City of the Weak offer up a perfect rendition of Incubus’s “Pardon Me”. With a truly original take on the piece, City of the Weak emphasizes the desperation that Incubus felt in such a lovely way. The way that City of the Weak capture the tenderness of the lyrics helps to imbue this piece with a heartfelt emotion. By far what brings the whole piece together and really serves as the soul are the powerful vocals, which have a compassionate aura to them. Even as the lyrics focus upon extremely internalized anxiety City of the Weak make sure to convey that no one is truly alone in their suffering, that there is a way to rise above it all.
Guitars give off a summery quality as they glimmer about in the beginning. From there the whole track propels itself forward with a joyous blur. The way the arrangement works out feels so damned impressive, from the multifaceted multilayered sound to the entire buildup. Low slung grooves help to anchor the entirety of the work, as grunge and funk work in unison. Nicely going for a sense of defiance, City of the Weak shows how to overcome the obstacles that life inevitably brings. Towards the final stretch of the piece City of the Weak ratchet up the tension, even at moments touching upon elements of post-rock.
“Pardon Me” shows off City of the Weak’s deft skill in finding the innermost peace even amongst the most anguished moments in a life.
