of “This Man He Weeps Tonight,” may not do anything drastic to the Kinks original, but it proves you don’t have to come out of left field to make some glorious noise.