Sep 182013
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Years ago, we said that the Smiths’ “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” might be a good candidate for the Five Good Covers department. Today, finally, we’re following through. Partly to atone for the delay, and partly because of the ridiculously high number of quality covers out there, we’re throwing in an extra three covers this time. Think of them as bonus tracks of what’s arguably the quintessential Smiths song.
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Sep 182013
 

Brooklyn via Australia dreampop duo High Highs has been touring with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, and has just announced a new string of shows with Stars. While on said tours, the band (backed by a full live band) has been performing their take on College‘s “A Real Hero.” The duo just released a studio version of the song we all know and love so dearly from the film Drive. Continue reading »

Sep 182013
 

Fiona Apple is not shy about her political views. A vegan and friend to all the little animals, Apple recently teamed up with Chipotle for this adorable but chilling vision of a dystopian future, calling out factory farming and inspiring offices all over America to make the intern pick up Chipotle for lunch every day for the next two weeks. Continue reading »

Sep 132013
 

In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!

Gillian Welch is a yankee. There, it’s said. One would have a hard time discerning it from her mix of folk and bluegrass arrangements, but there’s a Big Apple right there on her birth certificate. So let it be noted that, when compared to some “legitimate” country music popularized and sung by those born and bred in the South, with their auto-tuned cartoonish absence of substance, an overabundance of shiny objects and pyrotechnics, and some ghastly redneck rap thrown in, it’s obvious that birthplace alone has little influence on how traditional or great country music is.
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Sep 132013
 

BOY, a German/Swiss duo comprised of singer Valeska Steiner  and bassist Sonja Glass, met while at a pop music course in Hamburg in 2005. Since then, the duo has gone on to put out Mutual Friends, an album that went gold in Germany and was just released in February 2013 stateside. On September 10th, the duo is releasing an acoustic EP of some of their songs off the debut album, and it includes this lovely cover of Air‘s “Playground Love.” Continue reading »