Music

Watch Disturbed cover "The Sound of Silence," if you want

by Jeremy Mersereau

Simon and Garfunkel’s 1965 smash hit about alienation and hopelessness, “The Sound of Silence”, wasn’t originally a success until Simon’s wistful guitar strums were augmented with rock instruments and a generous helping of reverb. The remixed rock version instantly started climbing the charts and hit No. 1 in December 1965. It jump-started the career of the original button-down/hit the town odd couple.

By that logic, Disturbed’s nu-metal version should be the biggest thing since Graceland. The creators of the “OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH” heard ’round the world have crafted an overwrought, maudlin version of the folk classic, and it’s not like the original wasn’t already overwrought and maudlin enough. Take a listen to David Draiman and co.’s cover here, if you’re looking to spend your Friday afternoon in a deep existential crisis about the state of the swirling black hole we call pop culture.

Oof. Listening to that makes me want to enjoy the real sound of silence. Hell, I’d even take “One Thing”.