cover me

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01 Mystery Jets & Esser - In Between Days (The Cure)
02 Radiohead - Ceremony (Joy Division/New Order)
03 Zee Avi - First Of The Gang To Die (Morrissey)
04 Goldfrapp - It's Not Over Yet (Klaxons/Grace)
05 Locust - Master and Servant (Depeche Mode)
06 Aeroplane & Au Revoir Simone - Paris (Friendly Fires)
07 The Kooks - Young Folks (Peter, Bjorn & John)
08 The Twilight Sad - Half A Person (The Smiths)
09 Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All (George McCrae)
10 Tony Dekker and the Great Lake Swimmers - Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond)
11 White Lies - Love Lockdown (Kanye West)
12 The Arcade Fire - This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads)
13 Of Montreal - Know Your Onion (The Shins)
14 Colin Munroe - Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2)
15 Wesley Willis - Girls On Film (Duran Duran)
16 Say Anything - Got Your Money (Ol' Dirty Bastard)

(i couldn't possibly make a covers mix without including the wesley willis "girls on film" cover... probably because it's amazing.)

At Least They're Shared

Okay, so here's mix #2. There's no attempt at being clever with the tracklisting here, just some songs that I love. Here you go:

"At Least They're Shared"

01. Califone - The Orchids (Psychic TV cover)

I think this is one of the best cover songs of all time. Not only is it far superior to the original, but Califone truly adapted it to be their own. Back when I still did the radio thing, this one got a shitload of spins.

02. Mark Kozelek - If You Want Blood (AC/DC cover)

Mark Kozelek has released a crap-ton of covers under his own name and Sun Kil Moon. Even though Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands, I think Kozelek's AC/DC covers record "What's Next to the Moon" is his best one.

03. Harvey Danger - Save It For Later (English Beat cover)

Another one of my favorite bands that got resigned to one-hit-wonder status in the 90s. I always loved the original version of this song and this one makes me just as happy, if not more.

04. Coalesce - Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover)

The best hardcore/metal/metalcore/whatever band in the world takes on one of the most popular bands of all time with great success.

05. Faith No More - I Started A Joke (Bee Gees cover)

Another one of the best covers of all time. My friend Spencer gave me specific instructions to play this at his funeral if he beats me out of here. I also recommend the music video for this song.

06. Antony and the Johnsons - Crazy in Love (live) (Beyoncé cover)

Antony and Beyoncé are both beautiful, shimmering goddesses. Match made in heaven.

07. Lightspeed Champion - I Never Meant To Hurt You (Good Shoes cover)

I've listened to this track more than any other Lightspeed Champion track, which isn't really fair to the dude as he's a great songwriter. This song has great lyrics, is super catchy, and perfect for dudes like me who don't really give a fuck and lie about being in love but still feel shitty when they hurt someone's feelings because they're not as tough as they pretend.

08. Adem - Loro (Pinback cover)

Adem's cover album "Takes" is seriously incredible. His versions of Aphex Twin's "To Cure a Weakling Child and Boy/Girl Song" is one of the most brilliant digital to analog renditions I've ever heard. He also does great version of Björk, PJ Harvey, and Yo La Tengo, among others.

09. Rohner Segnitz - Nebraska (Bruce Springsteen cover)

Rohner is the lead singer of Divison Day and this track can be found on a solo release he put out about five years ago. I've always loved his voice, but particularly the unconventional and captivating vocal melodies he writes.

10. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The World's Greatest (R. Kelly cover)

I might lose some hipster points (if they're still being measured by Pitchfork's tastes) by saying I don't really like Will Oldham. I think he tends to be uninspired and rambling both in original and extra-"Prince"y recipes. But, if you read the above title as "the world's greatest R. Kelly cover" you'll understand how I feel about this song. I love how this version is totally devoid of irony and really showcases how great the song is.

11. The Mountain Goats - The Boys Are Back In Town/Ignition Remix (Thin Lizzy/R. Kelly cover)

John Darnielle comes in a very close second in the R. Kelly cover contest, but his "Ignition" tag at the end of a solid Thin Lizzy cover is clearly tongue-in-cheek. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

12. Dirty Projectors - Depression (Black Flag cover)

Best band of the last decade? Maybe. Best live band of the last decade? Definitely. Dave Longstreth is a true innovator and hopefully he continues his near-flawless track record well into the next decade.

13. Eels - Get Ur Freak On (Missy Elliott cover)

I remember catching Eels live back in 2001 or 2002 and being totally caught off-guard when they launched into this cover. It totally brought the house down and was a perfect edition to an already fantastic live show. While I haven't really been in love with E's post-"Daises" output, I'd still recommend catching them live if they ever roll through town.

14. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Graceland (Paul Simon cover)

There are a ton of cover versions of this song and my favorite is probably a version my friend Andy did a couple months ago during a backyard performance. I love this version simply for its unwavering rhythm line. I'm not sure why, but it gets stuck in my head and I never want it to end.

15. Taken By Trees - My Boys (Animal Collective cover)

If I didn't lose hipster points for that comment made above, I certainly will for this: Animal Collective has gone downhill following their best record, "Sung Tongs." "Merriweather Post Pavilion" wasn't even near my top 20 for 2009 and if you've seen them live recently, you've no doubt been disappointed (or you do a lot of drugs). This reworking of "My Girls" illustrates exactly what Animal Collective has been missing for the last five years: organic beauty. Taken By Trees should just cover all of "MPP" and I'd probably listen to it all the time.

16. The Decemberists - Bridges and Balloons (Joanna Newsom cover)

I also love Final Fantasy's Joanna Newsom cover, but I went with the Decemberists simply because I've been listening to Owen's new and amazing "Heartland" non-stop for the past week and figured I'd give another band a chance. Colin Meloy does a great Lisa Simpson impression though.

17. The Chairs - Flume (Bon Iver cover)

This cover can be found on a free covers EP put out by the Chairs that also features versions of Neutal Milk Hotel and Radiohead songs.

18. The Books - Cello Song (ft. José González) (Nick Drake cover)

I went with this track because I figured someone would post José's excellent version of "Heartbeats" only to find that not only was that true but someone posted this song as well. Nevertheless, the Books are one of my all-time favorites and this song is amazing.

19. Mobius Band - Digital Love (Daft Punk cover)

As I mentioned on my post for the other mix, I'm fascinated by covers of electronic music. This is a great redux of a Daft Punk classic, despite Mobius Band changing one chord that takes a second to get used to.

20. Schneider TM and KPT.michi.gan - The Light 3000 (The Smiths cover)

Best cover ever? Quite possibly.

21. Kaki King - Lovestoned (Justin Timberlake cover)

One of the best moments on Justin Timberlake's "Futuresex/Lovesounds" was the "I Think She Knows" bit at the end of "Lovestoned." Kaki King clearly recognized that too, because she ditched the whole first part of the song and only covered the end.

Again, all songs are tagged to appear as a single compilation in iTunes. The songs, art, and tracklists for both mixes I'm posting today can be downloaded by following this link:

http://www.minusnumbers.com/mixtape

That's all for this month! Hope you like the mixes.

-jp

I Want To Be Like Them

There are so many amazing cover songs that this task was really difficult. I sorted through about 300 or so before coming up with 42 that I couldn't dispense with. I made two separate mixes (will post the next one in a second) to keep things a little less unruly. Even as I post these mixes, however, I can't stop thinking about songs like "Take Me to the River"; "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"; "Nothing Compares 2 U"; "All Along the Watchtower"; "The Mercy Seat"; "Korobeiniki"; "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"; "I Will Survive"; "Three is a Magic Number"; Far's version of "Pony"; Original Hamster's "Notorious DSP." Hopefully those show up on someone's mixes, because I thought it'd be ridiculous to make a third.

Anyhow, before I started working on a mix I thought it would be awesome if I could sequence it where artist A would cover B and B would cover C, etc. This proved impossible out of the songs I'd amassed, but I still had block of artists covering each other, so I decided to just stick with that. Here's the tracklist:

"I Want To Be Like Them"

01. Gnarls Barkley - Gone Daddy Gone (Violent Femmes cover)
02. Violent Femmes - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover)

Cee-Lo Green and Gordon Gano are both crazy in their own right, but I love both of these songs and the stylistic choices they each used. The Violent Femmes version of "Crazy" almost sounds like Morricone song on mushrooms. Love it.

03. Thom Yorke - All For The Best (Miracle Legion cover)
04. Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For A Film) (Radiohead cover)
05. Hot Chip and Peter Gabriel - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend cover)
06. Max Tundra - Playboy (Hot Chip cover)
07. Matthew Carroll - Carbon Cones (Max Tundra cover)

These are some of my favorite artists and there's no real story here, with the exception of the Matthew Carroll cover. Oddly enough there's an entire album of Max Tundra covers called "Best Friends." Each artist tackles a track from his debut album "Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be" and recreates the record. I'm always intrigued by covers of electronic music and it's a fun listen. Oh, it's also fun to hear Peter Gabriel sing his own name.

