May 302018
 

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

pink floyd covers

Coming in at 40 tracks, our third ‘Best Ever’ countdown is our longest yet. This feels appropriate; Pink Floyd’s songs tend to be a whole lot longer than Talking Heads’ or Fleetwood Mac’s. A band whose default length was set at “epic” deserves a list just as winding.

Luckily, the covers community has obliged, allowing us a list as discursive as Pink Floyd itself. A band that, for better or worse, can get pigeonholed into a specific sound and era, gets transformed into a whole host of other genres and moods. Psychedelic rock is represented here, of course, but so is bluegrass, soul, and disco. One cover even includes a “featuring Tupac Shakur” credit, which is probably not what Gilmour or Waters envisioned. Though the latter would certainly appreciate the walls being torn down.

Twenty-minute tracks that might seem intimidating to some don’t phase these artists. Some turn them into tight four-minute pop songs. Others, if you can believe it, extend the songs further. So strap in, and set the controls for the heart of the cover… Continue reading »

May 252011
 

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!

Mark Linkous was a genius. A sensitive, fragile, damaged genius who created haunting, lo-fi musical tapestries as Sparklehorse. Linkous, a Virginia Gentleman whose pop band, Dancing Hoods, was chewed up and spit out by the corporate machine in the 1980s, reinvented himself in the ‘90s. There would be four full Sparklehorse releases, and an EP, as well as a couple collaborations: one with Christian Fennesz, and last year’s Dark Night of the Soul with Danger Mouse and David Lynch. Depression, drug overdoses and legal issues would lead to an uneven timeline of Sparklehorse releases over a 15 year period. Sparklehorse is an acquired taste…a complex bottle of blended malt Scotch that has been aging in a cask for decades; its harsh bite and smoky, burning finish a barrier to the three-chord Lite Beer crowd. Linkous’s vocals have a lot to do with Sparklehorse’s sometimes inaccessibility. He doesn’t so much sing as release his breath into the path of a song – the way that one spirit might summon another in your dream. Or nightmare. Continue reading »

Apr 262011
 

Although artsy Brooklyn denizen and Jealous Girlfriends frontwoman Holly Miranda hasn’t released any new original material since 2010’s The Magician’s Private Library, she has kept herself busy recording covers. Now she’s posted a large collection of both live and studio-recorded covers for your listening pleasure. Miranda has received critical praise from the likes of Kanye West and Scarlett Johansson, and it’s easy to see why. Continue reading »

Apr 222011
 

This Week on Bandcamp rounds up our favorite covers to hit the site in the past seven days.

This week’s Bandcamp selection is kind of a downer. There’s a cover that sounds like Suicide and a cover of a guy who committed suicide. There’s the story of an orphan sent to New York and the story of a young rap prodigy banished to a Samoan reform school (purportedly). For once, Bon Iver seems the cheeriest person around. Continue reading »

Mar 112011
 

This Week on Bandcamp rounds up our favorite covers to hit the site in the past seven days.

Lots of nostalgia today. Three hits from yesteryear mingle with two more recent songs. If anything though, the more recent songs recall even heavier memories, as both the original artists passed away in their prime. Remember songwriters who left us too soon as well as those who trundle on with today’s selection. Continue reading »