Mar 042024
 
lives lost let me down slowly

Lives Lost is a group from Hershey, PA. Their tasteful yet heavy cover of Alec Benjamin’s hit “Let Me Down Slowly” begins acoustic, but quickly turns into a more intense song after just a single phrase. The band added new harmonies with tasteful vocal distortion and layers and layers of wailing guitars. Then, when the words “Let me down” hit the intensity increases yet again. Continue reading »

Mar 042024
 
rhiannon giddens alice randall

On February 21, roots music virtuoso Rhiannon Giddens released a cover of Alice Randall’s “The Ballad of Sally Anne.” It will be included on an upcoming Randall tribute album: My Black Country. Yet, when Giddens looks back on this time, I imagine she’ll be thinking of a different song.

Giddens appears playing banjo and viola on Beyoncé’s new record-breaking, genre-busting country single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” As of this writing, the song is number one on the Billboard country music and pop music charts, inspiring countless internet memes (and fueling fits of hysteria from racist idiots).

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Mar 012024
 
clipping tipsy

Back in 2020, we listed the Save Stereogum album, a compilation of 55 artists covering songs from the ’00s, as the 21st best covers album of the year. The compilation featured an eclectic lineup, including experimental rap trio clipping. doing a noise-driven clipping. cover of J-Kwon’s club hit “Tipsy.” This week clipping. gave the song an official 7″ release on Sub Pop and have added it to streaming services.

clipping. have been around since 2009 but they’ve grown their fanbase thanks to rapper Daveed Diggs’ prominent role in Hamilton. Fans of that performance might be slightly jarred by the soundscapes created by Diggs’ partners William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, but fans of noise-rap (or listeners with an open mind) will be delighted by the feedback-heavy production combined with Diggs’ precision wordplay and delivery.

The J-Kwon track here is paid due homage, both through the chorus and the use of the countdown starting each verse, but Diggs uses the song as a springboard for his own lyrics. Thematically, Diggs sticks to the storyline of the club, alcohol, sex, and violence, but as he’s known to do, he describes a scene with an additional layer of danger and darkness to it. The beat here is punctuated by static, beeps, and distortion of all kinds that solidify the griminess of this track. If you’re looking for a feel good hit to play in the club or at a party, this isn’t going to replace the J-Kwon original unless you are trying to get yourself a lot of quizzical looks. But if you want to hear a song that’s in that gray area between uncomfortable and catchy, this cover, like a lot of clipping. offerings, has you covered.

Mar 012024
 
Screaming Jets

“We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was, like, only Taylor Swift‘s fourth biggest hits of the 10s despite going six times Platinum in the US and nine times Platinum in Australia. Somehow, three other singles were bigger in both countries. But it’s clear this one made an impact, because old school Aussie rock band The Screaming Jets have covered it ahead of Swift’s Australian leg of her Eras Tour.

The Screaming Jets are one of those bands that are huge in their native country but kind of unknown outside of it. They have released nine albums and numerous singles since 1989 (infamously the year of Swift’s birth), and they have multiple Top 40 Aussie hits (including one Top 5) but zero chart presence in the rest of the world. They would seem like an unlikely band to cover Swift except that her popularity is world-conquering at this point. Legendary Australian radio station Triple J assembled a group of Australian bands that would unexpectedly cover Swift ahead of her latest tour of Australia and The Screaming Jets answered the call. Continue reading »

Mar 012024
 
best cover songs february 2024
Annie Lennox — Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince/Sinéad O’Connor cover)

The emotional highpoint of the Grammys—well, other than Tracy Chapman’s return (covers-adjacent!)–was Annie Lennox’s tribute to Sinéad O’Connor during the In Memoriam. Bonus points because she was backed by two longtime bandmembers of Prince (who, of course, wrote the song), Wendy and Lisa. The teardrop on Lennox’s eye was very Prince, and the political statement at the end was very Sinéad. Continue reading »