Jul 312023
 
best cover songs
Bob Dylan — Bad Actor (Merle Haggard cover)

Bob Dylan has been on a covers roll this year. On tour, he has primarily covered a number of Dead (“Truckin’,” “Stella Blue,” “Brokedown Palace”) or Dead-associated (“Not Fade Away,” “Only a River”) songs. But he’s dipped into other classic catalogs occasionally too. He did Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” for the first time and then, not long after, maybe the deepest cut yet: Merle Haggard’s 2016 track “Bad Actor.” The tape took a while to surface. It was worth the wait. Continue reading »

Jul 252023
 
falling in reverse papa roach

Post-hardcore band Falling in Reverse’s new version of Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” is ripe with French horns and strings, while still keeping those harsh distorted vocals a la Vans Warped Tour. Whereas the original Papa Roach tune was a rock-rap anthem, this new version puts singer Ronnie Radke’s iconic melodic falsetto at the forefront of the stage. 

The cinematography of the music video is absolutely stunning; the string players are in costumes that make them look like statues, and everything has this stone-like, greyscale look to it. The scenes pan from the mournful artist playing piano, to the statues, to Radke singing on the edge of a building top. As everything turns dystopian, and crumbles around the artist, he continues to emote- It looks straight out of the ending of an heroic tragedy. Watch it for yourself below.

Nov 302022
 
best cover songs of november 2022
Bob Dylan – I Can’t Seem to Say Goodbye (Jerry Lee Lewis cover)

Bob Dylan doesn’t change his setlists much anymore. In fact, on his recent UK and European tour, he played the exact same setlist every single night…except one. The day it was announced Jerry Lee Lewis passed away, Dylan returned to the stage after his usual finale “Every Grain of Sand.” As anyone who’s read his new book knows, Bob knows his music history. So he skipped the obvious picks and tackled the quite obscure Sun Records-era outtake “I Can’t Seem to Say Goodbye.” Continue reading »