Half the world is always dying, you know.

Patrick & Eugene "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
Earlier the sun was out and I was cleaning and this hit the shuffle and I was, oh, so happy.

Vivane Serval "Une Femme Amoureuse (A Woman in Love)" (French Barbra Streisand cover, comp. the Bee Gees)
A few of today's songs are France- or French-related. The other night I had a dream that I was an American Idol contestant and got to meet Barbra Streisand and was the only contestant who'd ever heard of her. I asked her if Robert Redford was a good kisser. She said no, but that he was better at it than Sanjaya. My response? "No duh!" This dream is far less disturbing than the one in which I got drunk at a bar, met Steve-O, brought him home with me, had sex with him and wound up getting pregnant. Or maybe not.

Dorina Galambos "Bathwater" (No Doubt cover)
Speaking of TV talent competitions and Sanjaya, here is a contestant from Hungary's Megasztár singing the song Sanjaya butchered last week. I'm not saying it's awesome or anything, but I will say the standards are obviously slightly higher in my homeland. I'm actually Romanian and Croatian, but my maternal grandfather was born in Hungary and Transylvania used to be part of Hungary and blah blah blah. The bottom line is that Southern European sluts gals like Dorina and myself rule. At least more than Sanjaya does. And why doesn't American Idol let contestants sing cool songs like this and have judges with such emotive faces? And is anyone else grossed out by the idea of bathing in someone else's bathwater?

Future Kings of Spain "Love of the Common Man" (Todd Rundgren cover)
Here's the J. Mascis-esque cover I promised the other day. (BTW, what is up with the Dinosaur Jr. Nikes? I think they're so ridiculous and ugly that I almost want a pair 'cause I'm all ironic and shit, but I'd never spend hundreds of dollars on a shoe, let alone a Nike.)

Fionn Regan "Getting Better" (Beatles cover)
Fionn is a dreamy folk singer that has a couple of really cool videos for really pretty songs: examples one and two.

Happy Flowers "Mrs. Lennon" (Yoko Ono cover)
Possibly the only Happy Flowers track that I can listen to all the way through.

Maggie Gyllenhaal "How Lucky Am I" (Sign of the Fox cover)
I'll tell you how lucky you are, Maggie: You are the mother of the child of my longtime dream actor boyfriend Peter Sarsgaard. And you get to act in cute little indie romantic comedies like Happy Endings, in which you get to sing pretty, somber remakes of power-pop songs. Bitch.

Yeti Girls "Don't Bring Me Down" (ELO cover)
I listen to Electric Light Orchestra all the time because they are genius.

Cinerama "Yesterday Once More" (Carpenters cover)
Not as tasty as their cover of t.A.T.u.'s "All the Thing She Said," but I was in a Carpenters-cover mood and this hit the spot just fine.

Monsieur Blumenberg (of Montefiori Cocktail) "Can't Get you Out of My Head" (Kylie Minogue cover)
La la la la la la la la. La la la la la la la la.
 

Make the homies say "ho."

In addition to a few of his popular rock covers, there is now a free downloadable version of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme over at lounge-cover guru extraordinaire Richard Cheese's MySpace page.

All that junk.

I don't think I've hated an "artist" more than I hate Fergie, and I once went through a similar phase with Alanis Morissette, although I've cut her some slack since the early/mid-'90s when I automatically hated anything that hit the mainstream and was heralded as edgy but really wasn't. Reader Emily pointed out this sorta horrifying/sorta delicious video to me, and I feel it's my duty to share.

They just don't seem to sail you off my mind.

I'm suddenly strangely addicted to the avant-garde reworkings of French Catalan composer Pascal Comelade, as well as his original work. I'm kind of a sucker for toy instruments and carnivalesque arrangements, and in this rare case, I enjoy when a cover sounds familiar but you can't readily place it. If you're looking for note-for-note covers, don't download these. If you, like me, have fantasies about opening a coffee shop just so you can play unique rock-inspired jazz in the background, go for it.

Update: If the tracks aren't downloading, refresh and try again.

Pascal Comelade "Brand New Cadillac" (Vince Taylor/The Clash cover)

Pascal Comelade "Honky Tonk Women" (Rolling Stones cover)

Pascal Comelade "Paint it Black" (Rolling Stones cover)

Pascal Comelade "Put a Straw Under Baby" (Brian Eno cover)

Pascal Comelade "The Sad Skinhead" (Faust cover)

Pascal Comelade and Richard Pinhas "Here come the Warm Jets" (Brian Eno cover)

Pascal Comelade and Robert Wyatt "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
 

Remember that special night when all of the stars were shining bright?

Just a quick entry to direct you to what is currently my favorite downloadable-on-MySpace cover, Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait A While" by Dublin band the Future Kings of Spain. The original holds a special place in my heart because I danced to it with a dorky boy I liked at a school dance my freshman year of high school and he kissed me. Of course, all of my giddy glee about it was ruined months later (after he and I had made out) and he started dating one of my best friends. Of course, he had been dating another of my best friends before he and I hooked up, so I guess what goes around comes around. In retrospect it all seems ridiculous that any of us would have ever liked him at all in the first place. That he's since become a cop does not help. (Note to any cop who might be reading: I'm sure you're one of the cool ones.)

As for the Future Kings of Spain, I'm digging them. I learned of them via another cover they did, a unique J. Mascis-esque version of Todd Rundgren's "Love of the Common Man," which I'll likely post in my next entry later today or tomorrow.

Years ago I was an angry young man. I'd pretend that I was a billboard.

Keren Ann "Big Yellow Taxi" (Joni Mitchell cover)

Caetano Veloso "(Nothing but) Flowers" (Talking Heads cover)
 

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe someday.

Here's a random-as-ever post. Sorry for the gap between posts, but it's difficult to be inspired to post here when I'm emotionally and financially down and out concerning the fact that I've been looking for work for nearly 8 months to no avail. I'd heard from friends in the past few years how god-awful the job market is now, and now I'm soaking in it. I'm hoping to get over the feeling that I should abandon this blog altogether until I'm gainfully employed, but I must admit it's a thought that occurs to me regularly. When I can barely pay my bills, it seems silly to pay for web hosting, you know?

Heh. I'll try to be less depressing next time.

The Wonderstuff "That's Entertainment" (The Jam cover)

Royal City "Is this It" (The Strokes cover)

The Pernice Brothers "Talk of the Town" (The Pretenders cover)

The Mr. T Experience "Crash" (The Primitives cover)

Guild of Ages "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran cover)

Frenzal Rhomb "We Built This City" (Starship cover)

The Fiery Furnaces "Winter" (The Fall cover)

Eva Luna "Little Lies" (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Colony 5 "The Great Commandment" (Camouflage cover)
 

Physics makes us all its bitches.

Of Montreal cover Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," as it is now a requirement for all hipster indie acts to do so:



I've long been aware of Of Montreal and enjoyed their albums well enough, but I was nowhere near prepared for the purity of the love I have for the deliciously poppy, new-wavey, angry-and-depressed-but-ultimately-uplifting new album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? I can't remember the last time I repeatedly listened to an album over and over—as well proved, I'm certain, by my Last.fm profile—to this degree. I'm thinking it was either Super Trouper, Beauty and the Beat or Louder than Bombs. I can't even pick a favorite track. "Suffer for Fashion"? "She's a Rejecter"? "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"? "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger"? I'm torn. Then I go to YouTube and watch a slew of their live performances and fall deeper into the abyss of OM obsession. Of course, my new lust for OM has hit its apex three days before they play a sold-out show about a mile from where I live. Isn't that always the way?

Of Montreal "Spanish Dance Troupe" (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci cover)
 

I could swear by your expression that the pain down in your soul was the same as the one down in mine.

Catherine Wheel "Willing to Wait" (Sebadoh cover)
Reader Zack asked me if I had this and I tried to send it his way, but my e-mail bounced back because it his e-mail host deemed the file too large. That's cool, though, as now we all can revel in this rarity.

Lounge-O-Leers "Flagpole Sitta" (Harvey Danger cover)
I kind of used to hate the original version of this song, but then it became the theme song of Peep Show, one of my favorite BBC comedies, and it grew on me.

Ben O'Sullivan "Freelove Freeway" (Ricky Gervais as David Brent cover)
Speaking of my favorite BBC comedies, whenever I need a good laugh, I can always count on the training episode of The Office. (Series One, Episode Four). Gareth and Tim's accompaniment to David Brent's rocking tune never fails to amuse. And I love that people are covering it. It's better than most songs of that ilk that actually get airplay.

Kevin Rowland "Thunder Road" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
I'm still on my BBC comedy-related kick. This track by the former Dexy's Midgnight Runners' front man reminds me of Brian's hilarious Dexy's flashback on Spaced. I can't believe how long we in the States have to wait (end of April!) for the release of Hot Fuzz. Thankfully, I live in a major city and probably won't have to wait as long as those who don't.

Bonnie Pink "Origin of Love" (from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, comp. Stephen Trask)
There are few things on this earth as pure as my love for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I remember seeing a local live production and thinking, "Holy shit. I think this play was written explicitly so I could sit in the audience and get the jokes no one else seems to be laughing at." When I heard the creator, John Cameron Mitchell, was making it into a movie as well, I feared the worst. How could the humor and passion of the live play translate adequately to the screen? Of course, his genius made it work and now everyone can bask in its glow. I overheard an acquaintance once say he didn't like Hedwig at all, and I knew not to waste my time getting to know him. I like having my own pop culture touchstones and knowing that the people I meet who don't "get" them need to just leave me alone. Therefore, anyone who covers Hedwig songs is automatically OK in my book, especially if they're cute and Japanese.

