Quickies: James Vincent McMorrow, Silver Swans, The Meat Puppets, Bird, Silent Rider

Quickies rounds up new can’t-miss covers. Download ‘em below.

• A couple weeks ago, James Vincent McMorrow broke our hearts with his cover of “Higher Love.” Now, he does it again on Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” He’s been playing it live for a while now, but Vagrant just sent over this gorgeous recording.
MP3: James Vincent McMorrow – Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)

• Silver Swans have a knack for turning folksy indie jams and turning them into moving electronic lamentations. We heard them do it a year ago with the National’s “Anyone’s Ghost.” Now, they go two for two on this synthed-out cover of Fleet Foxes’ “He Doesn’t Know Why.”
MP3: Silver Swans – He Doesn’t Know Why (Fleet Foxes cover)

• “Sloop John B” got its start decades before the world discovered it, but it took the Beach Boys’ keen ear to bring it to the masses. Substitute the Meat Puppets for “Sloop John B” and Nirvana for the Beach Boys and the story remains the same. Now, almost 20 years after that famed MTV Unplugged set, one underdog-made-big covers another.
MP3: The Meat Puppets – Sloop John B (Trad./Beach Boys cover)

• Bird’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” bridges the gap between the Stooges’ original and John Velghe’s brilliant cover. It’s midtempo sorta-punk with strings and a gorgeous voice wailing away.
MP3: Bird – I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges cover)

• No one seems to be covering songs off TV on the Radio’s new Nine Types of Light, so we dig back to 2008’s Dear Science for this next cover. New York electronic duo Silent Rider bring out the bass thud in this funky jam.
MP3: Silent Rider – DLZ (TV on the Radio cover)

Check out more Quickies here.