[mp3] Swervedriver's Adam Franklin covers Wolf Parade

"Shine A Light"

A long while ago (back in 2008!), Adam Franklin of Swervedriver recorded a cover of Wolf Parade's "Shine A Light". Just when you'd probably forgotten about it, Franklin and his label White Whale Records recently announced that a very limited number of 7" singles are now available. Act fast, and you can be one of 250 people to own a copy for yourself. Hear the track below, along with the Clientele cover "Elm Grove Window".

BUY :: Adam Franklin - "Shine A Light" 7"

[video] Leeni covers Lana Del Rey's "Video Games"

Game Boy-version

It only seems fitting that the first chiptune cover of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" comes to us from Leeni, a musician who used a Gameboy to write her debut album, 8-Bit Heart. What makes this literal cover even more enjoyable is the music video that accompanies it (see above). Conjuring nostalgia with a montage of old school classics like Rad Racer, California Games, and Zelda (to name a few), the entire experience is very nice.

[mp3] White Denim - "Jay Time" (Hard Stuff Cover)

White Denim play Hard Stuff

White Denim recently spent some time at Austin’s 5th Street Studio to record a fresh new jam. Straight off English rock band Hard Stuff's debut album Bulletproof, WD offer this funktified revamp of “Jay Time” over at their Facebook page. Enjoy.

White Denim's new album D is out May 24 on Downtown.

[new music] Franz Ferdinand - Covers EP

Listen to Franz Ferdinand's Covers EP

On Record Store Day, Franz Ferdinand released a 5-song EP which featured covers of their songs from Tonight performed by bands that FF apparently loves. These include Debbie Harry, Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields), LCD Soundsystem, ESG, and Peaches. For those of you who didn't pick up a copy of the coloured 12" vinyl of the Covers EP as part of the Record Store Day celebrations, Domino Records announced that the EP will also be released on CD & black vinyl on May 2.

You can stream all 5 songs from the Covers EP below. Check it out.

[video] Dry the River cover Wolf Parade

Dry the River - "You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son"

A while back, Wolf Parade took part in a charity for the Yellow Bird Project. YBP is an organization that teams up with indie bands to help raise money for various causes. The band designs a t-shirt, and all the proceeds go to a charity of the band's choice. For Wolf Parade, all their t-shirt money went to the Glass Casters Union, which is a non-profit organization based in Eugene Oregon (buy the shirt here).

Dry the River is another band that took part in the Yellow Bird Project (shirt here). They also performed a three-song set for YBP, which included a cover of Wolf Parade's "You Are I Runner, And I Am My Father's Son." The video is above, and more songs are here if you like what you hear. I like how different their version sounds, and I respect a cover that unique to the original.

[video] Gorillaz cover the xx's "Crystalised"

Gorillaz v. the xx

When two of my favorite bands cross paths, the potential for something special increases. Watching Wolf Parade's Dan Boecker perform on stage with Spoon while singing "Modern World" is a fantastic example. And while this particular case isn't nearly as epic as the aforementioned junction, apparently Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz project made a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge appearance this past weekend, and among the songs showcased was a beautiful cover of the xx's "Crystalised." Also, special guest Daley helped to perform "Doncamatic" and an exclusive stripped back version of "On Melancholy Hill" (see below). Check out the rest at Some Kind Of Awesome!.

Britt Daniel / Drake Tungsten / Spoon Covers

A collection of my favorite Britt Daniel-related covers

Britt Daniel has a policy, or so I read somewhere in an interview, that he only likes to cover songs written by his friends. This is apparent if you look at Spoon's albums throughout the years. Usually hidden deep in the liner notes, you may notice that certain Spoon songs are actually not Spoon songs at all. For example, "Me and the Bean" a Spoon setlist staple is actually a John Clayton (of The Sidehackers) cover. More recently from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the song "Don't You Evah" is a cover from fellow tourmates and now-dissolved (sadly) The Natural History. For those of you who frequent Spoon shows, you may have heard a few treats throughout a set - ones that don't make it throught the studio recording process. Being a huge Britt Daniel fan (from his Skellington and Drake Tungsten days all the way to present-day Spoon), I've decided to share some wonderful covers that have come across my hands. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I will also give credit to the BayTaper for his excellent recordings of the San Fran show at the Fillmore West (September 22, 2008) that I've included in this post (the last four songs). He does amazing work.

MP3: Britt Daniel - "Modern World" (Wolf Parade cover)
MP3: Drake Tungsten - "Do the Manta Ray" (Pixies cover)
MP3: Drake Tungsten - "Secrets" (The Cure cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Decora" (Yo La Tengo cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Cut My Friend Down" (Julian Cope cover)
MP3: Spoon - "It's Gonna Take an Airplane" (Destroyer cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Don't You Evah" (The Natural History cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Me and the Bean" (The Sidehackers cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Peace Like a River" (Paul Simon cover)
MP3: Spoon - "Rocks Off" (Rolling Stones cover)

MGMT Covers: The Kooks & Katy Perry

Soon everyone will be covering MGMT

First it was The Kooks with their great rendition of "Kids" performed live on Australian radio station Triple J. Now wannabe hipster Katy Perry takes her shot at it - this time covering "Electric Feel". Now I know acoustic covers take about as much effort as a "set it & forget it" oven, but why can't Perry perform more songs like this? Honestly, it's actually (and it hurts me to admit this) really good.

Listen for yourself:

MP3: The Kooks - "Kids" (MGMT cover)
MP3: Katy Perry - "Electric Feel" (MGMT cover)

First Aid Kit cover Fleet Foxes

Swedish sister-duo perform "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"

A sweet, soft rendition of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" has just been posted by up-and-coming Swedish sensation First Aid Kit. The cover, performed by sisters Klara & Johanna Söderberg, can be heard at the band's blog (and also below). If you're a fan, then head over to First Aid Kit's MySpace page to hear three tunes off their new EP, Drunken Trees, released on Rabid Records. Now anyone who lands their first record deal along side The Knife must be doing something right... anyone who does that before reaching the age of 18 must be doing everything right. I'd wish the best of luck to these lovely ladies, though it seems they already have that, too. Enjoy!