Song of the Day: Whiteshaw, “Waggy” (Blink-182 Cover)

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Sep 222010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Who can honestly say they don’t like Blink-182? Okay, fine, there’s one. Wait, two. Alright, slow down now, one at a — oh forget it.

Whether or not you think the biggest pop-punk trio since Green Day actually “added anything” to music or “contributed” to popular culture or “didn’t totally suck,” they sure were ubiquitous for a while. Anyone who was a certain age in 1999 still has “All the Small Things” on repeat somewhere in the depths of their brain. Might as well embrace it, ’cause you damn sure won’t get rid of it.

Today we jump back a bit though, to 1997’s Dude Ranch. Penned by bassist Mark Hoppus, “Waggy” packs a surprising emotional punch. Sure, it includes a masturbation joke – let’s not forget who we’re talking about here – but it still comes off heartfelt. Particularly when you hear this version.

The original was all power chords and angsty-boy whining, but the harmonies and steel guitar of Scottish duo Whiteshaw make it a purty country weeper. Hard to imagine a more dramatic transformation (well, maybe Slipknot going jazz). Also worth hearing: Whiteshaw’s super-stripped down demo version. Continue reading »

Song of the Day: The Villains, “Amie” (Pure Prairie League cover)

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Sep 212010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

These days Pure Prairie League may be best known as the origins of country superstar Vince Gill. Forget that. Gill only joined after all the original members had quit. Worth noting: one member left to run his pig farm. Now there’s country authenticity!

Today’s song comes from 1974, three years before the pig farm incident and four years before Gill appeared. Back then the band was comprised of five Ohio boys, trying to break it big. “Amie” was the group’s only pre-Gill hit. The Villains do it justice on their new album Just Another Saturday Night. They rock it up a tad, lending grittier vocals without losing the country swing. A little more Band, a little less Dead. Continue reading »

Song of the Day: Gnarls Barkley, “Gone Daddy Gone” (Violent Femmes cover)

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Sep 202010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

We’ve been hearing a lot from Cee-Lo Green of late. First he covers Band of Horses, then lots of people cover “F*** You.” While we anxiously await more, let’s remember when he first hit the big time. The singing half of Gnarls Barkley alongside producer Danger Mouse, his outrageous outfits and even more outrageous voice propelled “Crazy” to…well, you remember.

On the other hand, you may or may not remember “Gone Daddy Gone,” the single they released after “Crazy.” Even if you do, you may not have realized it was a cover. For most bands, recording a soul cover of alt-weird-folk trio Violent Femmes would be weird enough. Not Gnarls. They added a video that turns the band into rock and roll lice looking for some pubic hair to call their own. It’s like A Bug’s Life. A really, really warped Bug’s Life. Continue reading »

Song of the Day: Owen, “I’m Always in Love” (Wilco cover)

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Sep 172010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Earlier this month we pointed you to covers of every song off Wilco’s Summerteeth. There, Wisconsin’s The Celebrated Workingman gave a reverb-drenched performance of “I’m Always in Love.” Today we bring you a second new cover of the song, this one a lot more basic.

Owen is Mike Kinsella. You might know him from Chicago bands like Cap‘n Jazz or Joan of Arc, but since 2001 he’s been recording solo discs as “Owen.” “Abandoned Bridges,” his most recent 7” single, contains this Wilco cover on the back. It’s just him and an acoustic guitar, but him and an acoustic guitar goes a lot farther than some. (via TwentyFourBit) Continue reading »

Song of the Day: The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, “Theme from Shaft” (Isaac Hayes cover)

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Sep 162010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Really, what more is there to say? It’s all there in the title. A bunch of British people play a blaxploitation classic on ukulele. However, this video is even more ridiculous than you might imagine. A few particularly oddball moments stand out:

• The fact that they seem to be performing before literally thousands of people.
• “You’re damn right” said in a heavy British accent.
• The camera zooming in on the only black guy in the audience.
• Coal miner jokes.
• The bass player. Do you think he feels like an outcast next to all those ukuleles? Do the others haze him? Does he dream of one day being promoted to ukulele? Continue reading »

Song of the Day: Electra, “I Feel Love” (Donna Summer cover)

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Sep 152010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

A Donna Summer concept album is a horrible idea. Yet in 1977, it happened. I Remember Yesterday was that album, but the concept seems half-baked. Side one was “remembering yesterday” and side two was “the future.” That would make the listener flipping the record over “the present” I guess.

“I Feel Love” comes from “the future” and became the album’s biggest hit, despite each verse only containing three words. Rolling Stone named it the 441st best song of all time. This seems questionable, but it shows the track has staying power. Still, the original is so disco-ey I get a headache before it’s halfway through. Tel Aviv-based trio Electra’s massive electro-rock cover is much less dated. Check it out below, then hear their equally terrific take on Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites” here. Continue reading »

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