08. Dump - Yo Yo Bye Bye (Why? cover)
09. Why? - The Wig Master (Xiu Xiu cover)
10. Xiu Xiu - Under Pressure (ft. Michael Gira) (Queen Cover)

I've been working on these mixes for a couple days and just now as I went to write this, I saw that someone else put up this Xiu Xiu track. Oh well. I think it just goes to show how great a remake it is. The Why? cover of Xiu Xiu, however, takes the worst (albiet creepiest) song from Xiu Xiu's best album and turns it into something incredible. Yoni really gets the the heart of Jamie Stewart's original intentions and, by adding lyrics of his own, makes the song really special (and still creepy).

11. The Frogs - Rearviewmirror (Pearl Jam cover)
12. Pearl Jam - Love, Reign O'er Me (The Who cover)
13. The Who - Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) (Sonny Boy Williamson II cover)

I felt it appropriate for The Frogs to follow Xiu Xiu as they share some sonic similarities. I love their take on "Rearviewmirror" as they make a fairly straightforward rock song (with overlooked dark lyrics) into the pained tale of abuse that it should be. Pearl Jam is my childhood favorite and I still love them dearly, especially their cover songs. I don't think I've ever heard them take on someone else's music and not do it justic. With that said, their Who covers are in a league all their own due to the obvious fandom of PJ's band members. Finally, this Who song is the only track on "Tommy" not written by a member of the band. Fun fact!

14. Iron & Wine - Waitin' for a Superman (Flaming Lips cover)
15. Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Borderline (Madonna cover)
16. The Postal Service - Suddenly Everything Has Changed (Flaming Lips cover)
17. The Shins - We Will Become Silhouettes (The Postal Service cover)

I avoided Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights" assuming it would show up on someone's mixes, but the Flaming Lips cover is just as good and works in this incestuous little block. The Flaming Lips version of "Borderline" is one of my favorite tracks from them in years. It's well-known fact that the Shins version of "We Will Become Silhouettes" is far superior to the original.

18. Jonah Matranga - Birthday (The Sugarcubes cover)
19. Björk - It's Oh So Quiet (Betty Hutton cover)
20. Death Cab for Cutie - All is Full of Love (Björk cover)
21. Andrew Kenny - Line of Best Fit (Death Cab for Cutie cover)

Jonah is my homie for life and has done so many great cover songs. "Birthday", however, is one of my favorite Björk(-related) songs and Jonah's version is my favorite of all of his covers. I him play it at the Onelinedrawing "reunion" show last year even though he said he was only going to play originals. Andrew Kenny is the lead singer of American Analog Set and his DCFC cover is taken from the "Home V" split he did with Ben Gibbard. That split has some AMAZING songs on it and should be owned by everyone.

All songs are tagged to appear as a single compilation in iTunes. The songs, art, and tracklists for both mixes I'm posting today can be downloaded by following this link:


http://www.minusnumbers.com/mixtape

Happy New Year!

-jp

Cover Me

You know that saying, "You snooze, you lose"? Well, that's what happened today as I was putting the final touches of my mix when I decided to go here to make sure there weren't any doubles. Any from Kyle? Nope. Phew. Then, as I was uploading my mix (the album art took awhile), lo and behold I find that there's a new entry by Anam. AND WHAT. WE HAVE THE SAME MIX TAPE NAME. And damn, one or two of the same songs. So, delete process, start again.

Anyway, I kept the album name and the glorious photo of Blackstreet because whatever. I do what I want.

