Sep 302019
 

Check out the best covers of past months here.

best cover songs september
Anderson .Paak – Old Town Road (Lil Nas X cover)

Given how thoroughly “Old Town Road” dominated the summer – the longest-reigning Billboard #1 in history, for those under-a-rock-dwellers among you – it seems shocking that it took until now for the first truly great cover to emerge. Less shocking: that it came from rapper/singer/drummer extraordinaire Anderson .Paak. Back in May, he performed a more straightforward version with Lil Nas X himself, but for BBC’s Live Lounge he and his band The Free Nationals reinvented it into a soul groove with shades of D’Angelo. Continue reading »

Feb 072012
 

If you listen to Lykke Li’s music there is probably a couple things you might expect from it. It’s usually got a great tune that will probably make you want to dance, and the instrumentals are pretty unique in their choice and composition. So, listening to an acoustic cover of Lykke Li’s funky indie-alternative tune “I Follow Rivers” is a pretty rare treat. That’s exactly what Band of Skulls’ version is, a treat to Lykke Li and Skulls fans everywhere. Continue reading »

Jan 242012
 

Though Bob Dylan moved away from his role as a ‘protest singer’ long ago — we saw Another Side by his fourth album — his name will forever be associated with social activism. The international human rights organization Amnesty International rose out of the same turbulent era as Dylan, forming in 1961, the year Dylan recorded his first album. Fitting, then, that in celebration of their 50th birthday, Amnesty would call on artists to contribute their Dylan covers to the massive four disc set Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. Continue reading »

Dec 122011
 

Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International doesn’t come out for another month, but the massive four-disc tribute is available to stream below. We’re just making our way through it ourselves, but the Gaslight Anthem’s “Changing of the Guards” and Queens of the Stone Age‘s “Outlaw Blues” are early highlights. On the flip side, Ke$ha‘s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” is truly atrocious (though Miley Cyrus‘ “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” isn’t bad at all). For whatever reason, you can stream 60-second excerpts of the first two discs and the full songs for the second two. At 2+ hours of music, though, we think you’ll survive. Stream the album below, then tell us what the best/worst songs are in the comments. (via Facebook) Continue reading »

Nov 282011
 

Can you ever have ever too much Bob Dylan? With the release of an astounding line-up of artists for the latest Dylan tribute, the answer is a resounding – never! Last month we brought you more info on the upcoming Bob Dylan tribute album, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International (including Ke$ha’s unfortunate quote comparing her music to that of the legend), but the full tracklist gets us even more excited. Elvis Costello! The Gaslight Anthem! Pete Townshend! Flogging Molly! Kronos Quartet! Continue reading »

Aug 182010
 

Bands write songs two topics: love won and love lost. This pop formula has worked for decades. Even songs that veer off that topic don’t generally veer that far off. Unless you’re Alison Goldfrapp. For her 2003 album Black Cherry, the English electro maven explored a too often overlooked issue: rodent sex joy.

“’Strict Machine’ was inspired by me reading about … well, there’s all this stuff in the newspaper about scientists being able to control rats, by sort of putting these little pulses into their brain, into their love, sex bit of their brain so, being able to control them, telling them to go left or right and they go left or right with sort of deep joy, which is kinda strange,” she told ArtistInterviews.com. “Anyway, I just thought that that had a strong sort of image to it and that was the inspiration and then it sort of evolved into other more human aspects of machines and sex and control.”

If that’s not trippy enough for you, check out the wolfmen/vampire music video. If that’s too trippy though, Band of Skulls’ stripped-down cover might be just your speed. The Southampton garage trio pulled it back for an appearance on Australia’s Triple J radio station. Sure, the song’s still about stimulating rat pleasure centers (ew), but it’s less Willard and more “Ben.” Continue reading »