The Wood Brothers created a stripped-back, groove-driven cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2003 single “Maps.” The band recorded at Ella’s Lounge above the Brooklyn Paramount for The A.V. Club’s YouTube video.
The trio consists of brothers Chris Wood on bass and Oliver Wood on guitar, alongside the multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. The Grammy-nominated band describes their music as progressive Americana. Instead of replicating the original song’s slow build, the band leaned into its unique rhythm and feel, introducing more of a swing sound that reshaped the song’s tone into something a bit lighter. As much as we love a 2000s indie rock anthem, this funky version was a nice surprise.
“How the hell are The Wood Brothers gonna do this song? It was not obvious, which was kinda a fun challenge,” Chris Wood said in an interview before the cover performance. He went on to explain that the arrangement took shape when Oliver started singing the melody over a rumba-style beat, giving the tune the feeling of “an old blues song.”
Rix went on to add, “As much as we have iconic heroes that we emulate, we never try to copy them because we can’t beat what they already did.”
The Wood Brothers will continue their tour through the southern U.S. later this month.