To download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=83RKOJH2
1. Arctic Monkeys: Take it or Leave it (The Strokes)
The early 2000s "This band is going to save the rock industry" is covered by the late 2000s "This band is going to save the rock industry."
2. God Help the Girl: Funny Little Frog (Belle and Sebastian)
If you haven't checked it out already, this album is full of delights: 1960s girl group style and B&S covers. This is one of those covers, done all jazzy.
3. The Welcome Wagon: Half a Person (The Smiths)
Although the rest of the album is full of Christian/gospel music (still really good and I wish we could sing this in church!), the duo decided to cover this maudlin Smiths song. There are a lot of shitty covers of The Smiths (TaTu anyone?) but this bucks that trend. Maybe it's because they have Jesus on their side.
4. Bright Eyes: Mushaboom (Feist)
Conor Oberst takes an upbeat song, puts his voice on it, and it becomes a post-I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning effort.
5. M. Ward: Green River (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
CCR, ya'll for the second time.
6. The Books (feat. Jose Gonzalez): Cello Song (Nick Drake)
I could listen to the original on repeat, but it is nice to have a refreshing take on it. The gorgeous cellos are still in it, and that's really all we need in life.
7. Friendly Fires: I'm Good, I'm Gone (Lykke Li)
The UK lads decide to spruce up this song by making it dancier and a bit sexier.
8. Xiu Xiu (feat. Michael Gira): Under Pressure (Queen)
I wish this was the only "Under Pressure" cover out there. It's fucking epic and beautiful at the same time.
9. Times New Viking: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Arcade Fire)
Who knew you could take such an operatic song and turn it into a lo-fi skuzzy production and still make it sound good?
10. Arcade Fire: Poupée de cire, poupée de son (France Gall)
For those who don't know me, I'm pretty gay for France Gall and Paris in the 60s.
11. Beirut: Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
I don't think anyone could do a better cover than Jeff Buckley of this song, but this is pretty close. Sorry it's live, but that adds to the ~coolness~ factor right?
12. St. Vincent and The National: Sleep All Summer (Crooked Fingers)
I'm not a fan of The National (snooze fest) but Matt Berninger's baritone coupled with Annie's angelic vocals really makes this a winner.
13. Phoenix: Playground Love (Air)
Short and sweet. Like many a playground love.
14. Vitamin String Quartet: Eraser (No Age)
So take what I said about #9 and switch the phrases around.
15. Beach House: Some Things Last a Long Time (Daniel Johnston)
Danny J's voice is so heartbreaking in this song, and I feel that Victoria captures it well in her own haunting way.
16. Nouvelle Vague: Guns of Brixton (The Clash)
Never has The Clash sounded this sexy.
17. Lavender Diamond: Like a Prayer (Madonna)
Fact: This is my go-to karaoke jam.
18. Final Fantasy & Ed Droste: Possibly Maybe (Björk)
If I knew how to cry, this song would make me cry. It's breathtaking and sublime.

Cover Me

* I am still "She of the Sluggish Internet" thus, zipping impossible, and individual links abound.*

Full Mix here (if you want all of them at once, just check all, and click "bulk download" from the sidebar- it's almost like it was in a zip file, I swear!)

For the record, I totally was going to shamelessly include the Hedwig cover but since Kyle saved me from it, I've decided to omit it from my own list. (But since the Richman cover itself is from a charity album, I feel obligated to link you to where you can purchase it, ya know if you're ever so inclined.)

1.) Metric- Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

2.) The Magic Numbers- Crazy in Love: Is it wrong for me to think Beyonce has some good messages?

3.) Klaxons- No Diggity: I'll admit it- I do like the way you work it. Carry on.

4.) Of Montreal- Jimmy: This might be one of those covers that I actually like better than the original. Though I love that M.I.A. can get throngs of Western kids to sing along "Jimmy Aja,*" the Of Montreal version really pushes it up a notch. From the introductory "Ahhhs" to the cheesy Casio-keyboard sounding instrumental arrangement, this version manages to embody a lot of the same notes in terms of Bollywood kitsch, while capturing the longing in the lyrics. Can't you just imagine some foreign lounge singers belting out a version like this? Or it being the sex music of choice for some Eastern Bloc gangsters?

*Oh and if you're wondering, it means "Jimmy, come."

5.) Goldspot- Float On

6.) Jeff Buckley- Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hae: Before it became synonymous with all-things-terrible, Pakistan enjoyed a prominent, (albeit brief) period of awesomeness when for some reason, 90s musicians really took a liking to the devotional music of Sufi mysticism called Qawaali. Mostly in the form of the music of an artist named Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Suddenly he was popping up on soundtracks for movies like Natural Born Killers, was totally BFF with Susan Sarandon, and having Jeff Buckley declare "Nusrat is my Elvis." Pretty bad ass right? Oh whither has destiny taken us?

7.) Xiu Xiu- Fast Car: File this under songs that make me want to kill myself, (in a good way.)

8) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts- Crimson and Clover: I love that this is a surprisingly faithful rendition of the 1960s original. It sounds like something you might hear played at some retro prom, (that is if all proms weren't by definition lame. So more like something you'd hear at a dance party were all the music is stuff you actually like to hear, and any and all meatheads are relagated to some cage in the back where they can listen to their favorite Jock Jamz).

9.)Opium Jukebox- You Spin Me Right Round: I actually had a tough time picking a song from this artist. Each of their "re-imaginings" of popular tunes cover a range of sounds, from hyper distorted industrial feels to sitar-heavy hippy trips. In the end I chose this one because it takes a light-hearted 80s dance jam and turns it into something a bit more sinister and foreign.