Kevin Cavanaugh "William, It Was Really Nothing" (The Smiths cover)
Speaking of pop-culture touchstones, I'm often reminded of one of my favorite things my best pal Lisa said to me early in our friendship. She was discussing a date she'd had and the guy mentioned hating the Smiths. She said to me, "You know, I can never fully trust someone who never had a Smiths phase." I wholeheartedly agreed and have since made it one of my many mottos. Aaaanyhow, this Kevin Cavanaugh character was actually on the god-awful America's Got Talent show a while back with his loungey '60s throwback act Blue Velvet. Seriously, why would anyone let Hasselhoff—aka the man who actually cried when Taylor Hicks won Idol and sang that hideous song they made him sing—judge a talent competition? And, yeah, maybe we don't need more throwback lounge covers, but when they're as earnest and orchestral as this and are versions of one my favorite Smiths songs, I say we give them a shot.

Kill Hannah "Under the Milky Way" (The Church cover)
Like Skid Row, this is one of the only bands I've seen many times (thanks to the fact that they opened for bands I liked) that I had no real desire to see. And it's not that I hated local darlings, Kill Hannah, or anything. Every time I saw them I'd always think to myself, "You know, if this group got together when I was about 17, I'd probably have really gotten into them." It's hard to believe they've been around since 1995 and still going strong, mostly because it makes me feel even older than I did in 1995 when I thought I was too old to enjoy them. Funny, that.

Liberator "Does Your Mother Know" (Abba cover)
I have to be in a really specific mood for third-wave ska,and today I am. Of course, it also helps when the ska band is Swedish and the band they're covering is Swedish. May my love of nearly all things Scandinavian never end!

'N Sync "More Than a Feeling" (Boston cover)
I listen to a lot of Boston, Asia, REO Speedwagon, ELO and the like when I'm doing dishes and whatnot, which made me think, "What Boston covers happen to be on my hard drive right now?" Well, here's the sad answer. Not that I have any real issues with 'N Sync. In fact, I like a lot of their songs and have a Joey Fatone bobblehead that resides atop my TV. But a big fan of most a capella-flavored tracks, I'm not.

Tom Racer "If You Leave" (OMD cover)
When you're as bored and nostalgia-obsessed as I tend to be (seriously, I'm in the process of scanning and uploading tons of old concert tickets and high school- and college-era pictures, much to the detriment of a normal sleep schedule), often the most seemingly random thoughts pop into your head on a regular basis. This track comes courtesy of a thought I had earlier when I remembered I had a box of Molly Ringwald-esque red hair dye in my bathroom aching to be used, which was: "I know Andrew McCarthy was contrite and dreamy and all, but I still can't believe Molly let her handmade purse that matched her prom dress fall to the ground when she kissed him in the rain as OMD played. I bet it got all gross." Um, yeah. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how scary and lame (yet kind of cool) it is to be me.
 

They'll call us lonely when we're really just alone.

Some Girls "He's On Drugs Again" (Sardina cover)
Years ago, I posted a live version of this cover that was cut off at the end. At last, a studio version now exists and I'm happy to share it. To read about who Sardina, the original artist, is, check that old entry. Beware, however, as the links are likely now defunct. Luckily, the awesome Musical Family Tree has tons of Sardina tracks available for free download, including the entire Presents album, from which the original comes. Seriously, it's a brilliant pop album and you should download it now.

Lulu "He's Sure the Boy I Love" (The Crystals cover)
I love the Crystals so much I can't believe more people haven't covered this song. It's my favorite.

Groove da Praia "Used to Love Her" (Guns N' Roses cover)
Thanks (or blame) goes to the Bossa n' series for Bossa n' Roses comp. Because we totally needed jazz-lounge songs about drugs, murder and other politically incorrect things.

Coil "All the Pretty Little Horses" (Traditional)
Possibly a little too bleak and ominous for a lullaby, but it's Coil. What would you expect?

Academic Village People (AVP) "Policy of Truth" (Depeche Mode cover)
You love college a cappella and you know it. Unless, like me, it kind of creeps you out more than the Coil lullaby.

Mathilde Santing "Oblivious" (Aztec Camera cover)
Another song I can't believe hasn't been covered more frequently. This is the new-wave jam!

Moonshine Willy "Complicated Game" (XTC cover)
It's unclear to me why the track listing on the album from which this comes lists the title as the plural "Complicated Games," but it's obviously the XTC song "Complicated Game." And it's quite a fun alt-country version.

Bohemian Vendetta "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones cover)
I think a reader sent me this '60s psych gem a while back. My apologies for not remembering who, particularly since I love it.

Trio "Wake Up" (Yoko Ono cover)
I must admit hating "Da Da Da" with a passion, but my love for Yoko and anyone who covers her songs erases that hatred somewhat.

David Miller "Narrow Your Eyes" (They Might Be Giants cover)
I might be the only TMBG fan who lists "Narrow Your Eyes" among her favorites, but I do. And this power-poppy version doesn't make me retch, so hooray!

Youth is like diamonds in the sun, and diamonds are forever.

I'm in the middle of a huge pre-spring decluttering project so I'm posting quickly and not taking any time to talk about anything. Sorry.

(Photos of things I'm keeping can be seen here and things I'm discarding—read: donating to Goodwill—can be seen here, if you're interested. Both sets will likely grow over the next week or so. What can I say? Oprah says this is the year to do it! Heh.)

The Zippers "He's a Rebel" (The Crystals cover)

The Be Good Tanyas "When Doves Cry" (Prince cover)

Kate the Cat "I Was Made for Lovin' You" (Kiss cover)

Frank Bard "Coal Miner's Daughter" (Instrumental harmonica Loretta Lynn cover)

Emm Gryner "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (Def Leppard cover)

DM Bob and the Deficits "Jeepster" (T. Rex cover)

Les Coquettes "Jimmy Mack" (Martha and the Vandellas cover in French)

Thistle "Love Not Dead" (Daniel Johnston cover)

Youth Group "Forever Young" (Alphaville cover)

Baby, scratch my back.

It's not often I don't know a song or can't find its artist. I have an earworm ever since watching the fashion documentary Seamless the other day on the Sundance Channel. It's very familiar, as it's a song I've heard before in the background of other movies or TV shows or commercials. The lyrics are along the lines of:

"London's swinging/ And London's burning/ And the phone stopped ringing/ And the world keeps turning"

Strangely, Google isn't helping me, as it only leads me to a Lost fan's post in a forum in which he or she asks if anyone knows what it is. No one has answered.

The song has a female vocalist whose voice sort of sounds like Beth Orton's. It's not that I absolutely love or hate the song or anything, but it just doesn't seem right having a song in your head for days if you don't know to whom to attribute your earworm distress.

Anyone?

Edit: I've since been notified that it's "London" by Noonday Underground. Hooray for Internet friends!

Now, in the interest of giving you something while I ask for something, I'm going to cut and paste (and slightly modify) something from an e-mail I recently sent to a reader who was asking for help locating cover songs by a particular artist. I've been meaning to do a "How does Liza find so many crazy covers" post for a while, and while not exhaustive, this hits on a few tips of the cover-hunting trade:

1. One of the first things I do when looking for a cover of a specific song is to head over to All Music Guide and perform a song title search. This will bring you a list of artists who have songs with that title. Of course, sometimes there is more than one song with a specific title, so the best thing to do is to find the original and look at the composer info and then sort the list by composer. AMG is a good resource, but it is not all-inclusive or 100% correct, as it focuses mostly on American releases and more mainstream artists and sometimes automatically lists the artist as the composer on tracks from lesser-known artists, but every now and again, you can find some weirdo thing there. And if the track has a little stereo symbol next to it, you can hear a snippet of the song. Unfortunately, I've found that this only seems to work about half of the time since sometimes the songs are wrong and other times the player just buffers and freezes.

2. You can also try music download shops like the iTunes store and eMusic and the like. These are particularly helpful because they let you hear snippets of the tracks. Just type in a song title and see what comes up. Preview the song to see if A) it's actually a cover and B) you like the way it sounds. Then, of course, if you like what you hear, you can purchase it for download. I particularly enjoy eMusic because you'll often find foreign or indie covers from artists you've never heard of. You can also search album titles for the word "tribute," which might lead you to tribute albums of which you were previously unaware."

3. Another favorite resource of mine (perhaps my most favorite) is the German site Coverinfo. Just go there and type the name of the artist whose covers you're hunting in the search field on the left of the page and you'll get a list both of songs they've covered or sampled and songs others have covered or sampled. I really like this site because, again although not all-inclusive or 100% accurate, it usually yields obscure foreign tracks, which I tend to like. Unfortunately, these are often difficult or impossible to locate, but I have pretty good luck at times.

4. Speaking of locating songs, those of you using P2P file-sharing programs likely are already hip to this, but sometimes just typing in a specific song title and seeing if anyone else has done it. Of course, this gets tricky because lots of songs have the same title as other unrelated songs. The most popular method of cover searchers, then, would be to search the word "cover" along with an artist's name and watching what comes up. This can lead you to things you didn't know were out there. Again, the caveat is that you can't always trust people to label files correctly and the next thing you know a million people think the Gourds' cover of "Gin and Juice" is actually by Phish, which simply isn't the case. If you're hunting for foreign covers, sometimes it helps to learn the word for "cover" in the language you seek. For instance, reprise/s in French and coverversion/en in German. Of course, often simply typing "French cover" or "Spanish cover," etc. will bring things up as well.

