May 262021
 

Cluster FliesI have always considered myself a casual Phish fan. Though I owned multiple CDs, including the six-disk box set Hampton Comes Alive, I only saw them play live once. I am not an authority on Phish history, such as the best live versions “Tweezer.” Still, I have always wondered on some level why their music inspires such derision from detractors. They’ve been a hardworking band for decades. Even though they’ve never scored a conventional hit, the group has a batch of solid original songs.

While listening to the new Phish tribute album Cluster Flies, I had an epiphany about why they have such a tough time attracting outside listeners. The band and its collaborators are great at writing catchy, interesting and thought-provoking songs. They’re just not that good at coming up with song titles. This may also explain why despite decades of listening, I have trouble keeping their song names straight in my head.

Cluster Flies was released by the website JamBase as a fundraiser for the site during the pandemic. It contains covers of all the tracks from Phish’s 2000 album Farmhouse, several songs from a bonus edition, and a few deeper cuts. Seven of the 12 songs from Farmhouse have one-word titles, with names like “Twist,” “Bug,” “Dirt,” “Piper,” “Sleep.” One can find multiple examples throughout Phish’s catalog: “Waste,” “Fee,” or “Free,” to name but a few. With names like these, the band undersells its greatest asset, making their music inaccessible for the uninitiated. Alas, I’m sure that’s just the way Phish fans like it. Fortunately, the songs, both on Farmhouse and Cluster Flies, show far more creativity than their titles.
Continue reading »

Oct 052011
 

Quickies rounds up new can’t-miss covers. Download ‘em below.

Doom-y electropop gal Chelsea Wolfe turns everything she touches to spooky. From her music, an affinity to Nick Cave could pretty much be assumed. She makes the connection explicit in this extra-dark cover of a Bad Seeds gem.
MP3: Chelsea Wolfe – I Let Love In (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds cover) Continue reading »

Jun 142011
 

“The Golden Age” is the first track off Beck’s Sea Change, a depression-filled, acoustic departure from everything Beck fans had previously known. The irony of the title is not the only paradox; though it’s a slow song, Beck sings “Golden Age” almost lightheartedly, describing barely getting by and his general apathy toward life. When you’re writing a full album’s worth of hangdog tunes, it’s not a bad idea to avoid moping right off the bat. Continue reading »

Apr 052011
 

Strand of Oaks has been promoting his latest album, Pope Killdragon, hard this winter, and that’s meant quite a few covers. We last heard from Timothy Showalter a little over a month ago with his fragile version of Phosphorescent’s “Wolves.” He’s kept plenty busy since then, though, and with three new covers released, it seemed about time to catch up. Continue reading »

Mar 022011
 

Regular readers of Cover Me have likely encountered Phosphorescent before, either here or through his 2009 album of Willie Nelson covers. Tim Showalter, the man behind Strand of Oaks, recently turned the tables, covering Phosphorescent’s “Wolves” during a solo set at a Philadelphia radio station. Listen to or download the result below. Continue reading »