Brendan Shanahan

Brendan works and lives in Adelaide, Australia. Interested in all kinds of music (there are few he won't listen to), he's trying to find the best album in the world through the process of elimination. He's interested in covers that re-invigorate and elevate the original song, rather than those just used as filler (I'm looking at you 50s and 60s pop music albums!) Follow him on twitter.

Jan 232024
 

This week Australian ABC’s Like a Version gave us Aussie Rocker G Flip covering Taylor Swift’s track “Cruel Summer,” while US country star Teddy Swims took on the trending song in the UK’s BBC Live Lounge. Both the Live Lounge and Like a Version are staples of this website in terms of providing covers for us to talk about,  but it’s rare that we get two different artists covering the same song in the same time period. Continue reading »

Jan 102024
 
boygenius you're still the one

As a part of a recent appearance on BBC Radio 1, folk-pop supergroup boygenius performed a cover of the Shania Twain‘s classic “You’re Still The One.”

All of the trademark boygenius sounds are here. Soaring harmonies, gentle finger-picked guitars, and a melodic mandolin. Each of the band members’ individual voices—that’s Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus—are highlighted to devastating effect, adding a sense of yearning and deep reflection to the track.

Check out the cover below.

Oct 122023
 
japanese breakfast only living boy

At their recent show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, indie rockers Japanese Breakfast surprised the sell out crowd with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel‘s “The Only Living Boy in New York”.

The cover itself is pretty straight forward, with little stylistically changed from the original, but this does really highlight the power of frontwoman Michelle Zauner’s voice. The Beatles’ style harmonies from the original are retained, but take on an almost dreamlike quality with Zauner and her keyboardist’s voices mixing in the open air of the hall. I for one will be hoping that a studio recording of this appears soon, or at the very least a live album quality recording.

Check out the cover here (starts at 1:07:04):

Aug 022023
 
Soccer Mommy Soak Up the Sun,

To honor music legend Sheryl Crow‘s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, indie rock darling Soccer Mommy has released a cover of Crow’s 2002 hit, ‘Soak Up the Sun’. “[Crow] has so many songs that are these massive hits” Soccer Mommy’s Sophie Allison told the New York Times, “that, at least for someone my age, you can’t have grown up and not heard those songs.”

And now younger generations will be able to experience the chilled out classiness of this track. Soccer Mommy’s trademark shoegazey lo-fi sound is ever-present here, transitioning the track from a bouncy summer party song into a more mellow, summer picnic in the park vibe. Bring on those long summer evenings with this track. Continue reading »