Another P2P trick is, upon stumbling on a particularly rare or foreign cover from a particular user, to browse said user's files and hunt for similar items. (I know SoulSeek allows this, I'm unsure about other P2Ps). Many is the night I've spent awake browsing a Thai or Japanese or German or [insert every other nationality] user's every file in the hopes of stumbling on an English-title track that sounds familiar. (Note: Only about 1/4 of these usually turn out to be covers. Heh. In fact, I've been thinking of starting a "Copy? Wrong!" site dedicated to interesting/horrifying songs I thought might be covers but weren't.)

5. There are other cover database sites out there, such as Second Hand Songs, but that one in particular is relatively new and not very thorough at this point. And, of course, there's the ever-popular Covers Project, which I'm sorry to say just isn't what it used to be. Even back when it was more user friendly, it was often inaccurate since anyone could submit suggestions. Now it is just seems really weird and limited. for instance, a search of "Celine Dion" returns zero results, despite the fact that there are at least a zillion versions of "My Heart Will Go On"

6. And, last but not least (for today's purposes anyhow), is trusty ol' Google.
Key search phrases in quotes will often yield articles, blog posts, forum logs or artist sites featuring such items. Sometimes you can find out about things this way that you haven't found elsewhere. Here's a quick list of typical searches I might perform on any given day (obviously, don't use brackets, simply substitute what you're looking for where the bracketed words are):

"[artist] cover"
"cover of [artist]'s"
"covering [artist]"
"covered [artist]"
"covered [artist]'s"
"[foreign language] [artist] cover"
"[artist] cover in [foreign language]"
"[artist] tribute"
"tribute to [artist]"

Et cetera.

Anyone else who has any specific resources or tricks or who knows lots of foreign words for "cover," feel free to share via comments. I hope some or all of you found the above information helpful.

Now, for no real reasons except that I'm single and and kind of think Valentine's Day is silly, here is one of my pal Wendy's popular Photoshopped "Single Girl Valentines," which I love:

You better move your feet if you don't wanna eat a meal that's called Fist City.

Here's a special thanks to my always loud-as-hell neighbor. For, if it weren't for her predilection toward having blaring sex entailing vocalizations so worthy of porn I have a difficult time believing there's any real pleasure involved, I wouldn't have been woken up from my first sound sleep of the week to bring you this post. But I must admit, despite once actually liking the band, I'd rather hear her moaning than have to endure the Cocteau Twins albums she constantly plays. Or the infernal monotonous whistling of her boyfriend. I'm really starting to hate this chick.

The Distants "She Sells Sanctuary" (The Cult cover)

Bow Wow Wow "Fools Rush In" (comp. Bloom/Mercer)

Jeronimo "J'ai Peur des Americains (I'm Afraid of Americans)" (David Bowie cover)

Pyeng Threadgill "Close to Me" (The Cure cover)

This Bike is a Pipe Bomb "John Henry" (Traditional)

The Meat Purveyors "Fist City" (Loretta Lynn cover)

Scrawl "Rocky Top" (comp. Bryant & Bryant)
Quick story: When I was 15, I went with my best friend Julie (aka the artist responsible for one of my favorite works of art) dragged me along with her to her friend Sean's family Christmas party. It was weird enough being a jaded, big-haired weirdo in the presence of a bunch of moms and dads grandparents and aunts and uncles and kids we didn't know, but it only got weirder for us when one of said uncles pulled out his guitar and started playing and singing songs. We, of course, had been sneaking liquor into our drinks all night and, by the time the singing started, could barely control our outbursts. When he'd finish singing a song, he'd ask for requests, and ours was always the same: "Rocky Top." Every time we'd request it, he'd tell us he didn't know how to play it. Regardless, we requested it again and again to the point that he started yelling at us and we were asked to leave the basement. When we left the basement, we headed to Sean's room where a few of his young cousins were playing. One of the toys they had was a Santa Claus Pez dispenser. I picked it up, popped off the plastic beard and hat and happily displayed the bare, squinty old man beneath the disguise to all in the room. A few minutes later, when I was in the kitchen getting a soda, Sean's dad (who was a dead ringer for Captain Lou Albano sans rubberbands, BTW), pulled me aside and started berating me, saying, "Why in a million years would you think it's appropriate to unmask Santa in front of children?" I somehow stammered out an apology before running back to Sean's room and collapsing in giggles. And that delightful admonishment could not have occurred were it not for our bizarre "Rocky Top" fixation.

Everybody play the game.

The inspiration for today's post comes from one of those lame "use your shuffle play to create a soundtrack for your life" memes. So, I took the first 18 covers to hit my shuffle play and plugged them in as appropriately as I could. Or something. I quite frequently use my shuffle play to decide my posts, so it's not really that exciting. Enjoy!

Opening Credits:
"These Boots Were Made for Walking" - Little Jimmy Dempsey (Nancy Sinatra cover)

Waking Up:
"Good Day Sunshine" - Hideki (Beatles cover)

First Day At School:
"Schön in Rosa und Rot (Pretty in Pink)" - Le Kanin (Psychedelic Furs)

Falling In Love:
If You Rescue Me (Chanson des Chats) - Gael Garcia Bernal, Sacha Bourdo, Alain Chabat, Aurelia Petit (Velvet Underground cover: "After Hours," sort of)

Fight Song:
"Sabotage" - The BossHoss (Beastie Boys cover)

Breaking Up:
"Caring is Creepy" - Bluegrass Tribute to the Shins (Shins cover)

Prom:
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" - Lash (Beach Boys cover, with a snippet of that song from Freaky Friday thrown in for some reason)

Life:
"Town Called Malice" - Okano Kaori (The Jam cover)

Mental Breakdown:
"Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" - The Poodles (Ultravox cover)

Driving:
"...And Justice for All" - Rockabye Baby (Metallica cover)

Flashback:
"Ashes to Ashes" - Danny Michel (David Bowie cover)

Getting Back Together:
"Ask" - Blue Flame Combo (Smiths cover)

Wedding:
"Play the Game" - Jon Brion (Queen cover)

Birth of Child:
"Thank Heaven for Little Girls" - Ed McMahon (comp. Lerner and Loewe)

Final Battle:
"1, 2 Step" - Kidz Bop Kids (Ciara cover)

Death Scene:
"A+B=Y" - John P. Strohm (Polara cover)

Funeral Song:
"Century of Fakers" - Prague (Belle and Sebastian cover)

End Credits:
"I Know There's an Answer" - Sonic Youth (Beach Boys cover)

I've cheated so long I wonder how you keep track of me.

Hey, I'm back! I started writing this entry about eight days ago and only finished today. That's illness for you. But I'm feeling better. But you know who isn't? My friend's roommate's cat Tigger. [Warning: Sad news and request for donations forthcoming.] He needs a leg amputation to keep his cancer from spreading. If you can/want to spare a few dollars to help her afford his surgery, please read his story and donate here. Sorry to get all serious and beggy for a second there, especially when I've been gone so long, but I thought a few fellow spinsters/animal lovers out there might be able to help and it would be worth my while.

Now back to your regularly scheduled (as if!) selection of covers.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow "Game of Pricks" (Guided by Voices cover)
Before I got crazy sick, I went to see Textbook Committee (a local GBV tribute band) at the Beat Kitchen. Good times. It reminded me that I'd been meaning to post this interesting little take on one of GBV's most covered songs.

Portastatic "Echos Myron" (Guided by Voices cover)
A little straightforward for my cover tastes, but I love Mac McCaughan and I love GBV and I felt I should post two covers. If only I were rich (or even simply employed), I could continue today's GBV love with the purchase of this Holy Grail of GBV posters, whose sale commences in about 13 hours. Alas, it's not meant to be.

Tullycraft "Girl About Town" (Helen Love cover)
In addition to that of GBV, I've been revisiting my guilty pop-punk pleasure in the band Helen Love. And since it's unclear whether this supposedly forthcoming tribute album will come to exist, this and the following track will tide me over a bit.

Ash "Punk Boy" (Helen Love cover)
BTW, have I mentioned how much I want to make out with Ash? Oh yeah, I have.

Creme 21 "Traumfrau (Show Girl)" (German Auteurs cover)
A leftover I forgot to include in my Brit-pop posts.

Bombones "Goonies 'R' Good Enough" (Cyndi Lauper cover)
Because the Goonies 'R' good enough, dammit! Is that long-rumored sequel ever happening? 'Cause I'm in. Especially if they bring back Steve Antin. Heh. That's an inside joke I have with myself. So it's very inside.

A.P.P.L.E. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" (Pete Seeger cover)
I've never understood the long-standing "punks hate hippies" stereotype. I think the punks and hippies at my high school definitely hung out with each other. Punks and hippies have more in common with each other than they do with most people in America. A.P.P.L.E. seems to get this. Maybe.

James Eric "Sexyback" (Justin Timberlake cover)
Sent to me a while back by reader Annie who heard it on 107.1 in New York. What's weird about this is that this Chicago-area James Eric character has been in my periphery for quite some time. I think he's actually from Northwest Indiana, as I reluctantly will admit that I am, and a journalist and photographer and performer. I think I stumbled on some article he wrote a few years back and he's blipped on my radar a few times since. He's one of those "I totally know who you're talking about and I'm surprised I've never met him" types. I know we have mutual friends (Jessica, maybe?) and acquaintances but have apparently never been in the same place at the same time. Perhaps he's the Bizarro version of me. You know, a guy motivated enough to record the music he writes/covers and has somehow managed to use his journalism degree to actually work in the field of journalism? Good for that guy.

