Indie artist Lyn Lapid released a haunting cover of the Pixies’ classic “Where Is My Mind?” on TikTok. Her rendition strips the song down to its emotional core, soft, intimate vocals float over the gentle synths and minimal backing instrumentals. The effect transforms the alternative rock tune into a dreamy, introspective lullaby. Lapid’s ethereal tone increases the vulnerability of the iconic riff, making her cover a delicate yet powerful reimagining. Continue reading »
In the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison) produced a thick, emotive version of The Verve’s iconic 1997 classic “Bittersweet Symphony.” Yungblud’s vocals are more ragged and impassioned than the original’s cool detachment. They rise and break with urgency, giving the lyrics a punk-tinged flare. Backed by his full band and a lush string section, the performance retained the song’s sweeping orchestral riff while infusing it with a kind of intensity Yungblud achieves so well. The arrangement is full of contrasts. A swelling of orchestral instrumentation and surging drums pulls back into quieter moments. The Verve’s version felt like resigned grandeur, but Yungblud’s version reads as a cathartic release, as if he’s trying to sing his way out of the bittersweet cycle. Continue reading »
Just last month, Bruce Springsteen confirmed the existence of at least part of Electric Nebraska. (This is after denying it existed in an interview earlier in the month.) What is Electric Nebraska? It’s the fabled full E Street Band version of Springsteen‘s legendary solo acoustic album Nebraska. Nobody is yet sure if these songs will make it to the third edition of the rarities collection Tracks, which is due out in the next few years.
Just in time for this announcement, New York indie rockers Imaginary People have released an electric cover of “State Trooper” ahead of their third album coming in September. “State Trooper’ is one of the deeper cuts on the album, though it has more cover versions than you’d think. In its original version, it’s just Springsteen and his guitar, with none of the overdubs present on some of the other songs.
Imaginary People begin with a new electric guitar riff and fast-paced drums. Lead singer Dylan Von Wagner sings Springsteen’s lyrics with a frenetic, vaguely post-punky tremor occasionally punctuated with yelps inspired by the original performance. More guitars come in before everything but the bass drops out for part of one of the verses. The various instruments slowly come back in to build to a guitar solo. Then there’s another break, this time with bass and guitar before another instrumental crescendo. Springsteen’s original doesn’t have an ending it just fades out, so the band use this final jam as their ending.
It’s very classically New York guitar rock, not something most of us think of when we hear Springsteen, especially acoustic Springsteen. And though Imaginary People couldn’t have known it when they recorded this cover, it’s excellent timing on their part now that it’s possible an E Street Band version of this song exists and could potentially be released in the future. Of course, it will sound nothing like this, but that’s one thing that makes this cover enjoyable.
Listen below:
New York synth-pop group Parlour Magic recently recorded a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Bartender” at Gold Diggers SLA and Flux Studio NYC. The original was released on Normal F***ing Rockwell in the late 2010s. And now this group has decided to make it their own. In the hands of Parlour Magic, ‘Bartender’ is an electrifying combination of ultra-produced and cosmic vocals and wavering, phasing synthesizers. As it opens up (like a neon rose), petal by petal, new sonic elements unfold. Undulating, moving lines turn into what can only be described as a soul-stirring baseline. Continue reading »
Four years ago, Australian singer/songwriter Alex Lahey topped our year-end list with a truly phenomenal cover of Faith Hill’s 1998 hit “This Kiss.” She made the Top 10 again in 2023 singing Mama Cass’s Make Your Own Kind of Music.” At this point, whenever Lahey drops a new cover, we’re immediately interested. Her latest, the b-side to a new single supporting trans rights, tackles indie-rockers The Subways 2005 single “Rock & Roll Queen.” Unlike some of her other covers, Lahey doesn’t change it that much (no need to make the already loud-and-rocking song louder and rockier like “This Kiss”). Still, it rips. Continue reading »
“Big Time Sensuality” is the fourth single from Björk‘s first adult album, the appropriately titled Debut. It was her third Icelandic #1, her second Top 20 UK hit and her first charting song in the US, so it’s a bit of a milestone for her career. Unlike the first three singles, musically “Big Time Sensuality” is a more traditionally up-tempo house number – though it takes a bit to get going and it has a distinct chorus that seems to disappear into the song. Like much of her music from this time, it shows off the full range of both her voice and her vocal techniques.
Dear Evangeline are an all-woman metal band from Brampton, a suburb of Toronto. They put out their debut EP last year. Their sound blends elements of sludge metal with metalcore, nu metal, alternative metal and post-hardcore. So they’re an obvious choice for a Björk cover.
Dear Evangeline’s cover begins with a sample of Björk being Björk from some kind of promo (presumably MTV). And then the sludgy assault begins. One of the singers (there are two) shouts/screams the verses and they sing the chorus (though they scream the title), giving a real contrast to the two sets of lyrics, unlike in the original. Meanwhile the bass plods underneath and the lead guitar runs around in the background. The band slows everything down for the final stanza, fully leaning into the sludge.
The vocals are very metalcore while the band is very sludgy. It’s a long way from house music but features an extreme vocal performance just like the original, even if it’s a very different kind of extreme. It’s fun and, if you like this kind of metal, it just might be for you.