Bruce Springsteen and so many more cover Suicide

Regardless, this summer Bruce Springsteen will kick off an EP series honoring proto-No Wave (did we just coin a term?) group Suicide. Each EP in the series includes two covers of select Suicide songs plus a previously unreleased track by the band. On July 28, you'll be able to grab a 10" vinyl/digital release of the first EP in the series, featuring The Boss' cover of "Dream Baby Dream." The UK label BLAST First (petite) commissioned the EPs, which will get a stateside distribution via Forced Exposure. Joining The Boss in the covers series is none other than Liars, Grinderman, Spiritualized, Klaxons, Primal Scream, Lydia Lunch, Peaches, Julian Cope, Vincent Gallo and The Horrors. All this comes just in time for vocalist Alan Vega's 70th birthday. Yeah, we're surprised—and very happy—he's alive too. 

Considered one of the principle influences of the No Wave movement (and by the transitive property, punk, electronica, noise, dance and industrial), Suicide first came to prominence in the mid-'70s when Vega and Martin Rev playing combative shows in New York's Lower East Side. The duo broke ground during its time, eschewing guitars for keyboards and writing dark, often violent lyrics. For a band that in its day had what could be generously called a small following, the fact that the likes of The Boss and Nick Cave are paying tribute to Suicide now should give hope to any band whose creativity has an inverse relationship with its commercial success. Who knows, perhaps in 2020 an aging Arcade Fire will pay tribute to The Anaksimandros. Hey, anything can happen.