Rita Eriksen "I Guess Things Happen that Way" (Johnny Cash cover)
So a slew of Norwegian artists got together one night in an Oslo prison and recorded a Johnny Cash tribute concert and called the resulting recording We Walk the Line. I'm so moving to Scandinavia.

Timo Räisänen "Didn't We Almost Have it All" (Whitney Houston cover)
Speaking of moving to Scandinavia, here is my new Swedish emo (Swemo?) boyfriend Timo Räisänen singing a classic song of love and loss. Sigh. He can even make me want to dance around like an idiot while hating myself for things my government has chosen to do. Not an easy feat to accomplish, to be sure.

The Czars "Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis cover)
I can't express how much I love this cover. An earnest, deep-voiced alt-country male vocal that doesn't change "boys" to "girls"? Sigh. I'm in love! From their all-cover tribute album, Sorry I Made You Cry.

Tiziano Ferro "Stop! Dimentica" (Kelly Osbourne cover)
Perhaps not a true cover, but who can tell? See, Kelly Osbourne sang a song Linda Perry "wrote" that sounds just like Visage's "Fade to Grey." Eventually, this resulted in Perry agreeing to give Billy Currie, Christopher Payne and Midge Ure all the profits of the single. Or at least I think I read that somewhere. (Stereogum, maybe?) So, what happens when an Italian pop singer also "samples" Visage's "Fade to Grey" records a song that sounds almost identical (and with quite similar lyrics, if my Italian is even close to par) to Osbourne's "One Word" with a title that loosely translate to "Stop! You/he/she/it forget/s!"? I don't know, but here it is.

Ida "Little Sack of Sugar" (Woody Guthrie)
Aw. I love Ida. Edit: More specifically, this is from Elizabeth Mitchell from Ida and comes from her children's album You Are My Flower.

Edward Furlong "People are Strange" (The Doors cover)
One of the wrongest songs that exists.

Echoing their joyous strains.

Twelve Girls Band "All I Want for Christmas (Is You)" (Mariah Carey cover)
A few years back I posted My Chemical Romance's version of this, which is still my reigning favorite, but I like this version as well. For different reasons.

Dan Bryk "Hard Candy Christmas" (Dolly Parton cover, from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas)

Innocence Mission "Edelweiss" (comp. Rodgers & Hammerstein, from The Sound of Music)

June "A Wonderful Christmas Time" (Paul McCartney cover)

The Rabid Fans "God Rest Ye Weary Shoeless Joe" (Traditional)
Not a true cover, of course, but it's insane and, therefore, share-worthy.

The Smashup "A Coventry Carol" (Traditional)

Young Fresh Fellows "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (comp. Brooks/Redner)

Leigh Nash "Maybe this Christmas" (Ron Sexsmith cover)

Lena Horne "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (comp. Johnny Marks)

Nicotine "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (Band Aid cover)
I'm always willing to forgive the Japanese for things I'd never forgive US bands for. Why is that, exactly?

Red Flag "Ave Maria" (comp. Schubert)
Man. I haven't thought about Red Flag since my Medusa's days. (Non-Chicago folk: Medusa's was a legendary, multi-story all-ages house/synth/goth/punk/industrial club of the '80s & '90s that pretty much ruled.)

Reind Dears "(White) Christmas" (comp. Irving Berlin)

The Rev. Horton Heat "Santa Bring My Baby Back" (Elvis Presley cover)

Secretariat "Angels We Have Heard on High" (Traditional)

Syd Straw "(I Am Always Touched by Your) Presents, Dear" (Blondie cover)
Leave it to Syd to rework this into a Christmas-themed song. I love Syd Straw so much. I'm a little biased because she is, by far, one of the most fun, gracious performers with whom I've had the pleasure to have a conversation or two. Here's my meeting-Syd story:

More than 10 years ago, I was a hostess at a popular restaurant in Bloomington. Syd came up to pay the bill (I hadn't previously realized she was there) and said something like, "My boyfriend was coming up here to pay the bill, but I've been watching you and I told him I have to go talk to this amazing woman." (I'm not making this up!)

I responded, "Oh my god! You're Syd Straw!" and she was surprised that I knew who she was. I went on to ramble like a star-struck moron about how I had just seen her cameo in Armistead Maupin's Tales From the City, that I loved her repeating role on The Adventures of Pete and Pete on Nickelodeon, that I had seen her sing backup for They Might Be Giants at the Taste of Chicago the year prior, and that I had taped her on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno doing the same. She said, in her amazing, unique southern drawl, "Wow... that's wiiiild."

That same night I went to Second Story to see folksinger Iris DeMent since Syd said she'd be there. She and I wound up in the very back of the bar, talking so loudly people were shushing us. Maybe you're not familiar with Syd, but she is a wonderful singer/songwriter who's worked with or is friends with everybody who is anybody ever. I promise. I don't think anyone who meets her could NOT wind up being her friend. She's terribly funny and sweet. We talked REM, Kurt Cobain and Frances Bean and all the best gossip I can't remember now. Later that week, Syd went to the Thursday night karaoke that I'd told her about and she fabulously sang "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." I bought her a Stoli and cranberry and felt like the shit. When she played in Bloomington like a year and a half later (maybe two), she walked right up to me and said,"Hey, Liza! I bet you thought I wouldn't remember you!" She was right.

About 5 or 6 years ago, I went to see her play at Schuba's and was waiting in line when she walked into the bar and who noticed me immediately and came by to chat. She told me she was nervous but that she thinks it'll be okay "because Elliott Smith is playing on the jukebox. I love Elliott Smith ." And, of course, I was the one who had played the song in the first place. ("Waltz #2," in case you're interested).

Syd's songs are all witty and in that deliciously sentimental country-pop vein. But the best thing about her shows is that, even if you don't know her, you feel like you do. I always feel as if she's the host of a giant party and has been egged on by the guests to play. She is absolutely hilarious and I wish I could be around her all the time.

I don't need you to tell me what's going down.

I'm not in a talky mood.

Class "Yuko & Hiro" (Blur cover)
Many thanks to Peter of Class for sending this my way, as I could not locate my copy anywhere.

The Droyds "North Country Boy" (The Charlatans [UK] cover)

Ether Aura "I Speak Every Word" (Curve cover)

Katscan "Connection" (Elastica cover)

Eläkeläiset "Käänteishumppa (Tattva)" (Kula Shaker cover)
Ah, crazy ol' Eläkeläiset.

Hinterland "For Love" (Lush cover)
Barely sounds like a cover, but whatever. It's one of the most listenable tracks of the mediocre shoegaze tribute albums Never Lose that Feeling Vols. 1&2

Gillian Welch "Black Star" (Radiohead cover)
I love Gillian and was very pleased to discover this.

CelTikA "Creep" (Radiohead cover)
There are a million and half "Creep" covers out there (and a million and a half Radiohead covers in general) and I likely have most of them, so I tried to pick one you'd be less than likely to see someplace else. And you know you were craving Venezuelan power metal anyhow.

Amanda Rogers "No Surprises" (Radiohead cover)

Elvis Costello & the Attractions "What Do I Do Now" (Sleeper cover)

Year of the Rabbit "I Wanna Be Adored" (Stone Roses cover)
This version is okay, but I'm a bit more partial to singer-songwriter Joshua English's version, which you can download for free at his site.

Mr. Hopkinson's Computer "Fools Gold" (Stone Roses cover)
This cover makes me so very happy.

Mick Thomas & the Sure Thing "Made of Stone" (Stone Roses cover)

I Am the World Trade Center "Shoot You Down" (Stone Roses cover)

Flying Saucer Attack "The Drowners" ([The London] Suede cover)

Anthony Wong "Saturday Night" ([The London] Suede cover)

Mountain Goats "Trash" ([The London] Suede cover)

Of Montreal "Alright" (Supergrass cover)
I wasn't going to post this because I think a lot of people have in the past and the quality isn't great, but it was either this or those god-awful versions of "Alright" and "Richard III" from the Donkey Konga games.

Scala & Kolacny Brothers "Bittersweet Symphony" (Verve cover)

Ben Harper "The Drugs Don't Work" (Verve cover)

Chicago, we can change the world.

Link: Our Favorite Chicago mp3 Blogs
Many thanks for the mention to Andrew et al. over at Gapers Block. GB is the only Chicago-related blog I read regularly because its writers— unlike the folks over Chicagoist—aren't simply snark purveyors with poor editing skills. That's right, I said it, but I digress. (As if I should judge anyone else for being too snarky anyhow!) More importantly, thanks to those hip GBers for turning me onto Cake & Polka Parade, of which I was heretofore unaware. I loves me some crazy outsider weirdness.

Something changed.

First I planned to post some Christmas songs. Then I changed my mind and decided to go for actors singing badly. And then the third track listed below hit my shuffle play and I became obsessed with posting covers of hits from the Britpop heyday. These tracks represent the first installment of such, as I couldn't narrow it down to fewer than 20. And that was without finding any covers of Echobelly or Sleeper songs. Know of any? Help a sister out.

The Gimmicks "Girl from Mars" (Ash cover)
Oh, Ash. I want to make out with them.

