Aaron Taos ft. Jordana — Under Control (The Strokes cover)
Aaron Taos says: “When Jordana and I met for the first time, we realized very quickly that we both shared an obsession with the Strokes. What’s more surprising is that we also share the same favorite Strokes song, “Under Control,” an album cut off of their second LP Room On Fire. Naturally, we decided that we had to cover this amazing tune. Reimagined as a minimalist duet, this slow burn produced by Blake Richardson (formerly artist Sage Baptiste) also comes with a lo-fi vid shot in Brooklyn, NY. We just want to make Julian Casablancas proud.”
Brothertiger — Take a Picture (Filter cover)
Brothertiger says: “I’ve wanted to cover this one for a long while, and finally mustered up the courage to do it! This was one of my favorite songs to hear on the radio growing up in the late ’90s. I would always tell my mom to turn it up loud whenever it came on in the car. She always did! Hope you all dig it!”
Dolly Parton ft. Ann Wilson — Magic Man (Heart cover)
Dolly Parton says: “I’ve always wanted a reason to sing “Magic Man” by Heart, and it was one of my first choices for the album. I was so happy that Ann Wilson agreed to sing it with me. Nobody can outsing Ann, but I gave it my darndest, and we added a few lines that were not in the original. We wanted to have a few things that made it seem like ours. Thank you, Nancy, for letting me fill in for you on this. Hope I’ve made you both proud. I think it’s magic!”
Fleet Foxes — Hejira (Joni Mitchell cover)
Robin Pecknold says: “My father built bass guitars and played in bands in his twenties and thirties in the Northwest; his dream was to be Joni Mitchell’s bassist, like the great Jaco Pastorius. Right before our surprise show with Joanna Newsom in March, I bought back for him one of the fretless basses he had made in the ’80s, and I thought it would be sweet for us to play ‘Hejira’ together, on the same bill as Joanna, the Joni of our time. It was also an honor to be joined by Daniel Rossen for this, one of the greatest musicians of the last 20 years.”
Imperial Triumphant — Paranoid Android (Radiohead cover)
Imperial Triumphant says: “We are huge fans of Radiohead and their ethos. We feel that Radiohead have a diverse and unique approach to song craft and lyricism that we have always gravitated towards, and the song ‘Paranoid Android’ lays out a perfect canvas for us to play and create with. The artwork, created by Alek Kalabalov, exquisitely blends the aesthetics of both bands seamlessly. It was a pleasure reinterpreting this great rock classic, and we hope you find it immensely pleasurable.”
Isley ft. Bon Iver — Heart of Gold (Neil Young cover)
Isley says: “This song has always spoken to me in a deep, personal way. There’s something about the plaintive melody and the simple, evocative lyrics that go straight to the heart of what we all feel. The image of a miner searching for a precious metal—searching for love, connection, something true… it’s a difficult, often frustrating process, but the reward is so worth it. I kept coming back to the thought and the song. I listened on repeat one day before meeting up with Justin and BJ and it just felt right to see if we could play it in a new way, that felt like us, and would do it justice.”
Jimmy Eat World — Telepath (Manchester Orchestra cover)
Jim Adkins says: “Manchester Orchestra is great at sitting you down, spinning your chair around and stopping it to show you are now somewhere else. We knew if we were going to cover an immersive song like ‘Telepath,’ we’d have to commit to ‘stopping the chair’ at bizzaro-Jimmy Eat World universe.”
Joshua Ray Walker — Cuz I Love You (Lizzo cover)
Joshua Ray Walker says: “I think ‘Cuz I Love You’ is about as close as you can get to a perfect pop record. [Lizzo’s] probably the number one person I’d like to collaborate with. She’s the whole package.”
King Hannah — Like a Prayer (Madonna cover)
King Hannah says: “We wanted to take this Madonna song and really let it breathe with lots of space and sparse instrumentation that slowly and subtly builds. The delicate arrangement of pulsing synths and scratchy guitars allows Hannah’s voice to take centre stage until the track eventually (in the extended version) breaks out into a noisy instrumental section fueled by thrashing drums and distorted guitars. We wanted to take a song by such an iconic artist and drag it into the world of King Hannah.”
