Apr 242017
 

In Memoriam pays tribute to those who have left this world, and the songs they left us to remember them by.

ham

As the cops close in and Walter White lies dying, one of television’s most influential series ends with the crisp power-pop of Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” in the background. (“Guess I got what I deserved…”) It was likely the first listen to Badfinger for many Breaking Bad fans, and the exposure provided by the show resulted in a huge spike in song downloads and more than a few blog posts on the “tragic” band from Wales. Badfinger would be remembered mainly for three reasons: being seminal contributors to the power-pop genre, penning one huge and iconic song, and the suicide of its two best known members.
Continue reading »

Apr 172012
 

They Say It’s Your Birthday celebrates an artist’s special day with other people singing his or her songs. Let others do the work for a while. Happy birthday!

buzzcocks cover songs

The Buzzcocks were unique among British punk bands of the late seventies; not only were they more melodic (at a breakneck pace, granted) than most of their peers, they were prone to lead with their hearts. Pete Shelley, lead vocalist and chief songwriter, was the reason why; while other groups traded furor and phlegm gems with their audiences, Shelley yelped about love and lust, found and lost, in a way that girls and boys could both relate to, and he did it in perfect three-minute bursts. Shelley turns 57 today and is still going strong; we’re honoring him with these five covers from the first phase of the Buzzcocks’ career. Continue reading »

Jan 102012
 

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

Toronto quartet the Darcys recorded a full-album cover of Steely Dan’s Aja, which they’ll release later this month. For now, they released their version of “Josie,” trading in the original’s reggae-funk for an echoing, ambient-folk vibe. We can’t wait to hear the rest.
MP3: The Darcys – Josie (Steely Dan cover) Continue reading »