Terry Edwards & the Scapegoats "Girls & Boys" (Blur cover)
This should be a traditional drinking song, methinks.

Popchor Berlin "Out of Time" (Blur cover)
I. LOVE. POPCHOR. BERLIN.

Tony Evans "Wake Up, Boo!" (Boo Radleys cover)
Oh, my. This comes from a dance instruction CD, so it's watered down... presumably so you can better hear the beats and tango your heart out. Um, yeah. Only included here because I was shocked it existed.

Yazbek "Son of a Gun" (The La's cover)
Hey, did you know that the La's had songs besides "There She Goes"? And that somone covered one of them? Shocking but true.

Celluloide "Light from a Dead Star" (Lush cover)
I've heard a handful of Celluloide covers and they all pretty much sound exactly like this. But that's synthpop for you, I suppose.

Evan Dando "Live Forever" (Oasis cover)
Hey, did you know that there were artists who covered Oasis songs besides "Wonderwall"? We just keep learning new things today, don't we? (And, yes, I have tons of covers of other Oasis songs, I just needed to narrow it down.)

Kind of Like Spitting "Common People" (Pulp cover)
Recorded live at Le Jive Music Cafe in Wyandotte, MI. Wow, Ben sounds so angry. I like it.

Cracklin' Moth "Mis-Shapes" (Pulp cover)
This live version was recorded at Schuba's here in Chicago, as this is a local band. A local band who happens to be playing tonight at The Hideout. A local band I'd actually go check out tonight at The Hideout if:

A. I weren't recovering from a cold
B. I lived anywhere near The Hideout
C. I had any disposable income whatsoever
D. Small, smoky, crowded spaces didn't freak me out
E. All of the above

Answer: E

But don't let my endless list of quirks keep you from going. Vive le rock, and whatnot.

Astrud "Algo Cambió (Something Changed)" (Spanish Pulp cover)
Wow. The mid-song banter in this is so fast, I've no chance of deciphering it. Still, I'm all for foreign-language Pulp covers.

Roisin Murphy "Sorted for E's and Wizz" (Pulp cover)
What? Pulp songs aren't gay enough on their own? In the movie of my life, this could SO be the track playing as I, wearing the tightest silver spandex top in the universe, practically pass out at Vortex at age 19.

And, if you feel I've slighted you on bands performing live Pulp covers, former Bloomington, IN band Cadmium Orange covered "Disco 2000" and you can find it available over at their Musical Family Tree page. (Track 23 from "Too Hungry to Vote.")

It opened up my eyes.

Link: YouTube User DanceTomatoTree
Whoa. Just when I thought I had too much time on my hands and have wasted it by choosing to spend it collecting covers, a Google search leads me to a slew of videos created by Dance Tomato Tree, a YouTuber who has enough time to take cover songs (many of which had been posted here) and replaces the original audio of the original artists' videos with the covers. Like this Twang version if Blur's "Song 2", among many others, such as Chugga Chugga's version of Ace of Base's "The Sign":

I don't mind you coming here.

Console "By This River" (Brian Eno cover)
One of my favorite covers of the past few years. Very pretty. Fans of the Notwist (whose Martin Gretschmann IS Console) and Lali Puna take note. See also the video for their cover of Sonic Youth's "Magnolia":

Neverending White Lights feat. 311's Nick Hexum "Age of Consent" (New Order cover)
Very pretty cover that inexplicably didn't make my New Order-themed post a while back. Neverending White Lights is a "band" or "project" with a rotating cast of performers. The album Act:1: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies includes songs with lead vocals from bands such as Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven, Hum, Creeper Lagoon, Shudder To Think, The Velvet Teen and many more.

Toshi Reagon feat. Marc Anthony "Chocolate Genius" Thompson "Just What I Needed" (The Cars cover)
Another very pretty cover. I guess that's just the mood I've been in lately.

Death Cab for Cutie "World Shut Your Mouth" (Julian Cope cover)
Hey! A DCFC cover that doesn't doesn't sound like Music to Slit Your Wrists By! Who knew?

Giant Sand "The Beat Goes On" (Sonny and Cher cover)
A huge jazz fan I'm not, but I still love this.

Happy Drivers "La Isla Bonita" (Madonna cover)
When I was in high school and college, I had the tendency to bust into hallways and bathrooms and other places with good acoustics and belt out the bridge to "La Isla Bonita" at the top of my lungs. It was pretty powerful stuff. But I like this French punk/rockabilly version, if only for the requisite ze in lieu of the.

The Jesus and Mary Chain "Tower of Song" (Leonard Cohen cover)
One of my favorite bands covers one of my favorite artists. Should be awesome, right? Then why am I sort of falling asleep at my keyboard?

Yum!Yum!ORANGE "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (Bobby McFerrin cover)
I honestly never thought I'd post a cover if this, one of my most-hated songs EVER, but dammit if those Japanese ska bands don't charm my socks right off everytime.


The following songs are from a 2005 German cover compilation called Quotenrocker. It was very difficult to choose which of its 30+ tracks to select, so I put WinAmp on random and picked the first four that came up.

Wolke "Mein Süβes Kind (Sweet Child O' Mine)" (Guns N Roses cover)
Another pretty one. I'm going all soft in my old age.

Little Shepherd "Beate Ausem Block (Jenny from the Block)" (J.Lo cover)
Wow. This is like a terrible car crash from which I inexplicably can't turn away.

Die Sterne "Du Hast Die Welt in Deiner Hand (He Has the Whole World in His Hands)"(Traditional)
I like this a lot. Traditional Bible school-type "hit" that sounds suspiciously like the Beatles' "Rain" gone all Wall of Sound.

Les Garçons "Oh, Glücklichkeit (Sweet Happiness)" (Newby & Johnson)
Okay, here's where I need your help. This is the only song from the disc whose original artist is unknown to me. It sounds super-familiar, but I can't place it. Since I don't have any liner notes, I don't know the songwriter's name and all of my Google searches have been fruitless. It kind of reminds me of a Chicago song, but I'm pretty sure it isn't. Experts in '60s/'70s-era pop (at least that's what it sounds like), please help!

Edit: I have sent an e-mail to a former member of the band in the hopes he can shine some light on this for us. I'll keep you posted as to the results.

Edit 2: Mystery solved!

From Martin H, former guitarist for Les Garçons:

Dear Liza,

Thanks for bringing this gem to my attention. I actually played the guitar
on the track, but most stuff has been added long after I left for the
States. It turned out pretty cheesy, but I guess that's what they wanted.
The original title is 'Sweet Happiness,' which is a Newby & Johnson track.

Best wishes,
Martin

Although Newby & Johnson are a bit obscure in the realms of '60s Northern Soul acts, I know I've heard it before. I'm thinking my dad, who had an extensive R&B/Soul vinyl collection must have exposed me to it at some point.

Rock your baby.

 
Link: Baby Rock Records
Soon to be as ubiquitous as String Quartet tribute albums, lullaby tributes will soon be a softer, gentler way for new rock-loving parents to introduce their babies to the work of their favorite artists. I'm digging the Cure and Radiohead albums, at least partially for the cover art, but if you want to send your little one off to sleep dreaming of Tool or Metallica, you can do that too. Some of the albums listed are forthcoming, but if you click on one that already exists, you can hear a few samples. Quite frankly, I feel as if I should be horrified by this for some reason, but quite the contrary: I'm kind of loving it. I think these might help me battle my insomnia. I can't wait for the Queens of the Stone Age tribute!

You keep sayin' you got somethin' for me.

Blog: Dans Mon Café
Oops. I meant to include this blog in my earlier post. It specializes mostly in yéyé and other French pop of the '60s, some of which are covers. Today's post is chock-full of "These Boots Are Made for Walking" covers, not all of which are by French artists. [Note: Uses a file-sharing site and does not direct link MP3s.]

Where do we go now?

I've decided that I'm going to try, in my own way, to be a better blogger. No, this doesn't mean I'm promising daily posts or anything. Let's not get crazy! But I have a tendency to stumble on things online that I want to share with readers, and then I promptly forget to do so. Mainly this involves finding other cover-sharing blogs or artist sites with cover-related info or downloads or whatever. I usually find these sites and wind up downloading tons of stuff thinking "I'll share it here eventually anyhow." But, let's face it, I could post 10 tracks every 10 minutes for the next 10 years and probably still not be able to share all of my files. Besides, doing it this way saves my bandwidth so I can post other stuff. So, here's my first attempt at it.

Link: Coverlar by Bugotak
This is an all-cover album available for download on Last.fm* by the Siberian Turki Tuvan throat-singing artist Bugotak. It's throat singing, so if you don't like throat singing, so might want to refrain. But if you want to hear the eeriest sounding cover of Nirvana's "Rape Me," I say go for it. And, strangely, though the Beatles' "Come Together" is one of my least favorite Beatles songs (despite being on my favorite Beatles album), I'm digging Bugotak's take.

Link: Live Panum 2006 by VHAB
Another Last.fm* find. Three live covers from Danish band VHAB. They're not great, but I do like that if you told me their version of The Cure's "A Forest" was actually performed by the Cult, I'd believe you.

Link: Io E I Gomma Gommas
One more from Last.fm*, only two tracks available for free download. Io E I Gomma Gommas (an homage to Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Italian-style) is an Italian punk cover band focusing on crafting their own versions of songs from the Italian beat era. Man, everything really HAS been done!

