Dec 142023
 
horsegirl and lifeguard

With a family connection between them, the Chicago indie bands Horsegirl and Lifeguard have always been close. We would expect that Horsegirl guitarist and vocalist Penelope Lowenstein and her brother, Lifeguard drummer Isaac Lowenstein, would have had similar musical experiences growing up.  The two bands are currently stablemates on Matador Records and they also are both enthusiastic about acknowledging their influences, such as when Lifeguard covered The Jam earlier this year. Now they have released a joint effort, covering The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored.” Continue reading »

Jan 262021
 

Pete YornPete Yorn is one of those names you know, if not always realizing or recognizing why. His debut album made him a Rolling Stone One To Watch for 2001, going gold to boot, thanks partly to the single “Life On A Chain.” (Aah, that Pete Yorn!) A further six albums have followed, as well as various other live albums and collaborations. He’s been the musical muscle behind some of Scarlett Johansson’s excursions into music, they making one LP and an EP together, another possibly on the way. He is also a regular on soundtracks and tributes, performing the songs of others as varied as The Ramones, Bruce Springsteen and New Order. We have featured him often.

Now comes album number seven, Pete Yorn Sings the Classics. Quite where the parallel galaxy is that considers this quirky set of songs classics, I don’t know, but it’s somewhere I could happily live. OK, many you will know, and some are fitting of that title, with others maybe vaguer memories, perhaps from childhood. But don’t dismiss this, the love here seeps thickly through the grooves and makes this just one great big grin of a project.
Continue reading »

Feb 202013
 

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!

2013 is a good time to be Ian Brown. He and his Stone Roses bandmates are currently are doing shows in Dubai, Indonesia, and the land Down Under. They’re headlining the Coachella festival this spring, with a documentary and a possible studio album to follow. The Internet is abuzz with rumors that the Flaming Lips are planning to cover the Roses’ immortal debut album in its entirety. All in all, there can’t be many better ways to celebrate turning fifty. Continue reading »

Oct 092012
 

Mike Doughty, who first found fame in the mid-90’s with his alt-rock outfit Soul Coughing and has been a solo act since 2000, announced last week that his next album will be comprised of nothing but covers. The Flip is Another Honey, due out November 6th, has a tracklist covering commonplace songs (“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, “Southern Girls” by Cheap Trick) and lesser-known tracks (“Boy + Angel” by Doveman, “Ta Douleur” by Camille, “Mistress” by Red House Painters). 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 »

Nov 072011
 

We didn’t catch ‘em ourselves, but unfortunately-named Brooklyn punks Cerebral Ballzy were one of the talks of this year’s CMJ. Since then, they’ve hopped over to England for some shows and an appearance on Zane Lowe’s BBC show. They busted out a roaring cover of the Stone Roses’ classic “I Wanna Be Adored” for the occasion. Continue reading »