Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.
In February, you probably heard covers of Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House by Paramore, Edith Piaf’s La Vie En Rose by Nick Cave, Lou Reed’s Perfect Day (Piano Komorebi Version) by Patrick Watson, Van Halen’s Jump (If It Was Written For Millennials) by Alex Melton, Haruomi Hosono’s Boku Wa Chotto with Mac DeMarco and William Bell’s I Forgot To Be Your Lover by The Black Keys, and ourselves we wrote about new releases from The Drowns, Autogramm, The Weirdolls, The Devils, The Sleeveens, Gentleman Jesse and The Thing, respectively featuring cover versions of Mud’s Dyna-Mite, Nichts’ Licht Aus, Eddie And The Hot Rods’ Do Anything You Wanna Do, Cleo Randle’s Big City Lights, The Undertones’ Get Over You, The Saints’ Private Affair, Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mack and Sonic Boom’s You’re The One (listen below)…
…but there was plenty more to choose from, and I think it’s more fun to share cover songs here that haven’t got the attention they deserve.
So here we go.
A Praise Chorus || Cover: Martha || Original: Jimmy Eat World
The British indie punks of Martha appear to be big fans of the American alt-rockers of Jimmy Eat World, a good reason to thank them for their inspiration with passionate re-interpretations of two of their mid career emo classics – you can feel them feeling the songs. Out on limited 7″ vinyl through Big Scary Monsters.
Anything || Cover: Mark Mulcahy || Original: Adrianne Lenker
Mark Mulcahy (Miracle Legion) has been on the road a lot over the last few years, with mainly female indie singer-songwriters on his listening menu. The new The Tinsler EP is “some kind of summary tribute to the time spent listening and learning and crying and laughing.” Anything from Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) sounds even more contemporary in this cover.
Running on Empty || Cover: FIDLAR || Original: Jackson Browne
Californian garage punk band FIDLAR no longer sound as untamed as in their wild early days, but the lyrics and video for their accurately colored version of Jackson Browne’s popular heartland rock hit fit them like a glove.
I Want To Be Your Driver || Cover: Gnome || Original: Chuck Berry
Australian musician/producer Jay Miller aka Gnome writes original feel-good tunes in the tradition of the good old rock ‘n’ roll heroes, some of which he honors on the Ear Candy EP (out digitally via Goblin Records). Within four hours he recorded four covers, all equally infectious, with this garage beat floor filler as a strong example.
Duodenum || Cover: Psycotic Pineapple || Original: Frank Zappa
Bay Area power pop/psych punk outfit Psycotic Pineapple celebrate their 50th anniversary with their first new music release in over ten years. The four-track Can’t Escape From The Rock EP closes with an exciting version of the instrumental/orchestral Duodenum, the opening theme from Frank Zappa’s Lumpy Gravy Part One.
A Million Miles Away || Cover: K.V. Raucous & the Cave Dwellers || Original: The Plimsouls
One of the best power pop songs of all time is cut to the chase by Canadian one man trashobilly band K.V. Raucous, and those ragged edges provide an extra intensity that we don’t want to run away from. Goosebumps when you read that this solo recording is dedicated to his older brother Gary, who recently passed away.
Hava Nagila || Cover: X Ray Cat Trio || Original: Traditional
X Ray Cat Trio’s Haunted LP easily made it into the top 20 of my 2022 year-end list, so you can imagine I’m thrilled with the news that Property Of The Lost are releasing their Live at the Jenny show later this month, an exciting pick ‘n’ mix from fifteen years of garage rockabilly, psych surf and doo wop. We can already share their take on Hava Nagila, a Hebrew folk song meaning “let us rejoice”, that was famously covered by Dick Dale sixty years ago, and is once again taken to great heights here.
I Didn’t Mean To Hurt You || Cover: David Christian || Original: Felt
At the end of last year, David Christian (Comet Gain) shared the digital album Rekkords!, a tribute to the vinyl LP featuring thirteen original songs about a number of esteemed artists. Now the British singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist returns with All Day And All Night Underneath Your Covers: twelve lo-fi cover versions (“12 old friends who gave me hope and a hug back when those things were important”) from bands like Rain Parade, The Jam, New Order, Julian Cope, The Creation and Felt – this one was a B-side at the time, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.
Pokémon Theme || Cover: Ismay || Original: Jason Paige
Season 3 of Perpetual Doom’s TV theme song cover series Stay Tuned is at least as entertaining as the first two compilations. Again, a varied selection of indie artists worked on tunes that everyone recognizes (Family Ties, The Big Bang Theory, The X-Files, M*A*S*H, Baywatch, Scooby-Doo, Family Guy, etc.), where the most unusual performances are the most fun. Like this subdued folk version by California-based singer/songwriter Ismay aka Avery Hellman: “Gotta Catch Em All.”
How Many Times || Cover: Kryye || Original: Bob Marley
A few years ago, Bobby Ramone proved that a mashup of Bob Marley and the Ramones can be irresistible. The combination also works out well in this cover by South African pop punk band Kryye: Bob Marley’s How Many Times has never sounded so exciting and catchy (streaming only). Be sure to also listen to this four-piece’s Pop Punk Burgermag LP, out on Hey Pizza! Records.
Check out our Dusted playlist on Spotify for more cool cover songs.