*As far as I know, you don't have to be a logged-in Last.fm user to download their FREE MP3s. If that's not the case, let me know. If that IS the case and you really want the track, you might as well sign up. It's free and, although I was very late to jump the train, it's already proved an invaluable resource to me.

Link: Glitter and Twang
Marcus Kellis is a regular SongFight contributor who is sharing some of the covers he's done, as well as a SongFight-based compilation of The Sound of Music covers entitled Rolf is a Nazi, among other things, on his site. As with all covers by all bands, known or not, there are hits and misses, but Rolf is a Nazi does amuse & entertain me in equal amounts. My favorites of the lot: "Do Re Mi," "I Have Confidence" and "The Lonely Goatherd." (And while I'm referencing "Goatherd," may I just say that the new Gwen Stefani track that samples it makes me gag.)

Link: Cheryl Ladd Music
Hey, did you know that model/actress Cheryl Ladd was also a "singer"? Neither did I until I began planning an upcoming post dedicated (mostly) to really bad covers by celebrity cover that shouldn't exist. Like most model/actors-turned-songbirds, I'm not sure I can recommend her songs sans irony, but if you're a collector of kitsch like me, you'll be down. The featured tracks are not all covers, I'll let you suss out for yourselves which might be. (Note: MP3s on said page are only 96kbps.)

Blog: Cover Freak
Just as there's always room for Jello, there is always room for more covers. I do have a small "Covers" section over on my blogroll to the right, but just in case you don't regularly check it for updates, I want to keep you in the know. Copy, Right? fan Steve operates this newer cover blog that, thus far, has been similar to mine in that it's usually all-over-the-map. He's also recently posted a few tracks I've posted in the past, so it's not a bad idea to keep tabs on what he's doing if you've been dismayed that I refuse to repost songs.


Caveat: The following blogs do not direct link MP3s, but instead use a file-sharing service instead to share files. Often these are large .rar or .zip files. If you do not enjoy waiting for downloads—and often being bombarded with ads while you do so—or you do not have a .zip- or .rar-opening program, these might not be the sites for you. But, if there's something you see there that you desperately have to have, it could be worth the trouble.

Blog: Fong Songs
Not always covers and not always music, but generally cover-heavy.

Blog: Germans Under Cover
Blog dedicated to German covers, with accompanying well-researched information-packed articles.

Blog: Mexicovers
Blog dedicated to Mexican cover, often with accompanying well-researched information-packed articles or liner notes.

In our lifetime those who kill, the news world hands them stardom. And these are the ways on which I was raised.

The Now Time Delegation "Nothing But a Heartache" (The Flirtations cover)
I had never heard the original version of this song until the fabulous Rhino box set One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found came out last year. And though it's difficult to pick a favorite from a collection so chock-full of gems, this song was (and is) defintitely my No. 1. Similarly, until I'd heard the original last year and went on an immediate hunt for any band who might have covered this track, I was unaware of The Now Time Generation—a punk/garage/soul indie supergroup featuring members of the BellRays and Monkeywrench, among others, that sprung from the ashes of the King Sound Quartet. As I suspected, any band that would cover this would instantly become a New Favorite Thing [TM]. Their Watch for Today album is about half lively contemporary covers of soul and mod classics and half originals that sound like lively contemporary covers of soul and mod classics. It's pretty awesome.

Chris Cacavas "Someone to Pull the Trigger" (Matthew Sweet cover)
This hit my shuffle play the other day and I thought, "I don't remember having a cover of this by Neil Young!" Heh. I didn't. Upon closer listening, I don't hear it as Young-ian (clever, no?) as I did previously, but it's a sweet little Americana version nonetheless. And don't get me started on what an impact such a lovelorn, suicidal anthem (or any Altered Beast track, really) had on College Liza back in the day. My heart breaks all over listening to any version.

Somewhat related: My former coworker Chad has a tattoo of of the dinosaur logo from Altered Beast. Now that's dedication. Adorable, adorable dedication.

Robyn "Jack U Off" (Prince cover)
As I've mentioned previously, I'm loving Scandinavian artists lately. (BTW, Swedes Please is my favorite drug.) Robyn's 2005 album is one of my favorite albums of that year. And, hell, this year too. I can't get enough. She's adorably bad-ass. I'd been hunting for this a while and reader Jerker sent it my way. Callou callay, says I. What a cute little vulgar song!

Altered Images "Song Sung Blue" (Neil Diamond cover)
It's weird. I love Altered Images' originals. I mean, what would Sixteen Candles have been without "Happy Birthday"? And how inspiringly poppy was "I Could Be Happy"? Granted, even back then, I could see how Clare Grogan's voice could be like nails on a chalkboard to many, but I kind of liked that it was so high-pitched and thought it added to the charm of the songs. And she was so cute in Gregory's Girl. Maybe I'm getting old or something, but hearing this cover kind of makes me want to beat someone up.

Cadaveric Sludge Dispenser Unit "Consequence of Sounds" (Regina Spektor cover)
Whoa. This is just plain strange. When any band covers one of my favorite new performers, I take note. And often—even after collecting covers as long as I have been and seeing tons of bands covering the work of artists I can't even believe they've even heard of—I'm surprised. I rarely expect gore outfits with names like Cadaveric Sludge Dispenser Unit to cover quirky little anti-folksters like Regina Spektor. Maybe it was the fact that the song references "bowels" that drew CDSU to it. Or maybe the fact that they only had to play a note or two on their synthesizer. Or maybe they're huge Spektor fans. That's the beauty of the out-of-character cover. You choose your own adventure.

Epoxies "Join the Professionals" (The Professionals—or The Fabulous Stains—cover)
So, the Sex Pistols broke up and Steve Jones and Paul Cook started The Professionals. But that's not the important part. The important part is that they showed up in the cult hit Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains (with Ray Winstone acting as the lead singer) as the Looters and sang it. Then the more important part is when the heroine—a spunky, young, see-through-shirt-wearing Diane Lane—steals the song and makes it her own (aka much worse). (But not quite as iffy as her only other song.) Then, after much turmoil, her band goes on to make a mainstream new-wavey pop video of it. And most importantly, the Epoxies covered it and now it's featured here. I'm really liking their cover choices.

Note: The Donnas-esque (although a bit poppier, kind of like Lindsay Lohan's band in Freaky Friday or something from the Valley Girl soundtrack/s) California band Rocket does a pretty good cover of this as well and you can hear it when you visit their site. I don't have the scratch to buy the EP it's on just now (nor their other cover-filled record), but it will happen soon. BTW, Why isn't everything in the world available as purchasable downloads yet? I thought this was the future!

Faye Wong "Silent All These Years" (Chinese Tori Amos cover)
I'm sorry to report that I'm unsure whether this is the Cantonese or Mandarin version. Anyone?

Edit: The verdict is in and Mandarin wins.

Larrikin Love "A Horse with No Name" (America cover)
The Tower Records by my house, like all Tower Records locations, is going out of business. Generally, I don't latch onto corporations, but I must admit Tower was good to me. Not so much musicwise, 'cause their shit is expensive, but definitely on the movie rental and magazine selection fronts. Seriously, the magazine department was sick. (This is the first time I've ever used sick in its new "cool" compliment variation. I'm not so sure it works for me.) Anyhow, the good thing about the store closing is that back issues of magazines are 75% off, which means for a while I can actually afford British publications, such as September's issue of Q, which came with a CD brimming with '70s soft-rock hits. This is one of the better covers from said disc.

Flat Pack "Sweet Child O' Mine (Mylo Club Mix)" (Guns N Roses cover)
As regular readers know, Axl would have been ultra safe hiding in my hair. Just sayin'. I like this version. It makes me want to break out the acid-wash and dance.

Russian Love "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" (Morrissey cover)
Morrissey was in town last night. I didn't go to see him, and I haven't since the Kill Uncle tour a few days before my 19th birthday in '91. At the time, it was both the shortest and most expensive concert I'd ever been to. Morrissey was surly back then and I was unimpressed, unlike the person who wrote this who described it as "excellent." I vowed never again to pay to see him, but in recent years I must admit I've thought about amending my stance. But the tickets are even pricier now, so forget it.

This all said, I was fortunate enough to meet him back in my Borders days one day when he was shopping. I made an ass of myself telling him how his music helped me get through high school, but at least I only did so after he approached my coworker and me outside and asked us for directions to another bookstore. (It was a pet peeve of mine to approach celebrities in general, let alone while working.) We walked him halfway to the Barnes & Noble and he was pretty gracious in the face of my fumbling attempt to thank him for the impact his body of work had on me. The only thing that would have been better would have been if he would have put us on the guest list for his show that night a la the keyboard player from the Fixx, but I digress.

"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" has long been my favorite solo Morrissey track, and Russian Love are Scandinavian, so here we are.

The Jimmies "Chevy Van" (Sammy Johns cover)
Sometimes you're just in the mood for a "Chevy Van" cover. Today was that day for me. And while punk bands are usually not my thing, I must admit that if The Jimmies were the regular band at any bar in my neighborhood, I'd go check them out from time to time.

Twang "Song 2 (Blur cover)
Whether I love or loathe shticky all-cover bands depends on the day. Today I'm choosing to love Twang because there are millions of "Song 2" covers and 99% of them sound exactly the same, whether performed by pop, acoustic, grunge, metal or punk acts. And 99% of those completely SUCK. Granted, I'm a huge Blur fan and "Song 2" is quite possibly my least favorite song in their catalog so I'm biased from the get-go, but at least Twang did something different with it.

