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.
• We’ve already seen John Legend and the Roots cover Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” live, so the sounds we bring today shouldn’t come as any shock. Still, finally hearing the studio version of the song that inspired the Wake Up! album – on sale at Amazon for $1.99 – is a treat. Questlove’s drumming swings, particularly when they hit the country-funk breakdown.
• In 1978 Queen staged a nude bicycle race to promote their double-A side single “Bicycle Race” and “Fat-Bottomed Girls.” Honoring that legacy, Jimmy Winchell and Flecton Blue Sky teamed up to cover both songs. Winchell describes “Bicycle Race” as “…a genius mix of spinal-tapish clever/stupid exultation of big beautiful women on bicycles, but also a call to arms to get one’s head out of the arse of pop-culture and enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive.” Download both below.
MP3: Jimmy Winchell – Bicycle Race (Queen cover)
MP3: Flecton Blue Sky – Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen cover)
• One could make an argument for On the Beach being Neil Young’s most underrated album. Of course, one could also make that argument for Trans – considering it anything other than “abysmal” would count as underrated. Regardless, we rate Emily Reo’s “On the Beach” exactly as it should be: spooky-gorgeous. While you’re at it, grab her older Built to Spill cover too.
MP3: Emily Reo – On the Beach (Neil Young cover)
MP3: Emily Reo – Car (Built to Spill cover)
• In 2004, Wilco informed us that “Hell Is Chrome.” That seems a little harsh; Google’s browser isn’t that bad. Hardboiled Wonderland amps the song way up with a ten-minute loud-soft-loud cover. Wilco, now with even more guitar blasts!
MP3: Hardboiled Wonderland – Hell Is Chrome (Wilco cover)
Check out more Quickies here.
Thanks for ‘Wake Up’ – of course I can’t buy it from Amazon as they don’t faciliate Ireland with their mp3 downloads. Great to hear it though.
ola covermesongs. thanks for the coverage. if you have time to correct the spelling of my name that would be greatly appreciated. it’s flecton and not flection. cheers.
Fixed!
thanks kindly. as always keep it up, great blog, and as more covers are recorded you will always be the first in the know.
do you know if there is any website where i can buy the studio version of “wake up?” that cover is so damn good.