Feb 252025
 
eve 6 covers

When it was announced last week that Fountains of Wayne were performing again and that Max Collins would filling in for the late, great Adam Schlesinger, fans of Collins’ band, Eve 6, would be forgiven for wondering where it left them. No need to worry as Eve 6 have released two separate covers for two separate projects.

The first cover is of Len’s 1999 hit, “Steal My Sunshine,” which features fictional character L1ZY from the group Big Data. And, in case you think all of this is kinda silly—don’t worry, the band does too. The track features two of the children of the band, cutting them down before listeners get a chance to. In fact, it opens with one child saying, “how come our dad is so old and he still plays alternative rock?” And then, once they hit the break, the voices emerge again. “Oohhh rock n’ roll, man,” one child intones. “Yeah, rock n’ roll, bro,” responds the other with giggles clearly highlighting the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

That said, it’s kinda fun. This isn’t a song that will change your life, but, the original wasn’t really looking to change minds, either.

The second song is a collaboration with Suzy True and their take on Wreckless Eric’s 1977 song, “Whole Wide World.” This song appears on the new compilation by Get Better Records to raise money Los Angeles fire relief. (You have to buy the record to hear that song, but the Len cover is below.)

Eve 6 is playing a few East Coast shows this month, and this summer are doing the festival thing, and working around Collins’ shows with Fountains of Wayne.

Sep 082023
 

‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

1990s One Hit Wonders

This month, our ongoing series of One Hit Wonders covers comes to its end. We’ve done the 1950s (think “Earth Angel,” “Tequila”), the 1960s (“96 Tears,” “In A Gadda Da Vida”), the 1970s (“My Sharona,” “Black Betty”), and the 1980s (“You Spin Me Right Round,” “Turning Japanese”). Now we hit the 1990s today and the 2000s next week.

For millennial readers, these will be the songs you remember hearing on the radio and watching on MTV growing up. So many ubiquitous classics of the era like New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” and 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” by artists who only had a brief moment in the sun (you might say someone stole their sunshine…). Also some fun flukes, where the artist’s cultural impact goes way beyond “one hit wonder” — but, according to the fickle US pop charts at the time, they qualify on a technicality: Robyn, Fiona Apple, etc. Plus Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” which has to be in the conversation for the most One Hit Wonder to have ever One Hit Wonder-ed. Continue reading »

Apr 292022
 
best cover songs april 2022
Aimee Mann – Brooklyn (Steely Dan cover)

If you missed the whole brouhaha when Steely Dan dropped Aimee Mann as their opening act, it’s too long to recap here. To skip to the end, Mann tweeted, “All is forgiven if Donald [Fagan] just tells me what Brooklyn is about.” And he did! So, at a recent show at City Winery, she covered it. All does indeed appear to be forgiven. Continue reading »

Jul 312019
 

Check out the best covers of past months here.

best new cover songs july
Anais Mitchell & The Staves – Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow cover)

For a few years now, long-running French video company La Blogothèque has been filming a series they call “One to One” at Bon Iver’s various European festivals. They blindfold one audience member and bring them into a private room for a concert for one. Bon Iver did one, and Damien Rice’s is a must-watch. Personally, that experience sounds more awkward than enjoyable – especially with all the cameras in your face – so I’d rather just watch someone else’s personal concert on video. This one is a gem, feature The Staves with Anais Mitchell delivering a gorgeously-harmonized Sheryl Crow cover. Continue reading »