The Vienna Boys Choir "Supreme" (Robbie Williams cover)
Hey, apparently it's "Singers I've Met" day here at Copy, Right? Robbie Williams was already huge for years in Europe by the time The Ego Has Landed was scheduled for US release. And the record label was touting him as the next big American thing. (Um, never really happened, sirs.) I got invited to a very swank, chichi Robbie Williams record industry showcase, which was primarily populated by EMI execs wearing suits. I was at the tail end of my phase involving hating all things mainstream pop back then, and I went to the show for the free top-shelf liquor and shrimp appetizers. I was aware of Williams and Take That and his reputation as a megalomaniac. I was expecting a really lame performance by a total jerk. But he was extremely charismatic, energetic performer who admitted being humbled by the fact that he can walk the streets here without being accosted. My "meeting" him was nothing more than saying something like, "Hi, I really enjoyed that" and overhearing him say that he was gong to have a smoke outside because, again, he was excited not to be bombarded. I remember him being super-short, but have since read that he's either 6'0" or 6'1" or so. I'm not sure if there's an exaggeration going on somewhere or if I was just really drunk. I'm 6'0" and remember looking down at him. Maybe he was standing in a hole.

Since my experience back in the day, I have really come to enjoy Robbie Williams. In fact, I've listened to his new electro album Rudebox—which features lots of covers, reworkings, allusions and homages of/to acts such as Manu Chao, Human League, Stephen Duffy, the Pet Shop boys and more—more this week than any other. And "Supreme" is one of my favorite songs of all time. I sent this track to my friend Ray and his response was:

Brilliant. Hearing a boys choir sing "all the handsome men are gay" makes
me feel wrong. And a little turned on.

I feel the same way about that and the "switch teams" part. Seriously, I love "Supreme," particularly for using the tune from "I Will Survive" in a way that doesn't send me into a homicidal frenzy. Seriously, do we ever need to hear anyone anywhere sing that tired track ever again?

MakroSoft "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Answer: Maybe. MakroSoft (Ruediger Esch of Die Krupps, Trini Trimpop of Die Toten Hosen and trumpeter/composer Juergen Hahn) have put out an album called Stereo Also Playable Mono that is full of covers that sound as if they should be on Cinecitta soundtracks or '60s James Bond theme compilations. This would be on the latter, and again: no homicidal thoughts. I'm going soft in my old age.

Mikiko "Human Nature" (Michael Jackson cover)
Sheesh! I don't know how you real bloggers out there write something about everything you post. I'm exhausted after this "write a lot" entry, and I really didn't even have to do research or give an responsible, professional review of anything. I don't know that to say about this track, so I'll let Sony Music Online Japan's "helpful" description speak for me:

Clear air in every respect! Listening to her voice, you can feel a brisk wind.

And there you have it.

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And by "everyone" I mean US residents. And by US residents, I mean those who like to celebrate genocide by binge eating. Mmmm! Cranberries!

A god-awful small affair.

Wow, the week got away from me for a sec. Here is a mish-mash of foreign (in more than one sense of the word) or folky covers that have made me smile for whatever reason this week. Sorry I don't have more time (or inclination, more accurately) to write more right now. (I used the word more three times in that sentence. That's how guilty I feel for neglecting you all!)

Mummy the Peepshow "Fairytale in the Supermarket" (Raincoats cover)

Absurd Minds "Let the Music Play" (Shannon cover)

Kate Rogers "Here Comes Your Man" (Pixies cover)

Hanne Hukkelberg "Break My Body" (Pixies cover)

Frida (Anni-Frid Lyngstad of Abba) "Liv pa Mars" (Swedish David Bowie cover)

Hitomi Shimatani "Papillon" (aka "Doesn't Really Matter") (Japanese Janet Jackson cover)

David Kitt "Teenage Riot" (Sonic Youth cover)

Joshua Radin "Only You" (Yaz/Yazoo cover)

Neena Foundry "Indiana Wants Me" (R. Dean Taylor cover)
Now-defunct Bloomington, IN band. (Members went on to bands such as Old Pike, The Brand Plastic and Pony Boy, among others, I'm sure.)

**********

And the three following songs are from what is currently my favorite Depeche Mode tribute album, DMDK: A Danish Celebration of Depeche Mode:

Sterling "Nyt Liv (New Life)" (Danish Depeche Mode cover)

CPH Jet "Just Can't Get Enough" (Depeche Mode cover)

Mikael Simpson "Det er Ligemeget (It Doesn't Matter Two)" (Danish Depeche Mode cover)

**********

Also check out local band The Grackles' cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" here, which was mixed by Carl Saff, formerly of Bloomington, IN band Pencil.

Likewise, there are a handful of pretty covers available for download on Liz Durrett's MP3 page, my favorite of which is the Vic Chesnutt duet of "Somewhere" from West Side Story.

Calling all dandy highwaymen!

The other day, I accidentally stumbled on a web site designed to carefully guide you through the difficult task of selecting which era-specific Adam Ant costume best suits you along with guidelines on what is needed to create each look. May I just say how awesome that is? It inspired me to do an artist-specific post because Adam Ant albums see more time on my turntable than any others.

OK Go "Ant Music" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Hyper "Ant Music" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Epoxies "Beat My Guest" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Bombay Black "Desperate But Not Serious" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Family of Hindus "Lady" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Hipster Daddy-O "Goody Two Shoes" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Unwritten Law "Goody Two Shoes" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Nine Inch Nails "Physical (You're So)" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Rocket From the Crypt "Press Darlings" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Frigid Vinegar "Prince Charming" (Adam and the Ants cover)

XXL (Xiu Xiu/Larsen) "Prince Charming" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Society Burning "Stand and Deliver" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Sugar Ray "Stand and Deliver" (Adam and the Ants cover)

Fangoria feat. Terry IV "Viva el Rock" (Adam and the Ants cover, in Spanish)

Coachwhips "Whip in My Valise" (Adam and the Ants cover)

I won't have to cry no more.

Bombones "Stroke of Genius" (Freelance Hellraiser cover, by way of Christina Aguilera and the Strokes)
I believe I jokingly once told a friend back in the initial heyday of mash-ups that I wanted to start a mash-up cover band. You can imagine how excited I was to discover this existed.

Budget Girls "Glad All Over" (The Dave Clark Five cover)
In my grand tradition of being very mildly acquainted with people who start bands that achieve slight success, I once had friends who were friends of one or both of the Budget Girls during their stint living in Bloomington, IN. I believe Christen and I might have spoken a sentence or two to one another at some point. I had one of their 7-inches, but can't find it anywhere now. Hearing this reminds me of fun, drunken times.

Camera Obscura "Modern Girl" (Sheena Easton cover)
I really like Camera Obscura, but even if I'd never heard of them, I have to admit they would have had me at "Sheena Easton cover."

Cash Nexus "Number Three" (They Might Be Giants cover)
Lyrics have been altered (a little iffily, but whatever, I find self-effacement charming) to indicate the "theft" of the original.

The Editors "Orange Crush" (REM cover)
Hmmm. Yep. It sounds like the Editors covering REM, and that's cool with me.

The Captain Howdy "Always Something There to Remind Me" (comp. Bacharach/David)
So I'm listening to this and thinking, "This guy sounds just like Penn Jillette." And, lo and behold, it is. After catching his totally obnoxious appearance a while back on Celebrity Poker Showdown, I vowed to do my best to avoid any project with which he's involved. But if Kramer's producing and the result is a completely reworked classic, I suppose I'm willing to make an exception.

Thea Gilmore "Ever Fallen in Love" (Buzzcocks cover)
The best cover of this I've heard in ages, and the prettiest as well.

Stereo Total "Get Down Tonight" (KC & the Sunshine Band cover)
When Stereo Total covers anything, I listen. Often.

Poster Children "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing" (Heaven 17 cover)
Oh, Poster Children! I was mildly obsessed with them in the mid-'90s, and recently my love for Heaven 17 has been revived thanks to the purchase of a few 49-cent used LPs. Man, my editorial today is boring as hell. Or is it... ?

Witchy Poo "Moonshadow" (Cat Stevens cover)
Sometimes I post things not only because they're great or strange (this is somewhere between the two, very Waitsian), but also because I 've a desperate need to force people to read about my geeky past. That's what's happening here, people:

In 5th-grade music class at my NW Indiana Catholic grade school, we generally sang songs about God, America or the one about the mule named Sal and barges and bales. But every so often, Mr. Borgetti, our fey, young, Hawaiian-shirt-clad instructor would bring in "popular," "modern" songs. (Read: Songs that were popular within a decade or two before, but that we'd at least heard on the radio at some point.) This—along with another Stevens classic, "Morning Has Broken"—was one of said hits. We weren't as excited about the Stevens songs as we were about "Arthur's Theme," of course, because that song was only a year old. And fantastic. Seriously, when Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross AND Carole Bayer Sager get together to pen a theme, you'd better believe it will kick ass—but I digress.

So, there we were singing "Moonshadow" in class on "music days." (I think we only had music class once or twice a week.) Later, it was determined that it would be one of the songs we'd be singing at some evening chorus extravaganza. But there were problems. First, apparently there was no way a group of priests, nuns and Catholic parents paying for private school were going to accept a 5th-grade (or any grade, I suppose) class singing the line: "And will you stay the night." Therefore the line was changed to: "And will it be all right?" Okay, whatever. We didn't want to go to hell or anything.

