Apr 302019
 
best cover songs of april
Beyoncé – Before I Let Go (Maze cover)

Last week, Beyoncé surprised-dropped her live album Homecoming. It accompanied the Netflix film of the same name, which immortalized her lionized 2018 Coachella performance. The biggest surprise of all was the bonus track: a cover of Maze’s 1981 “Before I Let Go.” The original song wasn’t a huge hit when it first came out, but has grown to be referred to sometimes as the “black national anthem.” Beyoncé brings it right up to the present with a big production including marching band, new rap verse, and a sample of New Orleans bounce artist DJ Jubilee. Continue reading »

Feb 022018
 
strombo show covers

As an avant-garde jazz-influenced album, David Bowie’s final record Blackstar would seem damn-near uncoverable (unless you’re an avante-garde jazz band). But the songs keep getting covered, and by some surprising artists. Sting covered “Lazarus.” Nine Inch Nails covered “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” Amanda Palmber and Anna Calvi covered the title track. (So did Car Seat Headrest and Hiatus Kaiyote’s Nai Palm, blending it with Radiohead, no less).

The latest comes from indie-rock vets Spoon, who tackled “I Can’t Give Anything Away” on The Strombo Show, a radio program that is quickly become Canada’s answer to other international cover-shows BBC Live Lounge and Triple J “Like a Version.” Britt Daniel’s understated vocals deliver the quiet melody and bigger chorus perfectly, but the secret star of this stripped-down version might be pianist Alex Fischel. Needless to say, it sounds quite different than Nine Inch Nails’ take on the tune.

And, while we’re at it, here’s a bunch of other Strombo Show covers from recent episodes too. Continue reading »

Oct 272010
 

Under the Radar shines a light on lesser-known cover artists. If you’re not listening to these folks, you should. Catch up on past installments here.

Sheezer (Blue Album)

What do you call an all-female Weezer tribute band? Sheezer, obviously. They already knew they had the perfect name, but when Rivers Cuomo tweeted their existence to his followers before the band had even played their first show last New Year’s Eve, that’s when they knew that maybe it was time to put in some practice. Classically trained pianist and kalimba extraordinaire Laura Barrett (check out her kalimba cover of Weird Al’s “Smells Like Nirvana”) found herself having to suddenly learn how to play the bass. Not that the girls were not already accomplished in their own right, being made up of members from Toronto’s indie rock scene. The group consists of Barrett (The Hidden Cameras), Dana Snell (The Bicycles), Magali Meagher (The Phonemes), Robin Hatch (Sports: The Band), and “shreddingest awesome lead guitarist” Alysha Haugen. Continue reading »