"Pale Blue Eyes" is one of the most tumultuous songs Lou Reed ever wrote for the Velvet Underground, and The Kills approached their cover with the necessary heartbroken pathos: singer Alison Mosshart sounds like she's at the tail end of a downward spiral, with Jamie Hince's string-bending distortion the soundtrack for her sorrow. It's a worthy parallel to the original, emotionally speaking, but they also cloaked the classic in their traditional graceful grit, adding an anxious edge that threatens to spin out. Not as crazy as Hole's old take on this track, but somehow more unsettling and beautiful. Stream below, and head over to The Kills' page on the Levi's Pioneer Sessions: The Revival Recordings site to download the MP3.
Stream: The Kills, "Pale Blue Eyes" (Levi's Pioneer Sessions)
