Aug 032026
 
Alexis Taylor & Mike Simonetti — I See a Darkness (Bonnie “Prince” Billy cover)

Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip released an amazing electropop cover of “Wild Horses” earlier this year, and now he’s back with a similar take on Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s most-covered song. He writes, of the mesmerizing music video, “I saw the room that we see in the film — the scene, the two men facing each other and getting closer in their armchairs as the intensity of what they sing to each other increases. I saw the lady at the centre and back of the same space, illuminated by lamp light for the choruses, and the red balloon hovering over the 4 people in the scene. I wanted this to be like a televised Samuel Beckett play, and to be surreal, simple, and emotionally direct.”

Bandit Voyage — Hotel California (The Eagles cover)


It’s hard to do a fresh version of “Hotel California,” but Swiss duo Bandit Voyage pull it off on their new EP. They ditch many of the theatrics, stripping it down to sound more like a DIY indie-rock song. It’s The Eagles if they played a basement show. Eventually a hyper-distorted guitar does come in to play the closing solo, but even that feels done with a bit of a wink. Continue reading »

Mar 312026
 
best cover songs
Anna Prior — No More Drama (Mary J. Blige cover)

Metronomy drummer Anna Prior is back with a new EP, Firefly. The first single is a cover of the Mary J Blige classic. “I’ve wanted to do a cover song for a long time and I just never found the right one that fit with my sound,” Prior wrote. “The overall tone and feeling of the original fit so well with the ‘A minor’ theme of the EP that I just couldn’t resist. It’s a song that shaped my late teenage years and I really hope I’ve done it justice and I don’t get sued.” [Editor’s note: You won’t. That’s not how covers work…]

Bonnie “Prince” Billy — Trustfall (Pink cover)

Last December, the prolific Bonnie “Prince” Billy hopped onstage with Yo La Tengo to cover—of all people—current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Pink. The song was a pretty deep cut too, a single from 2023. Will Oldham must really like that song, because he’s returned to it again in a solo incarnation. As if that combo wasn’t wild enough, add this one: This video was recorded at the early 18th-century pub The Lamb in Bloomsbury London, regular haunt of Charles Dickens. Continue reading »

Jul 312025
 
Best Cover Songs
Benson Boone — Seventeen Going Under (Sam Fender cover)

Bruce Springsteen — Poor Side Of Town (Johnny Rivers cover)

Continue reading »

Jul 092025
 
Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo surprised Dublin fans by performing a stripped-back cover of Irish-rock band Fontaines D.C.’s “I Love You” at Marlay Park. To a crowd of over 35,000 she opened with only her voice and the guitar, allowing the raw and emotional lyrics to ring out loud. The full band gradually rose to build up to the climactic chorus. Dublin fans, many familiar with the Irish band, sang along at full volume, joining in Rodrigo’s celebration of the local group. Continue reading »

Mar 252025
 

Olivia Rodrigo is an admitted No Doubt fan. She covered the band’s “Just a Girl” in 2022 and joined the band at their Coachella reunion last year for a performance of “Bathwater.” And this weekend at Lollapalooza Chile, Rodrigo continued to show her love. At her Friday night headlining set, Rodrigo played a solo version of “Don’t Speak,” accompanied only by her guitar (and an enthusiastic audience, IDing the song immediately). Performing it solo allowed Rodrigo’s voice to compliment the hurt and pain that the lyrics convey. Continue reading »