The second problem was one that was never adequately explained to us, but we had no choice but to go along: For some odd reason, Mr. Borgetti did not feel comfortable with the class singing said line the way it is in the song. In the song, "And are you gonna stay the night"—or in our case, "And will it be all right"—was more like: "And are you gonna stay the ni-i-i-i-ght." We were repeatedly warned not to sing the "i-i-i" version.

Of course, my best friend Julie (we're still friends) was quite the class clown and troublemaker and devised the dastardly plan that, during our big performance, we would INDEED sing the "i-i-i" part. Several times during rehearsals she'd gather everyone together and remind us to do it. And again right before the show. It was a scandalous idea, and we were all on board. Until we were actually on stage. As it turns out, no one but Julie truly had the guts to buck the system and she loudly sang the "i-i-i" part while the rest of us sang the blander version. Talk about being totally lame and bad-ass at the same time! She was furious at us and so was Mr. Borgetti. He attempted a witch hunt to find the "i-i-i" culprit, but none of us would rat Julie out. She'd have killed us.

That's the one great thing about Catholicism: You can lie your ass off and simply confess later and be free of sin. It almost makes me miss it. Almost.

No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong. (Except dorky MP3 bloggers, of course.)

I hope this "post a whole bunch of tracks approximately once a week" thing isn't too annoying for you. It seems to be the pattern that's suiting me best lately.

Tralala "Never Understand" (The Jesus and Mary Chain cover)
I've been revisiting my 1990s obsession with shoegaze lately, so I figured I'd hunt out a few of the acts who've covered some of my fave shogazers. [See next three songs as well.]

Mirafiori "No Te Necesito (I Don't Need You)" (My Bloody Valentine cover in Spanish)

Deerhoof "Lose My Breath" (My Bloody Valentine cover)

Ochiqueochenta "Little Trouble Girl" (Sonic Youth cover, partially in Spanish)

Chugga Chugga "The Sign" (Ace of Base cover)
I find this adorably charming and hope some of you do too, but don't get too attached as this fresh-out-of-high-school collaboration is now defunct.

Lena Horne and Gabor Szabo "Rocky Raccoon" (Beatles cover)
I was shopping at Hi-Fi Records a few weeks ago and they were playing this and I was immediately hooked.

Jon Auer "Beautiful Stranger" (Madonna cover)
I'd almost forgotten about the original. This version annoys me far less.

Magnolia Electric Co. "Werewolves of London" (Warren Zevon cover)
These guys are pretty popular nowadays, it seems. Good for them, I say, as they are from my home away from home, Bloomington, IN and whenever they're in Memphis they stay with my best friend Ryan. They're playing in Chicago tonight at the Abbey Pub, although I won't be seeing them because I'm going to the Dresden Dolls show. But you should go. Really.

Zombina and the Skeletones "Where is My Mind?" (Pixies cover)
Am I the only person in the world who finds the sound of babies laughing and crying super creepy? Apparently not.

Unknown Japanese Artist "That's Entertainment" (The Jam cover)
This is on a '97 Jam tribute album called English Rose, but I've been unable to find any sites that translate the artist's name into English. Edit: Reader Denis has translated the artist as Hachima Yoshihiro, drummer for Dekishiido Za Emonzu. Thanks!

Kiki and Herb "Why" (Annie Lennox cover)
I saw a free screening of John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus the other day and loved it. Justin Bond of Kiki and Herb is in it, fabulous as ever. It reminded me that I've never posted a K&H track here. Vive le catty gay drag cabaret!

All the dreams that we were building... we never fulfilled them.

Sorry so long between posts. I had jury duty last week and my friend visited over the weekend and I all but forgot my position as an Internet superstar. Heh.

Aaaanyhow, all of today's selections came to me courtesy of my free eMusic.com trial. eMusic truly is a treasure trove of independent tribute albums and individual covers. That you can search by track titles helps a lot. I spared you the a capella results. Because I care.

Dipstick vs. Barbara Manning "These Days" (Nico cover, comp. Jackson Browne—or maybe it's a cover of Browne's own version, who knows?)
About a decade ago I was temporarily obsessed with SF Seals and Barbara Manning. I was happy to stumble on this.

Gémeas "Lessons in Love" (Level 42 cover)
Not the only cover on their Sigo A Viagem album, but the best.

Jacqui Naylor "Lola" (Kinks cover)
Lately I've been pleasantly surprised by covers of which I thought I never needed to hear another version again. That is the case here as well.

Lisa Loeb "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" (Cher cover)
I know there are people out there who worship Lisa Loeb, but more often than not I'm left with the overwhelming feeling of "meh" upon hearing her songs. This song elicits the same feeling, but I'm guessing some readers might be interested.

Oizone "Baby Can I Hold You" (Tracy Chapman cover)
Lately covers of this Tracy Chapman tearjerker have been surfacing left and right. This oi version probably strays from the somber tone of the original the most, but it's intriguing in that "THEY covered THIS???" way.

O.V.N.I. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" (Abba cover)
I kind of like the psych trance intro to this better than Madonna's sample in "Hung Up."

St. Fiachra's Junior School Choir "Sweetest Thing" (U2 cover)
This track is from Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 3, which unlike its predecessors is dedicated solely to U2. I've never been a huge U2 fan (especially post-The Unforgettable Fire), but I like children's choirs.

Sunnysmack "Tom Courtenay" (Yo La Tengo cover)
Hmmmm. I can't decide how I feel about this.

The Fabulous Rudies "99 Luft Ballons" (Nena cover)
You really can't swing your arms in your favorite P2P program without hitting a California ska cover of this. But one in the original German? Now that's a feat.

The Red Paintings "Mad World" (Tears for Fears cover)
It's so funny to me that covers of this are everywhere now that Donnie Darko is a cult hit. I swear that before that movie practically no one I know was aware of any TFF songs beyond "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." But "Mad World" is a great song, so I guess I shouldn't begrudge anyone the chance to cover it, however predictable I find it. This band is opening for the Dresden Dolls show I'm going to next week. I must admit I'm intrigued.

Trash Pour 4 "Take on Me" (A-ha cover)
I know I should be tired of lounge acts covering ubiquitous hits, but I'm not if they're done well.

Undermine X "Maps" (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)
I must be in a good mood today because the idea of this garage metal cover pleases me.

Wanda Jackson "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" (Shania Twain cover)
There is a bit of sacrilege in the fact that Wanda is covering Shania and not the other way around, but whatever. I don't hate Shania and I LOVE Wanda, so I'll take whatever she gives.

I need someone to take some joy from something I do.

I've been meaning to bring up what I think is thus far my favorite tribute album of the year, the Belle and Sebastian tribute A Century of Covers. I'm a great fan of B&S and there are very few tracks on this tribute that I don't like, and it's turned me on to a slew of international artists I now want to further check out.

Bob Corn "I'm Waking Up to Us" (Belle and Sebastian cover)
This one is my favorite, which sounds as if it's the product of a love child of Will Oldham and Paolo Conte. Heaven!

Billie the Vision and the Dancers "I'm a Cuckoo" (Belle and Sebastian cover)

John Wayne Shot Me "Waiting for the Moon to Rise" (Belle and Sebastian cover)


Oh, and did I mention that, if you like the few tracks I've shared, you can get them along with EVERY OTHER TRACK ON THE ALBUM in .rar form right here from the gal who curated it, who also offers links to the participating bands? Pretty cool, no?

Now, unrelated to B&S, I will present what has become my guiltiest cover pleasure lately. It's been around for years and it's sort of an abomination because I cherish the original so, but I can't help loving it:

Primal Scream feat. Kate Moss "Some Velvet Morning (New Version Extended Mix)" (Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood cover)

The message lost in this machine.

I'm kicking myself for linking to AOL, trust me, but you can stream the Yeah Yeah Yeahs covering the Rentals' "The Love I'm Searching For" here. Would that I were technologically savvy enough to turn it into an MP3, but I'm not. No, that wasn't a hint or anything. Far be it for me to recommend stealing from the AOL overlords.

It's harder than it looks.

Around this time last year, I posted a cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" by Norway's Susanna and the Magical Orchestra that I really loved. (Me love a Scandinavian act who covers songs? Never!) Luckily for me, I learned recently that SATMO (my abbreviation, not theirs) released an all-cover album this year entitled Melody Mountain. Here are a couple featured on said album:

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" (AC/DC cover)
When this track started I had one of those freaky "I know all of the lyrics to this song but I can't place it" moments. Of course, when it got to the chorus, I figured it out, but it's refreshing to hear a cover that isn't nearly identical to the original for a change.

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen cover)
The original is probably close to No. 1 on my list of all-time favorite songs, and it's been covered several times by several artists. Even my favorite cover by John Cale doesn't stray far from the original in terms of pace, melody and overall feel of the original, which is near perfect. This version, though, has hit me in a new way. It's unbelievably the saddest version yet, and when it ends I want more.

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra "Enjoy the Silence" (Depeche Mode cover)
By the time Depeche Mode's Violator came out, "alternative" was starting to become a buzz word to describe a lot of the music I was into and my backlash started. "Enjoy the Silence" was my least favorite track on the album, at least partially because everyone and their brother seemed to love it. (Not to mention that my crazy bisexual boyfriend at the time had inexpicably declared it "our song," the concept of which just plain irked me with its lameness.) Surprisingly, I can stomach this version. Maybe I'm just in a stark, ethereal mood lately.