Apr 012024
Apr 012024
The Gaslight Anthem is an American punk-rock/indie-rock band from New Jersey comprised of Alex Rosamilia (guitar), Brian Fallon (vox, guitar), Alex Levine (bass), and Benny Horowitz (drums). And recently? The four-piece group decided to take Billie Eilish’s early ballad “Ocean Eyes” and turn it on its head. The idea reportedly came from when lead singer/guitarist Brian Fallon’s daughter turned her dad onto the song. And the rest? History! Continue reading »
Mar 292024
‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.
Sheryl Crow is having a real moment. After years of being (unfairly) dismissed as music for moms in minivans, her cool credentials have been ratcheted up in recent years through praise by younger singers who grew up hearing her songs. Just last week, Olivia Rodrigo invited Crow onstage to sing “If It Makes You Happy.” Covers have flown in from Phoebe Bridgers, HAIM, Soccer Mommy, and any number of other hip young female singers. And—oh yeah—she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last fall.
For the Rock Hall induction, we did a feature on Crow, but devoted our big Best Covers Ever: Rock Hall Edition list to Kate Bush. But Crow’s got a new album out today, so we wanted to dedicate one to her now. A few of the covering artists we feature below are her contemporaries (and one is several generations older), but a large portion of the list comes from Millennials and Gen Z singers. That’s where the Sheryl energy is coming from these days, and they’ve given us a ton more great Crow-vers (sorry) than existed even a few years ago.
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Mar 262024
“Hand in My Pocket” is the second single from Alanis Morissette‘s breakout album, Jagged Little Pill, as well as her first ever Canadian #1 song. As much as this album was big in the US, it was even bigger in her native Canada where it went double Diamond and produced four #1 songs as well as a #2. For some reason “Hand in My Pocket” wasn’t released as a single in the US so it had less of an impact, though it still received enough airplay to chart well.
Still, it makes sense that it would be a little less popular of a cover than the biggest songs in the US from Jagged Little Pill and that a Canadian band like July Talk would be a little more likely to perform it. July Talk have been around for a little over a decade with a fair amount of success, due to their famous live performances.They were invited by CBC to cover the song in honour (with a u) of the upcoming Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammys.) They were a little nervous of doing it because of how big Alanis and this album were in Canada at the time. Continue reading »
Mar 252024
Billy Idol’s iconic Rebel Yell album is 40 years old. The old punk is taking the chance to reissue a deluxe edition. As well as his huge hits of the title track and “Eyes Without a Face,” and the usual offcuts and remixes, he has uncovered an old cover of the Rose Royce classic “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.” Continue reading »
Mar 252024
“Working Man” is far and away Rush‘s most famous song from their brief pre-Neil Peart era (i.e. their first album), before they went fully prog rock. Never a single, it was often a part of their live shows. It’s primarily known for its open riff and its extended guitar solo.
The famous opening riff could almost qualify as proto-sludge metal so it’s no surprise that it appeals to thrash and thrash-influenced metal bands. American thrash/groove metal legends Prong recorded a cover of this song for their 13th studio album last year, and they’ve released a longer version of it just in time for the song’s 50th anniversary. Continue reading »