Jul 282010
 

Most bands would probably view the Hopscotch Music Festival as just another stop on the long fest circuit. It’s got a solid lineup this year (Public Enemy! Panda Bear! Broken Social Scene!), but in the big scheme of things Raleigh, North Carolina isn’t a must-hit destination. Unless you’re from Raleigh, North Carolina. The Rosebuds are, and to celebrate their inclusion in the festival they’ve released a new cover of the Bee Gees’ so-classic-you’re-sick-of-it “Stayin’ Alive.”

The cover slows the funk down, sounding like a lonely guy trying to convince himself and the world that he’s cooler than he is. “A woman’s man, no time to talk”? Doubt it. Download their other Hopscotch-promoting track “Secret Life of the Rosebuds” here. If you’re in the Raleigh area, buy tickets! Continue reading »

Jul 282010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Often performed as tossed-off bonus tracks or live radio extras, cover songs rarely get good videos. There are exceptions. We saw one a couple weeks ago with that weird pig-surgeon “99 Problems.” Here’s another.

That a Nick Cave cover would inspire one of the creepiest videos of 2009 is not super surprising. In Fever Ray’s “Stranger Than Kindness,” a dark house plays host to some spooky rituals with hooded priests, a bison-woman, a blackface vampire child, and more. As with all Fever Ray songs, the music is equally dark, brooding beats accompanied by neon lasers. A disturbing way to start your day! Continue reading »

Jul 272010
 

Last month we profiled the magnificent Alejandro Escovedo. Timed with the release of his new Street Songs of Love, it showcased five selections from the many covers he’s performed. The Rolling Stones choice was “Sway,” but we mentioned he often rocks “Beast of Burden” as well. Usually he does it alone. This past weekend he did it with Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss joined Escovedo and the Sensitive Boys onstage Friday night at New Jersey’s Stone Pony club, the same stage on which the Boss cut his teeth as an axeman-for-hire back in the day. Together they played Escovedo’s “Always a Friend,” as they have before; “Faith,” the new album cut on which Springsteen appears; and “Beast of Burden” to close things out. Fansite Backstreets notes that Bruce has never performed this before, but he’s a natural. The man even rips out a couple killer solos like he used to do at the Pony . Watch the video and download the MP3 (which unfortunately cuts off a little early) below. Continue reading »

Jul 272010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward have been promoting their She & Him album Volume Two pretty hard of late, but today’s cover hearkens back to their first acclaimed disc (you’ll never guess what it’s called). “Change Is Hard” is a typically sunny dose of beach-pop, perfect for the boombox or car (windows down, of course).

The Lexingtons cover “Change Is Hard” on their new album. This Rhode Island duo has been chugging along since 2007 and was nice enough to send this as a submission (moral to artists: submit your covers!). Lapping steel guitar and breezy guy-girl harmonies guide you gently down the boardwalk. Continue reading »

Jul 262010
 

Cover Commissions is a monthly series in which a featured artist covers a reader-selected song for this blog. Any artists interested in participating, contact us.

What’s left to say about The Peptides? A couple weeks ago we introduced these Canadians to you in a popular Under the Radar feature. Frontman Claude Marquis told us about their covers of “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “Fallen Leaves,” “Silver Dagger,” and “Jealous Guy.” A pretty wide spectrum there, from traditional folk to pop-punk, but they haven’t done any disco. Until now. In the Cover Commissions tradition, they will cover one of ten disco hits, as determined by you, the reader.

Before we get there though, let’s present a little more background. The band has two covers we held back from the previous feature. One is a harmony-happy version of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home),” the sequel he wrote to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” The other is a mandolin-and-strings “Mary’s Prayer,” the sole hit by British band Danny Wilson (which included no one name Danny or Wilson). Both come accompanied by typically vintage videos from old films. Can you name them? Continue reading »

Jul 262010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Last week we gave a somewhat tepid review to Amanda Palmer’s new album of ukulele Radiohead covers. No matter how good it had been though, it would pale in comparison to this. Hawaiian Jake Shimabukuro may be the world’s finest ukulele player, or at least the finest who regularly arranges classic pop songs for the instrument.

This video of him performing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Central Park is both technically astounding and emotionally resonant. His fingers fly up and down the small fretboard, making the strings speak with each note, much as Eric Clapton did on the original (did you know it was him playing, not George?). Difference is, Jake’s only got four strings to work with. Continue reading »