Feb 072012
 

Best (So Far) finds the finest first-round covers of the latest pop hits.

Gotye’s über-ctachy breakup jam “Somebody That I Used to Know” first hit the web last summer, but it’s only taken off stateside in the past few months. A small part of that popularity comes from Walk Off the Earth’s stunning viral cover. Lots of other artists have covered the song too, many delivering takes at least almost as memorable. Continue reading »

Feb 012011
 

Regardless of how you feel about the ubiquitous Katy Perry, there’s little denying that her songs are catchy. “Firework” is no exception, with its throbbing strings and club beat. The District, in this exclusive video of their cover, gives the song a very different kind of organic feeling.

The band, comprised of Paul Hammer (half of Brooklyn duo Savoir Adore), Ron Pope, Zach Berkman, Mike Clifford, Chris Kienel, and Will Frish, is one of those storied groups of friends who are all accomplished musicians. Their existence as The District, however, has its origins in a winter locked away on Cape Cod (from which they got the title of their debut album, Wellfleet), during which they “wrote songs, drank whiskey, [and] played blues in the middle of the night.” Continue reading »