Headless Heroes, 'The Silence of Love'

There’s something about the way Alela Diane, with a tearful catch in her bucolic voice, sings the words “I don’t know why/ And I don’t know how’’ that breaks your heart in two. Those lines come from the song “Nobody’s Baby Now,’’ originally by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Diane is reflecting in a haunted house of pathos. It’s a devastatingly beautiful moment, one among many, on “The Silence of Love,’’ a gorgeous new album of cover songs all about the joy - but mostly the sorrow - of love. With Diane anchoring the songs on vocals and a coterie of respected indie-rock musicians (including Josh Klinghoffer and Joey Waronker) backing her, Headless Heroes is a supergroup of sorts assembled specifically for this project. Unlike so many covers collections, this one works well because they dare to reenvision the originals, sometimes ending up spare and grounded (Jackson C. Frank’s “Blues Run the Game’’), other times ambient and spectral (Vashti Bunyan’s “Here Before,’’ Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End’’). Only a banal, Starbucks-ready take on the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey’’ feels a bit stale and obvious. But even then, the performance reminds you of how great the original is, always the hallmark of a good cover. (Out now) JAMES REED