Sep 202011
 

This past week the A.V. Club wrapped up their beloved “Undercover” series with the Fruit Bats’ rendition of Loretta Lynn’s “The Other Woman.” This cover was just one of a myriad of brilliant renditions put forth by various indie rock gods and goddesses over the time span of three months. And seeing as this was a veritable who’s who in indie rock these days, few bands disappointed. The worst it got was average (ie that Smith Westerns take on “American Girl”), but most bands scored at least a 7 out of 10. Given the talent, it would be near impossible to only pick just a couple favorites so we here at Cover Me are choosing ten performances instead. The ten most original, most jaw-dropping, and most “Play it again man!”-inducing covers that were featured this past summer.

This list was cobbled together considering two different variables: originality and delivery. Did the band bring something different to the original, and did they exercise the effort necessary to carry that song to another level? Below is a list of the 10 songs that we think did both of those things best. Of course, if you disagree with us then, by all means, head over to The AV Club to cast your vote for the band you think ran away with it. Since we have already written about every song in detail we won’t fawn and drool all over them again in entirety, but instead get to the good stuff. Enjoy.

10. The Mountain Goats – Boxcar (Jawbreaker cover)

9. Dum Dum Girls – September Gurls (Big Star cover)

8. Sharon Van Etten – She Drives Me Crazy (Fine Young Cannibals cover)

7. Peter Bjorn and John – Try A Little Tenderness (Otis Redding cover)

6. Wye Oak – Mother (Danzig cover)

5. Fruit Bats – The Other Woman (Loretta Lynn cover)

4. Baths – All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover)

3. Parts and Labor – Runaway (Kanye West cover)

2. Iron and Wine – One More Try (George Michael cover)

1. They Might Be Giants – Tubthumper (Chumbawamba cover)

Check out the full series at the AV Club. And good news: Holiday Undercover returns in November!

Cover Me is now on Patreon! If you love cover songs, we hope you will consider supporting us there with a small monthly subscription. There are a bunch of exclusive perks only for patrons: playlists, newsletters, downloads, discussions, polls - hell, tell us what song you would like to hear covered and we will make it happen. Learn more at Patreon.

  One Response to “The 10 Best A.V. Undercover Performances of the Year”

Comments (1)
  1. Abigail,

    You have chosen very, very well. Hooray for “Tubthumping!”

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