John Fryer’s BLACK NEEDLE NOISE w/ Tom Berger – What A Wonderful World

BLACK NEEDLE NOISE feat. Tom Berger – What A Wonderful World @ Spotify, Bandcamp.

by Walter Price

As groundbreaking post-punk record producer/musician John Fryer’s BLACK NEEDLE NOISE ready their forthcoming covers album, ‘These Mortal Covers’, they set free another beautifully dramatic redux. This time around its 1967’s “What A Wonderful World”. A holiday season staple first recorded by Louis Armstrong and written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, this new reimagined take is as hauntingly twisty, noirish, and certainly as far the original as one could conjure up.

Fryer whose been a part of the alternative, goth, and synth-pop worlds for eons now, known for his contributions to hallowed artists such as Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, to name just a few, again utilizes his dark wizardry to transform this song from its history of Christmas lights and white snow into a shadowy soundtrack for the back alleys of our souls. Lurking and guttural, the brilliant vocals of Tom Berger add even further slow burn nearing morbid depths to this already meticulous arrangement.

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“I have always loved the Louis Armstrong version of ‘What A Wonderful World’ from when I heard it as a child and it has stayed with me ever since. So I wanted to make a very different cinematic version, a very depressingly apocalyptic version with an uplifting feel. I thought of Tom Berger, my friend for many a year to sing it and I think he has done an amazing job to convey those haunting sentiments.” – J. Fryer

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The music video, directed by Christoph Vitt & Alex Makarov and starring Berger and the devilish Dori Darkmoon, is exactly the darkened streets vibe this cover song embodies.

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“For me, it was a real challenge to sing the vocals of a classical piece of music. After John sent me the instrumental version I thought it wasn’t possible – How can I transform such a fragile and innocent melody into such a massive wall of sound? And that was the thing: I sang it as I’d never heard the 1967 original. The result is not just a cover – it’s something new – and I’m very proud of the final result.” – T. Berger

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I’ve said it before, If you’re a fan of the beautifully abstract, the shadowy worlds of a mad genius and/or all the indelible work Fryer has given us over the decades…then add this one to your thrive-in-the-dark playlist. And you can stream this new single and watch its stunning film, now at the GTC.

BLACK NEEDLE NOISE

What A Wonderful World

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And this is just the beginning – Fryer has been readying a new Black Needle Noise album for 2021 called These Mortal Covers that will feature all-new versions of well-known songs including the recently released Black Crowes’ cover “She Talks To Angels.” – bio

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