Dec 212012
 

Adele dominated the cover song landscape in 2011, but Two-Aught-Twelve saw no similar galvanizing figure. Yes Lana Del Rey got covered a lot, but Leonard Cohen and Arcade Fire also seemed to garner an unexpected landslide of great covers (and speaking of landslides, so did Fleetwood Mac). “Call Me Maybe” was a huge hit that didn’t lead to much in the way of classic covers, and few seem to have even bothered attempting the Korean raps on “Gangnam Style.”

Which means that cover songs in 2012 were more diverse, ambitious, and left-field than ever before. A given YouTube search or Hype Machine browse would be as likely to turn up forgotten hits or underappreciated songwriters as it would the latest Top 40 smash. Find a sampling of all the diversity in Cover Me’s official Best Cover Songs of 2012 countdown. Start with #40-31 on the next page, and check back daily as we’ll be adding more til we hit #1.

Sep 172012
 

Quickies rounds up new can’t-miss covers. Download ‘em below.

Frequent cover champ Benjamin Francis Leftwich takes a giant leap away from the singer-songwriter source material he often gravitates towards, bringing his echoing vocals and distant guitar to M83’s “Midnight City.” He also covers INXS and Frightened Rabbit, which you can download on his website.
MP3: Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Midnight City (M83 cover) Continue reading »

Mar 192012
 

Last year, Cover Me celebrated March Madness with Moptop Madness. In lieu of basketball teams, we assembled sixty-four covers of Beatles’ songs to compete for the number one slot. And it’s really a shame that Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s cover of “Ticket to Ride,” wasn’t released last year because it would have proven to be a worthy competitor. Continue reading »

Oct 132011
 

Benjamin Francis Leftwich first appeared on our radar last December with a lovely acoustic take on Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion (Lies).” Now he’s back with a collection that includes “Rebellion” along with covers of songs by The Killers, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Kings of Leon. The English singer-songwriter brings his delicate, introspective sound to all five tracks on the free EP, available now via his website. Continue reading »

Dec 072010
 

“We Used to Wait” may be racking up covers from left, right, and center, but Arcade Fire’s seminal debut Funeral hasn’t been forgotten. We’ve seen and heard John Legend and the Roots roar through “Wake Up.” Now we can enjoy a somewhat – okay, drastically – subtler approach. Benjamin Francis Leftwich crafts a quiet “Rebellion (Lies)” around acoustic guitar and his haunted vocals. Other instruments sneak in as things build to a collective climax. Win Butler would approve (via Largehearted Boy).

While we’re on a Funeral kick, download Action Camp’s version of “Crown of Love.” This duet makes the case for what is generally one of the album’s least-beloved tunes. Well, after a false start they do. Hey, if it was good enough for Bob Dylan… It comes off their free Covers Like Tan album. Continue reading »