Hip-hop oldies become jazz instrumentals. Cult folk songs become grand spaghetti-western soundscapes. Blink-182 hits become DIY bedroom jams. We’ve got ’90s hardcore bangers shredded on acoustic guitar, Spanglish Latin-pop takes on Air Supply and Elvis, and, maybe most outrageously of all, a wild experiment in turning everyone from Chappell Roan to Smash Mouth into emo/screamo.
It’s an especially unruly set this year, but a rewarding one. Enough preamble. Dive in.
Despite of its relative sincerity – or perhaps because of it – “I Miss You” is probably Blink-182‘s second-biggest song. It was their third-biggest single at the time, and streaming has elevated it. It’s pretty uncharacteristic of the reputation of the band, anyway, not just due to the sincere, serious lyrics but because it’s mostly acoustic. Still, Tom DeLonge sings in a distinctive whine that only he can which can’t help but undercut the seriousness of the lyrics for non-fans. And the arrangement, though softer than many songs, it still relatively upbeat for a ballad.Continue reading »
I like to think that badass lady in the artwork up there (done by our own Hope Silverman!) embodies the spirit of this year’s list. Not that they’re all CBGB-style punk songs—though there are a couple—but in her devil-may-care attitude. “Who says I shouldn’t do a hardcore cover of the Cranberries? A post-punk cover of Nick Drake? A hip-hop cover of The Highwaymen? Screw that!”
As with most good covers, the 50 covers we pulled out among the thousands we listened to bring a healthy blend of reverence and irreverence. Reverence because the artists love the source material. Irreverence because they’re not afraid to warp it, bend it, mold it in their own image. A few of the songs below are fairly obscure, but most you probably already know. Just not like this.
The Winnie Blues is a dynamic Americana/country duo from Australia, currently based in Nashville, comprised of members Alice Beatty (vocals, songwriting) and Cameron Potts (guitar, songwriting, music production). Their latest release is a cover of Blink-182’s “Dammit.” While Blink-182 plus country might sound like an odd combination, slowed-down covers always make lyrics hit harder, and this song is no exception. Beatty and Potts came with harmonies right away and kept them throughout the tune, a sonic treat that’s rare.
The steel slide and gentle snare combine with the backdrop of the running eighth notes. The artists have created such a sorrowful yet placid soundscape. The hairpin crescendos and decrescendos emulate the emotional sensation of getting your hopes up just to be let down again.
The Winnie Blues’ symbolic music video is as interesting as their cover, depicting a black and white split-screen style as Potts slowly has his head shaved. This version of “Dammit” is to be released on the duo’s EP Sad Songs for Happy People this September.
Adam Lambert – Getting Older (Billie Eilish cover)
On his new covers album High Drama, Adam Lambert didn’t pick one of the obvious Billie Eilish songs to cover (“Bad Guy,” “Everything I Wanted,” etc). He goes for relative deep cut “Getting Older,” off her 2021 album Happier Than Ever. Eilish’s original was fairly minimalist. Lambert doesn’t do “minimalist.” His “glam” version, as he describes it, makes the song sound like a much bigger hit than it was.Continue reading »
The big story in 2022 covers came from a song that’s almost 40 years old: “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God).” After Kate Bush’s classic had its Stranger Things moment, every week we got a half dozen new covers. It’s been six months since the show came out, and they’re still coming! This entire list could have been “Running Up That Hill” covers if we’d let it.
We didn’t, and it isn’t. The song makes one appearance, as do a number of other trendy 2022 items: Wet Leg, GAYLE, and Beabadoobee; the latest Cat Power covers project; posthumous releases (Dr. John, Levon Helm); songs that tie into coming out of pandemic isolation.
But, as always, a joy of our list is all the covers that tie into nothing, and that you won’t find anywhere else. Doom-metal Townes Van Zandt? Bluegrass Eminem? Ska Eddie Murphy? Folk Björk? Psych-rock Groucho Marx? Those are just five of the fifty killer covers on this year’s countdown. So run up that road, run up that hill, run up that building, and read on at the link below.
