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—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.
Regular visitors to this monthly column will notice the absence of reviews like those you’ve read in previous years. At the same time, you’ll see more than the usual ten choice cuts embedded. Less text, more music—I assume you’re okay with that!?
Its The Most Wonderful Time of The Year (Andy Williams) by Kiss the Scientist — from Happy Holidays EP (Take This To Heart Records)
The Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash) by Pulp — from The Man Comes Around 12″ (Rough Trade Records)
I Don’t Want to Get Over You (The Magnetic Fields) by Superchunk — digital track (Merge Records)
We can’t share all 50-100 nice covers we encounter on average, just a selection of top picks. Read on for covers of songs by Buzzcocks, Tom Waits, Prince, and more. Let us know if anything is missing that we shouldn’t have overlooked.
What Do I Get? (Buzzcocks) by goo — from Payday EP (Self-Released)
I Can’t Stop Thinking About It (The Dirtbombs) by Satan Takes A Holiday feat. Shady Lady & The Malefactor — from forthcoming Covering Our Tracks LP (Icons Creating Evil Art)
Machine Gun Blues (Social Distortion) by Bobby Mahone — from Smoke and Drive single (Wicked Cool Records)
Ça Plane Pour Moi (Plastic Bertrand) by Off Judy — from Good Boy LP (Self-Released)
Delilah (Tom Jones) by Frank Turner — from The Next 10 Years compilation (UMR)
Chicago (Tom Waits) by Mavis Staples — from Sad And Beautiful World LP (ANTI- Records)
Come See About Me (Don Covay) by Harmonica Lewinski — from Medium Cool EP (Super Hot Sounds)
I Just Can’t Get Enuff (Depeche Mode) by Ramodes — from Unalived LP
Louie Louie (Richard Berry) by The Active Psychos — digital track
View Master (Eric’s Trip) by Status/Non-Status — digital track (You’ve Changed Records)
Borrowed Tune (Neil Young) by Kim Ware and the Good Graces — digital track
Living In The Balance (Dag) by Stephen Cummings — from Joy EP (Cheersquad Records & Tapes)
When Doves Cry (Prince & The Revolution) by Lunison — digital track
You’re Gonna Lose That Boy (The Beatles) by Thee Headcoatees — from The Man-Trap Session EP Vol. One
Got Love If You Want It (Slim Harpo) by Thee Headcoats — from The Sherlock Holmes Rhythm ‘n’ Beat Vernacular LP
Opposites Attract (Paula Abdul) by bis & Art Brut — from Sorry About That EP (Alcopop! Records)
Blue Christmas (Doye O’Dell; popularized by Elvis Presley) by Zack Keim — digital track
2000 Miles (Pretenders) by The Futureheads — from Christmas LP (Nul Records)
Check out our Dusted playlist on Spotify for more worthy cover songs.