How many sexy classical string quartets make up your iTunes library? Well, in case that number was a giant goose egg, let us introduce you to Eklipse, four women who put a seductive string-instrument spin on some of your indie favorites. As a teaser for their upcoming album, Electric Air, the group has released a bit of their take on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (feat. Kylie Minogue) “Where The Wild Roses Grow.” Continue reading »
In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!
Just over three decades since The Birthday Party helped spark off the doom & gloom sub-stream in ‘80s post-punk, Nick Cave now belongs in the great club of certified songwriters. Like several members of that club, Cave has his share of skeptics, and it’s not so easy to bring them into the fold. Nonbelievers in latter-day Nick Cave would benefit from checking out the Birthday Party, or Cave’s earlier albums with The Bad Seeds, to better appreciate one of the most prolific and consistent musicians to rise from the ashes of the punk era. Continue reading »
If you aren’t familiar with Britain’s Cosmo Jarvis, go watch his truckbed-chaos video for “My Day,” then come back. Up to speed? Good. His most recent venture is a set of Australian shows promoting his just-released album Is the World Strange or Am I Strange?. While there, he stopped by Triple J to perform one of their “mystery covers.” Continue reading »
They Say It’s Your Birthday celebrates an artist’s special day with other people singing his or her songs. Let others do the work for a while. Happy birthday!
The second of this week’s birthday twofer follows yesterday’s Leonard Cohen feature. There, we heard Nick Cave cover “Avalanche” with the Bad Seeds. Today, Mr. Cave takes a load off while others pay tribute to him. It’s his 54th birthday and, judging by the vital fury of his last few albums, we suspect he’s just getting started. Continue reading »
For a mainstream pop star, Kylie Minogue boasts a surprisingly quirky resume. The wider world may know her for megahits like “Locomotion” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” but her work reaches beyond chart-toppers (though lord knows she has plenty). In 2004 she dueted with Nick Cave, about the least “pop” individual on the planet, on the murder ballad “Where the Wild Roses Grow.” Then just a couple weeks ago she appeared on British synthpop duo Hurts’ new album Happiness, dueting on “Devotion” and raising their profile considerably.
Minogue continued the Kylie Loves Hurts Promotional Tour on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. This time, she tackles “Wonderful Life,” one of the world’s more upbeat songs about suicide. “It’s basically based on two extremes: the first being a man who wants to kill himself and the second being love at first sight,” singer Theo Hutchcraft told Digital Spy. “He’s standing on the bridge about to jump and he’s stopped by a woman. They see each other and fall in love.” Continue reading »