Mellow rockers Clem Snide aren’t exactly strangers to covering interesting songs (go find their “Heat of the Moment” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” covers if you don’t believe me), but frontman Eef Barzelay recently embarked on an ambitious covers project that puts the others to shame. Last Spring Clem Snide used Kickstarter to fund an EP of Journey covers, and, as a reward for pledging $150 or more to that project, Eef promised to record any song of the donor’s request and email the recording to them. After recording 30 or so of these covers, he decided he liked them so much that some are now being offered on Bandcamp on a free/name-your-price basis.
The covers all feature Eef in solo mode with an acoustic guitar, covering artists by the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel, Bob Dylan, The Bee Gees, Lionel Richie, Madonna and Tom Waits. His fragile voice and plucky guitar sound give a whole new feel to unexpected covers like “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees and “The Becoming” by Nine Inch Nails, showing his creativity as the more surprising tracks stand out as some of his best. Clem Snide and covers fans alike will have no problem finding something to love on this eclectic collection. Check out a few tracks below, then download and stream the entire set on Bandcamp.
MP3: Eef Barzelay – Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees cover)
[audio: News1111/10StayinAlive.mp3]
MP3: Eef Barzelay – The Becoming (Nine Inch Nails cover)
[audio: News1111/10TheBecoming.mp3]
Check out more from Clem Snide on their website.