Lydia Loveless & Jason Hawk Harris – Portions For Foxes (Rilo Kiley cover)
Lydia Loveless says: “Jason and I just wanted to do something nostalgic and a bit different. Jason picked it, really. We tossed around Blink-182 and Cursive covers. The recording process was a blast and we really hit it off – and blew a fuse in the soundboard. Sam Brown from New Bomb Turks came in and did drums and killed it. I’m super proud of it.” Harris adds, “Let me just add that I really just wanted to yell ‘c’mere’ into an expensive condenser mic.”
Sam Smith — Beautiful (Christina Aguilera cover)
Sam Smith says: “I’ve been such a massive fan of Christina’s for as long as I can remember and will never forget the first time I heard “Beautiful” and how personally it spoke to me. The song is a true acceptance anthem and continues to inspire me with its important message to never stop celebrating who you are. I’m honored to have the opportunity to offer my rendition.”
Sylvan Esso — Will the Night (Low cover)
Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn says: “Both Amelia and I are huge fans of Low and were so sad to hear about Mimi passing. I can still remember hearing The Curtain Hits the Cast for the first time as a teenager and being immediately struck by ‘Anon’—they were haunting and visceral in a way I hadn’t ever heard before, and I’m still listening to them all these years later. So this past January, when we were putting the setlist together for the Electric Lady session, I knew we were going to have the Attacca Quartet joining us and immediately thought of covering ‘Will the Night’ as a tribute to Mimi. It’s one of my all time favorites of their songs, beautiful and simple and timeless, a light in the darkness.”
The Tallest Man on Earth — Say What You Will (James Blake cover)
The Tallest Man on Earth says: “I’ve had the luxury of meeting him a couple of times and he’s such an inspiring and warm and talented artist. Sometimes you need a reminder of why you do what you do and James’s live shows have always been that for me.”
Tegan and Sara – Girls Talk (Dave Edmunds cover)
Tegan and Sara say: “We were thrilled to cover Dave Edmunds’ ‘Girls Talk’ for the finale episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. This remarkable series has been a constant source of inspiration, captivating us throughout the past four seasons. Being included in the final moments of such a beloved series felt beyond exciting. We hope fans of the show will enjoy our rendition of this iconic song once they’ve wiped away all their tears.”
The Best of the Rest
Aldous Harding & John Parish – Three Hours (Nick Drake cover)
Alex Lahey — Hey There Delilah (Plain White T’s cover)
Arlo Parks — Jasmine (Jai Paul cover)
boygenius — Stay Down, Man (Dan Reeder cover)
Brandi Carlile — Home (Diana Ross cover)
Brigid Mae Power – I Must Have Been Blind (Tim Buckley cover)
Daniel Rossen — Kathleen (Townes Van Zandt cover)
Ernest — Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (John Mayer cover)
The Funeral Portrait — Creep (Radiohead cover)
Gordi — Covered in Chrome (Violent Soho cover)
Gracie Abrams — Beach Baby (Bon Iver cover)
Julia Jacklin — Shivers (The Boys Next Door cover)
Juliana Hatfield — Don’t Bring Me Down (ELO cover)
Katie Jacoby — Cosmic Dancer (T. Rex cover)
Kita Alexander — Stacy’s Mom (Fountains of Wayne cover)
Lola Marsh & RedBand – Feel it Still (Portugal. The Man cover)
Nothing But Thieves — Flowers (Miley Cyrus cover)
The Royston Club – You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift cover)
Self Care — Touch of Grey (Grateful Dead cover)
Spoon — She’s Fine, She’s Mine (Bo Diddley cover)
Terrace Martin — Snooze (SZA cover)
Theo Tams — Losing My Religion (R.E.M. cover)
Weird Nightmare — She’s the One (The Ramones cover)
Check out previous months’ best covers lists.
