I was pleasantly surprised to see Kyp Malone and Harsh Toke’s cover of Talking Heads classic “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” make the rounds this morning as just yesterday I revisited a video of an early MGMT performance of the song at their alma mater, Wesleyan University. Upon further inspection, the band behind the most anticipated album of the year, Arcade Fire, also gave the Speaking in Tongues closing track a shot, back in ’05.
After one viewing of all three live performances, it struck me how they each were feeling the song in different ways. Malone’s version stays true to the dance-inspiring, art-rock vibe of the original, while Win Butler applies his trademark emoting vocals to the track, stripping away the funk a bit for a more serious take. MGMT, meanwhile, are having an insane amount of fun, as always, which is quite infectious this Friday afternoon. Watch all three below, and, don’t worry, we won’t ask you to choose a favorite: