cover of the week – we will become silhouettes

This week The Shins acoustic-up the terribly catchy apocalyptic electro-pop tune We Will Become Silhouettes originally by the Postal Service. Dig it.

We Will Become Silhouettes – The Shins

We Will Become Silhouettes – The Postal Service

cover of the week – a new england

This weeks it’s the late Kirsty MacColl’s upbeat cover of the melancholy Billy Bragg tune A New England (one of my favorite Bragg tunes by the way).

MacColl may be best known for her brilliant duet with Shane MacGowan on the Pogues legendary Christmas tune Fairytale of New York.  Her up and down career came to an abrupt end in 2000 when she was killed in a controversial boating accident off the coast of Mexico.

Kirsty MacColl – A New England

Billy Bragg – A New England

cover of the week – can’t forgive

New year. New commitment to actually updating this blog on a fairly regular basis. We’ll get it started with the return of Cover of the Week.

This week it’s Can’t Forgive by Embrace, who along with labelmates Rites of Spring, are pretty much credited/blamed with starting this lame emo thing the kids are all crying about. Embrace proved to be a creative bridge for Ian MacKaye between the ferocious hardcore of Minor Threat and the thoughtful, avant garde hardcore of Fugazi.

Rancid photo by Karen Kuehn http://www.karenkuehn.com

The cover comes from the tribute record/homelessness benefit album “Land of Greed… World of Need” released back in 1994 by Trustkill and Watermark. The record features cover versions of the only Embrace record by such punk luminaries as Lifetime, Avail, and the performer of Can’t Forgive, Rancid (a band I love to hate… or is it hate to love? Whatever, they’re really good and I hate that. But I love it), who find a way to make this song their own.

Can’t Forgive – Rancid

Can’t Forgive – Embrace

cover of the week – born on a train

I’ve been in an Arcade Fire kinda mood lately.  A combination of  some dreary weather here in the upper midwest and checking out the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are the other day, I guess.  

Needless to say, my personal soundtrack this week has been loaded with some comforting melancholy.  Enter their cover of The Magnetic Fields‘ Born On A Train.  Enjoy.

Born On A Train – The Magnetic Fields

Born On A Train – Arcade Fire

cover of the week – love vigilantes

I am of two minds when it comes to New Order. When they’re good, they’re FUCKING GREAT! And the rest of the time it’s just kinda boring and annoying dance music.  Am I right?

Love Vigilantes falls on the FUCKING GREAT! side of the line of course. These folksy covers by Iron and Wine and Laura Cantrell ain’t too shabby either.  Enjoy.

Love Vigilantes – New Order

Love Vigilantes – Iron and Wine

Love Vigilantes – Laura Cantrell

cover of the week – take me out to the ballgame

In honor of my favorite baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, somehow finding themselves on the cusp of another division championship (fingers crossed this afternoon [i'll acutally be in a dentist chair when the first pitch is thrown {what's up with the 4 p.m. start time?!?!}]), this weeks cover is the venerable Take Me Out To the Ballgame.

The song was written way back in 1908 (the last year the Cubs won the World Series…) by Jack Norworth while riding on the subway in New York.  He apparently saw an add for the Polo Grounds and was struck by inspiration.  The song became a big hit that year on 78 rpm records and piano rolls (take that iTunes!) and lives on to this very day.

Win Twins!!!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Edward Meeker

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Bruce Springstone (that’s right, Springstone)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – The Hold Steady

cover of the week – i put a spell on you

Before I saw Jim Jarmusch’s breakthrough film Stranger Than Paradise my sophomore year of college I thought I Put A Spell On You was a CCR song. So young. So much to learn.

I Put A Spell On You is of course the creation of the brilliantly demented Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. There’s been a zillion covers of this, and here are just a couple.  Enjoy.

I Put A Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

I Put A Spell On You – Nina Simone

I Put A Spell On You – Demon Fuzz

I Put A Spell On You – She & Him

cover of the week – cut your hair

Last week was a big one for Pavement fans (like me) with the announcement of a handful of shows in NYC next year followed (I hope) by a world tour.

This weeks cover is their breakout song Cut Your Hair. While it’s certainly not their best song, it is the tune that (sorta) catapulted them into the limelight.  Enjoy.

Cut Your Hair – Casey Dienel

Cut Your Hair – Cassettes Won’t Listen

Cut Your Hair, Live in Deutschland – Pavement

cover of the week – rave on

I heard M. Ward’s breezy take on Rave On on the radio tonight and realized it’s been forever since I listened to the late, great Buddy Holly.  My bad, Buddy.   So good for such a short life. 

In addition to Ward’s cover, I also stumbled onto a take from The Boss in 1978.  Enjoy.

Buddy Holly – Rave On

Bruce Springsteen – Rave On

M. Ward – Rave On

Cover of the Week – No Feelings

This weeks cover comes courtesy of Bananarama and their rendition of my favorite Sex Pistols song No Feelings.

I had listened to this tune several times before I even realized it was a cover, which is always kind of a fun thing. The tune appears on the reissue of their first album, Deep Sea Skiving, though I discovered it a few years ago on the soundtrack to Party Party, a forgettable early 80s “teens-getting-drunk-at-a-party” movie out of the UK.  Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols produced the record, which probably has something to do with the covers very existence…

No Feelings – Bananarama

No Feelings – The Sex Pistols