Warning: watching Chance The Rapper cover the theme from PBS’ Arthur might bring nostalgic tears to your eyes. The 21-year-old rapper proved his ’90s kid status at Sasquatch Festival with a magical version of “Believe in Yourself.” The original, written and performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, immediately evokes everyone’s favorite aardvark and a world filled with his anthropomorphic pals. Continue reading »
Is there really anything more punk than Dolly Parton? The Queen of Country continues to be one of music’s greatest trailblazers, crossing genres and leading the way for female artists in a male-dominated industry. She’s a philanthropist, a businesswoman, and one hell of a songwriter. And if all that wasn’t cool enough, she recently revealed that she’s covered in tattoos.
As another installment of A.V. Club and Honda’s excellent series “Pioneering,” Dolly’s signature tune “Jolene” got a total rock makeover from Nashville charmers Those Darlins. It’s hard to ruin such a great song, but Those Darlins took the reigns and made it all their own with a delightful mash of punk, country and rock and roll.
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Kurt Vile might be the next Neil Young. Armed with beautiful guitar work, untamed locks and a distinguished voice, the Philly native is known for his down-to-earth rock jams. Continue reading »
Indie folk rockers the Mountain Goats know how to masterfully cover a song, even if it’s worlds away in the realm of classic punk. As part of A.V. Club and Honda’s “Pioneering” series, the trio honored punk heroes the Ramones with a folksy cover of “Danny Says.” Their rendition rings true to the original, only changing the instrumentation from power punk electrics to laid-back acoustics. Singer John Darnielle does Joey Ramone proud as he snarls through this tale of life on the road. Continue reading »
Norwegian DJ Todd Terje has worked his magic yet again on Robert Palmer‘s track “Johnny and Mary,” with a little help from the legendary Bryan Ferry. While Terje has been active in the electronic scene since 1999, he released his debut album It’s Album Time just this month. Ferry lends his signature vocals and piano playing to the track. Terje’s interpretation is slowed-down and laid-back, allowing the lyrical emotion to shine. Continue reading »
Could the Cher/Nancy Sinatra classic “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” get any more haunting? After hearing noise musician Pharmakon’s cover, the answer is a resounding yes. Continue reading »