Chewy Rodriguez — Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift cover)
This beautiful performance aired on South Dakota Public Broadcasting and, as of this writing, has 81 views, half of which are mine. (To be fair, presumably more people saw it when it aired on actual TV). But this Sioux Falls singer-songwriters beautiful Taylor Swift cover deserves a far bigger audience. It’s simply done, no frills or gimmicks, but he sells the hell out of it.Continue reading »
Two of indie pop’s brightest names, Maggie Rogers and Sylvan Esso, have teamed up to deliver a mystical new cover of Broken Social Scene’s classic “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl.” Their version arrives as part of the announcement for You Forgot It In People: A Tribute, a covers album celebrating the 20th anniversary of Broken Social Scene’s seminal 2002 record.
On an Instagram announcement post for the single release, Rogers wrote, “‘Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl’ is one of those songs that changed my life. Found me and ripped me apart and showed up for me crying alone in a car or dancing in many living rooms over many years with friends. It showed me the power of repetition in music when it can become a kind of meditative mantra.”
She added, “When I got the call to cover it a few years ago, it seemed like a completely insurmountable task, but creating something new with two of my best friends … was more fun than I could have possibly imagined.”
As for the cover, Rogers’ signature breathy vocals pair beautifully with Sylvan Esso’s minimalist electronic production, giving the wistful track a fresh, dreamlike quality while preserving the aching nostalgia of the original. Their collaboration captures the spirit of teenage longing and transformation that made the song so beloved, while adding a new, intimate sonic texture that feels uniquely their own.
Sylvan Esso wrote on their Instagram, “It was such a terrifying honor to be asked to cover this with Maggie, as it’s one of our favorite songs of all time. We hope we’ve done it justice and that you like it.”
The You Forgot It In People tribute project will feature a lineup of acclaimed artists, each covering tracks from the landmark album, a record that helped define indie rock’s early 2000s soundscape. If this first release is any indication, the tribute promises to be a heartfelt and innovative celebration of Broken Social Scene’s enduring legacy. The full album is released June 6th, and the track list is as follows:
1. Ouri — “Capture The Flag”
2. Hovvdy — “KC Accidental”
3. Toro y Moi — “Stars And Sons”
4. Miya Folick and Hand Habits — “Almost Crimes”
5. The Weather Station — “Looks Just Like The Sun”
6. Mdou Moctar and Mikey Coltun — “Pacific Theme”
7. Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso — “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”
8. Middle Kids — “Cause = Time”
9. Benny Sings — “Late Nineties Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries”
10. Spirit Of The Beehive — “Shampoo Suicide”
11. Serpentwithfeet — “Lover’s Spit”
12. Sessa — “Ainda Sou Seu Moleque”
13. Babygirl — “Pitter Patter Goes My Heart”
I 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 »
Dizzy is a band from Ontario made up of singer Katie Munshaw and three brothers: Alex, Charlie, and Mack Spencer. You could call them alternative pop, indie pop, dream pop, maybe even Ontario indie. Munshaw and Charlie Spencer met in high school, and their debut album Baby Teeth chronicled the roller coaster that is being a teenager. This album won them the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2019 and gave them a wider audience. Earlier this year they released their second album The Sun and Her Scorch, this time with inspiration from being 20-somethings. The pandemic cut their tour for this album short, but during quarantine Dizzy has been keeping busy posting covers to YouTube. Basement Covers is an EP meant to collect their favorites.
“Don’t Dream It’s Over,” first reentered the covers stratosphere with Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande’s adorable rendition for the Happy Hippie Foundation earlier this year. Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner (under her solo moniker Flock of Dimes) and Sylvan Esso also covered the Crowded House jam for AV Club’s Undercover series, and as much as I loved Miley and Ariana’s take, this one may have it beat.Continue reading »