STREAM: YACHT - I'll Be Your Mirror (Velvet Underground Cover)
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(Photo: Alin Dragulin)
Surprising covers happen so often these days that, well, they aren't much of a surprise. But, after they took on Brigitte Fontaine and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, it would only make sense that YACHT covers the Velvet Underground. Right? Sure. It works as singer Claire L. Evans channels Nico while Jona Bechtolt transforms VU's spare jangles into stripped-down electronics.
STREAM: Iron & Wine - One More Try (George Michael Cover)
This one gets my full support as whispery beardo songwriter Iron & Wine jams one straight through the heart with a cover of George Michael's "One More Try." Subtle orchestration and organ lay a bed for some beautiful vocals to lead the way. Your memories will take care of the rest. Hear more on a limited 7-inch that comes June 18 as part of Suicide Squeeze's singles collection.
DOWNLOAD: Chet Faker - No Diggity (Blackstreet Cover)
Who doesn't love "No Diggity?" Maybe those without hearts or souls! Luckily for the rest of us, there's been a development on the 'I like the way you work it' front – a fantastic cover of the Blackstreet-plus-Dre original by Melbourne downtempo electro artist Chet Faker. While most covers nod and pay tribute to a classic, Faker does something more immense and mysterious, completely changing the song's tone towards a sleek, cinematic, sex-in-the-pool sort of vibe. His EP, Thinking In Textures, comes May 22 on Downtown Records.
STREAM: Mastodon - A Commotion (Feist Cover)
In honor of Record Store Day, Mastodon and Feist have created a split 7-inch where they’ve covered each other’s songs. Here’s the Atlanta metal band reinterpretation of Feist’s “A Commotion,” which comes off her recent album Metals. This new version of the indie rock number is aggressive and punchy, invigorating the song with a burst of raw energy and charging guitars. So, basically, if you’ve ever wondered how Feist would sound with double bass drums, here’s your answer.
STREAM: Beck - I Only Have Eyes For You
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Classic songs are really so much better, aren't they? Like this Beck version of "I Only Have Eyes For You" – probably the soundtrack to falling in love for, what, thousands of people over the last gazillion years. It's all part of a project called "Song 1" by multimedia artist Doug Aitken that has turned the outside of the Hirshhorn Museum in DC into a 360 degree surface for projections. The soundtrack for the exhibition? Lots of covers of this song! Beck's is the best.
Stream: Beck - I Only Have Eyes For You [Pitchfork]
STREAM: Nick Cave & Deborah Harry - The Breaking Hands
Really, does it get any better than this for a legitimate piano-led duet? Nick Cave and Deborah Harry can certainly embody a rough life lived hard and that's what they do with gruff voices, deep piano chords and an incessant orchestral buzz on "The Breaking Hands." This Gun Club cover of a song originally released in 1987 is part of The Journey Is Long – a benefit for the Jeffrey Lee Pierce Foundation, which offers instruments to underprivileged children in Los Angeles.
Stream: Nick Cave & Deborah Harry - The Breaking Hands [Soundcloud]
STREAM: Sleigh Bells - Irreplaceable (Beyoncé Cover)
(Photo: Patrick O'Dell)
Sleigh Bells – so punk, so pop. The duo stopped by Zane Lowe's show on BBC 1 to show just how far those pop chops stretch. Yes, for real, they covered Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable" for a Maida Vale session. Awesome in concept, awesome in execution.
STREAM: The Kills - Pale Blue Eyes (Velvet Underground Cover)
Like we discovered with Chromatics earlier this week, covering a GREAT song can be a tricky proposition. Here, Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" gets redone by The Kills. Does the sweetness of the original come across? We think so!
