So last week I got back into covers. There’s something so wonderful about a good cover. Anyhow, I’ve thrown together some of the covers in my collection on a mix and put it up on 8tracks. Enjoy.
Covered
(click link to go to mix)
1) Ohio (Damien Jurado cover)- Strand of Oaks. That breath at the beginning… god. So perfect.
2) Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)- Ben Gibbard. Ben Gibbard could sing the ABC’s with his acoustic guitar and I would love it. The fact he uses that acoustic guitar and lovely voice to sing this song is a better decision.
3) Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)- James Blake. I still haven’t fully ‘got’ the hubub over James Blake, but for this song I’m a believer. Stunning.
4) Mercury (Kathleen Edwards cover)- Bon Iver. Justin Vernon’s voice will never get old. Ever.
5) Look at Miss Ohio (Gillian Welch cover)- Blind Pilot. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to screw this song up. Just so perfect. And the opening of this cover is magic.
6) Postcards from Italy (Beirut cover)- Florence and the Machine. Florence Welch’s voice is one of the most powerful female voices out there right now. I love the opening giggle before they launch into this great song.
7) Hand on Your Heart (Kylie Minogue cover)- Jose Gonzalez. Jose Gonzalez’s voice is one of my favorite things in the world. I’m also a sucker for pop songs that are repositioned as folk tunes.
8 ) I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton cover)- Howth. Again, I don’t feel bad at all that I know all the words to this song only because of Whitney Houston’s song. I can’t run from my past. I’m too slow.
9) All Tomorrow’s Parties (Velvet Underground cover)- Calexico with Iron and Wine. There is no song that Sam Beam of Iron and Wine could sing that I wouldn’t love. His voice is one of my favorite things ever.
10) Chelsea Hotel No 2 (Leonard Cohen cover)- Sarah Jaffe. Everyone and their mom has done this cover. And yet… this is still great.
11) Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)- Beerjacket. It’s tough to go wrong when you slow a Springsteen song down and get to its roots. This does that and it’s so fantastic.
12) Detlef Schrimpf (Band of Horses cover)- Amber Wilson. I said it before, but it bears repeating: this is a great cover for that first coffee of the morning.
13) Roll Away Your Stone (Mumford and Sons cover)- Laura Marling. I love that this was recorded before Mumford blew up, and that it’s covered by someone who runs in the same circle of the band. Something about that seems charming to me.
14) Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chesnut cover)- David Bazan. Just a heartbreaking song.
15) Always On My Mind (Brenda Lee cover)- Iron and Wine with Calexico. Again, any song that Sam Beam wants to sing I’m going to love.
16) Loretta (Townes Van Zandt cover)- Ray Lamantagne. Ray’s voice is just so damn comforting. I love this cover.
17) Northern Sky (Nick Drake cover)- Denison Witmer. Another one of those songs you really can’t go wrong with. Denison does a superb job.
18) I Do Not Hook Up (Kelly Clarkson cover)- The Gaslight Anthem. I don’t even know what to make of this, but my inner pop song lover can’t help but like it. Goodbye cred with ‘the kids.’
19) When I Grow Up (Fever Ray cover)- First Aid Kit. I can’t say that I had ever heard this song before, but I feel like First Aid Kit kinda take over ownership here. So well done.
20) Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight (The Beatles covers)- Mumford and Sons. They don’t try to do too much with these, and in the process Mumford and Sons nails them.
