Covering your tracks... 10 songs at a time.
I am a cover person and I'm not talking blankets (Well I do really like jersey sheets, but that's beyond the point). Discovering a well done cover song is like finding a needle in a needle stack from a parallel universe that is currently occupied by robots going through puberty, a.k.a. that slut called Youtube. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but when anybody can prop open their macbooks and record themselves it get's a little old and arduous finding "gems" like this...I will apologize for three things: 1) I'm sorry that if you sat through the whole thing for wasting three minutes and twenty seconds of your life. 2) That it was a Barenaked Ladies. 3) For the one hardcore Barenaked Ladies fan-dude out there reading this, I'm not maliciously attacking the group, I'm just saying... they doesn't age well bro.
Finding good covers are hard to come by but there are couple good friends that can help us weed out the bad ones, such as the A.V. Club and the website Covermesongs.com. In your free time I'd suggest that you give them a gander. But let's start with my personal top 10, and in no particular order.
#10 I'll Be There // Sun Kil Moon (The Jackson 5)I've never been a huge Jackson 5 fan. That whole "ABC" song drives me crazy. But besides that song, I respect them for what they have done for music and that generation in particular. But this cover goes straight for the heart.
If you've listened to Sun Kil Moon this cover might not be news to you but if you haven't, he's like the Americana heart break of folk music, or an Iron & Wine that is less annoying. His cover is soft and majestic, it practically melts your heart on the spot. I know I sat sniffling thinking two things: "I wa-wa-want to da-da-dance to this at my weddings" *sobs* and the other "Why did I ever show that bitch this song?!"
You can download the song Here.
I have several friends that love to dance. As for me, I'll only dance if I can just stand there, holding my drink while some girl does here butt-rumble thing or I think it's called twerking now? But even that weirds me out. My buddies will usually pull the speakers out on the back porch and blast Justice, M83 and/or Girl Talk and by the time I'm tossed the porch is a break-beat giggle fest. So when I happened upon the cover of I had an immediate smile because for one, I could be like "Hey! I'll stand there and watch a girl dance to this!" and secondly there SO MANY covers of this song and this is the only good one. Let the memories flow my friends.
You can download the song Here.
Synth can be creepy, even back in the 80’s and back in 1984 the Eurthymics had it down. The original song delivers sinister tones tailgated with glass bottles clanks and major piano chords that vibrate the static drums. Was this song made in a factory that manufactures road-kill teddy bears, we'll never know. Needless to say its no surprise that Marilyn Manson decided to crank the creepiness up to 11. He slows it down and scraps the piano for a distorted guitar that crawls up your spine. The amount of fuzz and buzz fronted by his hair-raising whispering screams really perpetuates the atmosphere of the song to a whole new level of oddity. Oh, and I also really like the song. It's good for Halloween, so be sure to hang on to it.
Couldn't find a "proper" download but here's a link the Song.
My original #7 was going to be "Landslide", covered by the Smashing Pumpkins, but honestly it just got annoying after the 70th time I heard it, but this gem -- shivers up my spine. Jack White, with his tenacious attitude, cranks this country classic. The White Stripes tapped into the rawest emotion this song could contain and just plainly, but not simply, rocked it. I'm pretty positive it has the power to melt faces. It's truly a work of rock art. Sadly there are few ways to hear this song. It was captured live for one of their tour DVDs, so if you can find it, hats off. But thank God for Youtube right?!
Here is the link the best sounding video I could find.
Idioteque has always been one of my favorite Radiohead songs and when I found out that Amanda Palmer covered it, (and on the ukulele none the less!) it's safe to say that I flipped out. I mean it's that crazy lady from the Dresden Dolls and that song "Coin-Operated Boy" about killed me in high school. So at first I was scared, I mean it was like handling my favorite Tamagachi pet, I didn't want her to kill it... I'd have to start all over. But my fear quickly dissipated upon listening to the cover. She really captures the overarching idea of the song, a dissonance that is created through panic. At some points it sounds like she is hammering on the top of the fret board, trying to communicate this idea of stress and anxiety. The drums that waltz into the song shape the song into one of the best covers I’ve heard in a long time. The art form here is awe-inspiring. So thanks Amanda, you're cool now.
You can download the song Here.
Stay tuned for 1 - 5!
(also feel free to email me your favorite covers at bradyeffler@gmail.com)
Some years ago, an Argentine musician called Lisandro Aristimuño that means a lot to me did an acoustic cover of "Untitled 4" by Sigur Rós. I really like it, because unlike Sigur Rós' original version which is kind of strongly emotional, Lisandro's version is very peaceful and soothing. I always think of him as a never ending source of healing music. You can watch the cover here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAjX0fSKp3A
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