One of the most interesting trends in music is magazines sponsoring redos of classic albums. The reason I say it is "interesting" rather than "best" is because the covers haven't been that great. The latest album to get the cover treatment is U2's Achtung Baby and it has the most impressive list of participants. Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Killers, Garbage, Jack White and others take a shot at U2's seminal album.

I've only heard a few of the songs but, sadly, this cover struggles from the same issue: too reverential. What's the point of a cover song if it is just a carbon copy of the original? Living Colour was somewhat famous for their covers because they changed the songs up and added their own identity into them. Nine Inch Nails' Zoo Station kind of does this but it still just feels like a slower version of the original. The Killers' "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" sounds like they are actually trying to sound like U2. Ditto Depeche Mode's "So Cruel". In the end, the only thing that these songs accomplish is making me want to hear the original album.

But if you want to check it out for yourself, check out the post on Stereogum.