Apr 042012
 

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine has established herself as something of a covers aficionado, taking on a diverse roster of artists from Drake to Buddy Holly. She debuted her latest cover while taping her upcoming episode of MTV’s Unplugged, which will air on April 8. Following in the footsteps of her excellent collaboration with Billy Bragg on “Fairytale of New York,” Florence teamed up with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme for a cover of Johnny Cash and June Carter’s classic duet, “Jackson.” 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 292011
 

Last week we heard Tokyo Police Club launch their “10 Songs, 10 Days, 10 Hours, 10 Years” covers series with their take on Moby’s “Southside.” Well it’s been four more days since, and that means four more covers. Each song comes from a year from 2002 through 2005, with the series continuing through this weekend. Several also feature guests, including Passion Pit singer Michael Angelakos and Michael Jackson almost-guitarist Orianthi. Continue reading »