covers

The very best cover songs are those which have become woven into the pop culture fabric so much so that they supercede the original. Featured here are some of my choice picks. The Keane cover of With Or Without You I’ve gone through before; Anberlin’s A Day Late isn’t exactly a cover when its the same artist doing the song (albeit acoustically) and you might not have known that There She Goes is actually a cover, with the originally slightly more popular still in the UK.

 

With Or Without You

U2 versus Keane

 

A Day Late

Anberlin versus Anberlin (acoustic)

There She Goes

The Las versus Sixpence None The Richer

you can do anything

the zutons

1. Always Right Behind You

2. Bumbag

3. Family Of Leeches

The third studio album of this Liverpool rock outfit was released a month ago, and it has steadily been climbing up my playlist. You would be hard pressed to shoehorn their music into a genre, but psychedelic cartoon punk sounds apt. Regardless, they fly the flag well for Merseyside, something which the resident football clubs often fail to do =p

let’s take it back

to the good old days

1. Love In The First Degree

2. Let’s Go

3. Never Gonna Give You Up

Retro music often provokes a love-it-or-hate-it reaction. It could be a case of living in the past, but who’s to say that’s a bad thing? Many a gem from the 60s, 70s and 80s continue to rock dancefloors today. Whether you pound the podiums like a seasoned pro or you’re an occasional punter with a taste for nostalgia, there’s a certain magic in these old tunes which one would be hard pressed to discover in modern hits.

lcd soundsystem

bleeps bloops and beeps

1. Someone Great

2. North American Scum

3. All My Friends

Been in an experimental state of mind lately, mind wandering through various states of clarity and illusion, but of course the inner workings of one’s mind should mean little to you, what matters is that the good music gets served up. I’m pleased to announce that after a little hiatus, this joint is back in business. Presenting LCD Soundsystem, a funky little outfit that cleverly mixes dance with punk to produce surprisingly catchy music. All My Friends was named as the #4 song of the year by TIME magazine, and you’d be inclined to feel the same way once you immerse yourself in the hypnotic drum, guitar and base lines that populate the soundscape they weave. R2-D2 would be proud.

leftfield

one of the best electronica acts ever

1. Phat Planet

2. Melt

3. Snakeblood

It takes a discerning music fan to appreciate electronic music. One has to acknowledge and appreciate that assorted bumps; clicks; bleeps, bloops and what have you can mesh together to produce some semblance of music. However, once one has attained this level of enlightenment, auditory nirvana awaits. No, not Kurt Cobain, we present to you Leftfield. This English duo defy genrelization (and generalization), making music that takes all that is good in electronica and refining it into something greater than the sum of its parts. You will be too, after listening to them. Enjoy.

the next band you've heard before

the fratellis

1. Look Out Sunshine

2. My Friend John

3. Mistress Mabel

Here's more of the same from the Scottish trio who brought us Costello Music in '06. Not that its a bad thing. The tracks on Here We Stand, their second offering, may not be as effervescent as their irresistible debut, but all the familiar elements are there, along with the 60s-esque sound and the vocals of frontman Jon Fratelli who sounds like he's having fun throughout, something which you'll feel yourself sharing in as you listen to the cd (now that was one helluva long sentence, for which I apologize but will make no amends). I wouldn't go as far as to say that the band has turned more mellow on their second outing, but it would be fair to say that the songs have a slower burn than before. Nevertheless its still good stuff which you shouldn't sleep on, go grab it now. Yes, right now.

hard-fi

 

1. Little Angel

2. Suburban Knights

3. Television

Time to take things back to Ye Olde Continent (Europe for all the uninformed ones out there), and with that said we present to you Hard-Fi, an English indie outfit. I chanced upon them while browsing at a local record store, with the bright yellow cover of their second album (pictured above) instantly catching attention. That very intention lack of album art has been dissed as being one of the worst album covers ever, while the cover for their first album, Stars of CCTV was hailed as one of the best ever. Regardless of your opinion on their artistic choices, one can hardly find much fault with their music. Accessible to the masses without being diluted for consumption, you'll find them a pretty good listen indeed.