Dec 052014
 


Why?

That’s the first question that comes to mind when listening to A Little Help From My Fwends, the Flaming Lips’ album that covers all of the Beatles’ seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This isn’t an inherently bad question to ask, though, especially with this band. From making a 4-disc album meant to be played simultaneously (or in any combination) to releasing a USB drive of love songs inside a chocolate, anatomically correct heart, the Lips have always had a degree of quirky, unbridled (and seemingly unchecked) compulsion guiding their career. This seeming inability to reign in their impulse to do whatever idea comes to mind has resulted in a ton of great music and a feverish cult following.
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Dec 192013
 

I’m not sure there were more great cover songs this year than any other. But there were more good ones.

What I mean by that is, the average quality of the covers we come across in the time we’ve been around has risen, rather dramatically. Whether they’re iTunes homepage singles or some guy emailing us his Bandcamp, more cover songs in 2013 avoid the old pitfalls than ever before. They don’t sound like they were recorded in a cereal box, substitute ear-bleeding volume for actual creativity, or – the worst cover sin of all – try to carbon-copying the original. With the ease of production and distribution available now, artists seemed to record covers only when they felt they had something to add, and do a halfway decent job committing those ideas to 1s and 0s. Continue reading »

Jan 102013
 

In anticipation of the return of the critically acclaimed HBO series Girls, Fueled by Ramen Records has released an official soundtrack for the show. As if Canadian duo Tegan & Sara‘s latest cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” wasn’t enough to pull at your heart strings, the sisters have provided the hip soundtrack with a rendition of The Rolling Stones‘ “Fool to Cry.” Continue reading »

Dec 182012
 

It is hard to believe that indie rockers Tegan & Sara have been churning out angst and heartbreak melodies for roughly 17 years. In anticipation of their seventh studio album, Heartthrob, the Quinn twins visited Billboard for a Candid Covers session of Cyndi Lauper‘s “Time After Time.” Continue reading »

Feb 032011
 

Our White Stripes tribute continues today with a massive live collection. The Stripes were known for their concert presence as much as anything and, with the freedom that only a two-person band can bring, they frequently performed covers both expected (delta blues) and not (Mazzy Star). Some songs appeared frequently over the years, others popped up for one night only. Sometimes they were planned performances, other times Jack White just started singing some lyrics.

Below, we give you a collection of cover songs the band performed on their 2005 Get Behind Me Satan tour. The set was originally compiled by a user over at the Little Room forum and his/her efforts amaze us to this day. Thirty-three songs, all available as MP3 downloads below. The audio quality ranges from pretty-good to fantastic. Download them individually or as a full set. Continue reading »

Nov 232010
 

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

Tegan and Sara covering any holiday song would likely be adorable, but hearing them do “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” is the auditory equivalent of a thousand kittens.
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