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.

I Trusted You || Cover: Gustaf || Original: Andy Kaufman
Now this is a good idea. The song in which performance artist Andy Kaufman repeats the three words from the title more and more manically (we are talking about the late 70s), gets an awesome post-punk treatment from Brooklyn art rock outfit Gustaf. Lydia Gammill (lead vocals), Tine Hill (bass), Vram Kherlopian (guitar, keyboards), Melissa Lucciola (drums) and Tarra Thiessen (vocals, percussion) played the tune live in their early days as a band, and finally felt the time was right to release it — produced, mixed, and engineered by Jim Eno (Spoon). This could easily become a big dance floor hit. Out digitally via Royal Mountain Records.

The Dedication Song || Cover: The Fleshtones || Original: Freddy Cannon
And we have more cool music from New York, quite different though. Legendary garage rockers The Fleshtones return with a fresh 45 on which Peter Zaremba (vocals, piano), Keith Streng (guitar, backing vocals), Ken Fox (bass, backing vocals) and Bill Milhizer (percussion, backing vocals) rebuild two forgotten tunes. A-side Festa di Frankenstein is an alternate version of The Swinging Phillies’ 1967 Halloween track Frankenstein’s Party, here sung in Italian and featuring a saxophone solo. The Dedication Song on the flipside is even more fun, as catchy as it gets, thanks in part to new lyrics to Freddy Cannon’s 1966 hit — it serves as a sequel to their successful 1984 single American Beat. Out on limited edition 7″ vinyl through Yep Roc Records.

I Can See You || Cover: Cherie Currie & The Dead Boys || Original: Taylor Swift
Rock acts such as The Courettes and The Dollyrots and pop singers like Tiffany and Samantha Cole are brought together on the 12-track compilation A Strange Tribute To Taylor Swift, a title that says it all. The punk rock rendition of I Can See You by Cherie Currie (The Runaways) with The Dead Boys gets priority on our stage. Out digitally and on CD through Cleopatra Records.

You Don’t Own Me || Cover: Bad Buddy || Original: Lesley Gore
Edmonton, Alberta-based rock band Bad Buddy are back with their sophomore album Bad Buddy II. Emily Bachynski (vocals, guitar), Andi Vissia (vocals, guitar), Shari Rae (bass, backing vocals) and Geoffrey Hamdon-O’Brien (drums) deliver ten powerful originals with distinctive vocals taking center stage, and while the one cover is more understated, it still holds up in terms of intensity. Out digitally via Meatflower Music.

Newtown || Cover: Dealing With Damage & Yootha Today || The Slits
On the split 7″ Dealing With Dinosaurs, two British punk bands each share two notable covers. Dinosaur Skull chose songs by Big Drill Car (In Green Fields) and Dogpiss (She Said), Dealing With Damage pays tribute to The Cure (M) and The Slits (Newtown). Extra credits for the collaboration with Yootha Today (Edna Flange, Mimsy Scratcher and Ethel Quim) on the energetic closing track. Out digitally and on limited dino green vinyl 7″ through Brassneck Records.

Searching For The Truth || Cover: The Harlem Gospel Travelers || Cover: Dwain Vinyard
On their new album Rhapsody, gospel singers Ifedayo Gatling, Dennis Bailey, and George Marage delve into Numero Group’s gospel funk catalog, a suggestion from their mentor Eli “Paperboy” Reed that pays off. The original versions, found on the compilation Good God! Apocryphal Hymns, are definitely worth checking out, but the new versions are also top-notch — this track in particular is heavenly. Out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Colemine Records.

You Dont Believe Me || Popincourt || Original: The Pretty Things
On the House of Four EP, four psych pop and mod-adjacent artists celebrate English R&B band The Pretty Things. Andy Lewis (Walking Down The Street), Popincourt (You Don’t Believe Me), Papernut Cambridge (Defecting Grey) and Robert Rotifer (House of Ten) pass this challenge with ease. The ragged edge of Olivier Popincourt’s vocals stand out to me. Out digitally and on 10″ vinyl through Gare du Nord Records.

Brown Eyed Girl || Cover: Nuisance || Original: Van Morrison
Californian punk band Nuisance, who made some waves in the 90s, have collected sixteen singles, compilation tracks and songs found in a garbage can on new compilation Terminal Fuckups, including the ska-tinged, gritty and infectious take on Van Morrison’s classic Brown Eyed Girl. Out digitally via Lavasocks Records.

Fade Into You || Cover: The Rubens || Original: Mazzy Star
Then it’s a small step to Hope Sandoval, the lead singer of Mazzy Star, who won many hearts with her dreamy performances of the wonderful 1994 single Fade Into You. Australian alt-rock band The Rubens may not be able to top that in their contribution to triple j’s Like A Version – no one can, right? – but they certainly know how to captivate, not least because of that slide guitar. Their new (original) single Sunday Night is out now via Ivy League Records.

Last Leaf || Cover: Willie Nelson || Original: Tom Waits
It’s almost unimaginable, but country icon Willie Nelson is coming with his 76th solo studio album (and 153rd album overall). Under the title Last Leaf On The Tree he covers tracks such as Lost Cause (Beck), Come Ye (Nina Simone), Keep Me In Your Heart (Warren Zevon), Robbed Blind (Keith Richards) and Are You Ready For The Country? (Neil Young). The record will also feature two songs by Tom Waits, of which Bad As Me‘s Last Leaf has already been shared. I played the old and new version at the same time: the two unique voices fit surprisingly well together, but on their own they also are both beautiful. Out on November 1 through Legacy Recordings.

Also worth mentioning:
Abasement Tapes (Johnny Dynamite & The Bloodsuckers) by Semiwestern
Bye Bye Baby (Ramones) by The Beatersband
Cherry Ball Blues (Skip James) by Half Deaf Clatch
Friends (Harley Small) by The Pierce Kingans
I Believe In Miracles (Jackson Sisters) by Say She She
Manny, Moe And Jack (The Dickies) by Punk Rock Karaoke with Milo Aukerman
My Favourite Dress (The Wedding Present) by Tender Comrade
Pet Sematary (Ramones) by RVG
Saturday Night (Misfits) by The Midnight Horrors
She Don’t Love Me Now (Jesse Malin) by Bruce Springsteen
These Arms Of Mine (Otis Redding) by Delicate Steve
Wild Thing (The Wild Ones) by PUNT

Bonus:

Be My Baby || Cover: UFO Club || Original: The Ronettes
The UFO Club was a garage psych project by Night Beats’ Danny Lee Blackwell and Black Angels’ Christian Bland, who released a self-titled album through Reverberation Appreciation Society in 2012. Its eleven tracks include reverberating covers of The Ronettes’ Be My Baby and The Seeds’ Up in Her Room. The LP is available again on vinyl via Bandcamp, so what better reason to share it here?

Check out our Dusted playlist on Spotify for more cool cover songs.