10.) José González- Heartbeats: It seriously took me a really long time to make a connection between the soft acoustic ballad in that one beautifully composed Sony Bravia commercial, (you remember the one, with the colorful rubber balls bouncing all through the streets of San Francisco), with the Knife's synth spectacular original. "Oh wait, this is that song?" Regardless, connection made, and I love this quieter take on the ditty.

11.) Violent Femmes- Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?: This makes me lolz. Especially the addition of nonesense lyrics, sung in the same pitiful begging tone of course- "In my mind my memory's burning/ What's your favorite color of your favorite car?"

12.) Radiohead- Sunday Bloody Sunday

13.) Johnny Cash- Hurt: Just like the Of Montreal selection above, I think my favorite cover songs are the ones where the artist manages to completely rework the original in a context that makes it uniquely their own. While on the surface NIN seems like an odd choice for the Man in Black, anyone listening to this rendition can see it shouldn't be any other way.

14.) Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers I Only Have Eyes for You (The Flamingos):

Bonus:

15.) Golimar, i.e. "Indian Thriller": You're welcome.

Worship & Tribute: A Covers Mix

Download it here and follow along.


1. John Cale - All My Friends [LCD Soundsystem]
I imagine that when members of the Velvet Underground are covering your songs, you've probably "made it."
2. Los Campesinos! - C Is the Heavenly Option [Heavenly]
Classic twee-pop song about girly magazine quizzes from Heavenly and Calvin Johnson updated (and gender-fucked) by your favorite Welsh septet.
3. Jacob Borshard - Kokomo [The Beach Boys]
Is it weird that I feel a strong undercurrent of sex in this dude's ukulele music? I'm not imaging that, right?
4. Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle [Daniel Johnston]
This project made me realize how many Danny J covers I have on my computer. Also: I have more than once considered getting a tattoo of Daniel's art of this song/lyrics. I will not do that. But I've thought about it.
5. Jens Lekman - You Can Call Me Al [Paul Simon]
Anyone who saw Mr. Lekman on his "Night Falls Over Kortedala" tour knows how rad this part was. (And we also enjoyed dancing to Janet Jackson in an near-empty Troubadour after the show was over. Thanks, DJ Viktor!)
6. Jonathan Richman - The Origin of Love (Reprise) [Hedwig & The Angry Inch]
I was concerned that Anam wouldn't put Hedwig on a mix for the third month in a row, so I did my best to make sure we were covered. GET IT?! COVERED!! (P.S. Thanks to Aiko for using this song to get me into J-Rich).
7. Man Man - I'd Rather Go Blind [Etta James]
Weirdo doowop.
8. The Polyphonic Spree - Five Years [David Bowie]
I figure there are two types of great covers. One where the band recontextualizes the song in their own style and makes it exciting and new, and the other is when a band finds a song that isn't a BIG POPULAR HIT that already fits their style. I think this track falls under "option two."
9. The Fall - Victoria [The Kinks]
I'll bet Mark E. Smith is unpleasant to be around.
10. The Feelies - Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except for Me and My Monkey) [The Beatles]
Jitter-pop. GO!
11. Devo - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [The Rolling Stones]
Mutant nerd-pop. GO!
12. Dinosaur Jr. - Just Like Heaven [The Cure]
Seriously. How good is this song? (Sidenote: Yeah. It really ends like that. Yeah. It's kind of annoying.)
13. Lou Reed - This Magic Moment [The Drifters]
Thanks, David Lynch. This song is good for what you do.
14. Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers - Maggie's Farm [Bob Dylan]
Do you have any idea how hard it was to limit myself to ONE Bob Dylan song on this fucking mix?
15. The Mountain Goats - The Sign [Ace of Base]
In the liner notes for the album on which this song appears, it says "All songs written by John Darnielle except 'The Sign' which was written by God and given to Ace of Base."
16. High Places - The Modern Things [Björk]
This little ditty is from Stereogum's "Enjoyed: A Tribute to Björk's 'Post'" which can be downloaded here.
17. Parenthetical Girls - Handsome Devil [The Smiths]
A) Sorry for the sound quality on this one, it's off a 7". B) Sorry for the weird sore-thumb sticking this song is on the mix, but I'm hoping that Zac Pennington would make out with me if I put it on here. Dude makes me feel deeply sexually confused.
18. !!! - Get Up [Nate Dogg]
I used to go to the same optometrist as Nate Dogg.
19. Spiritualized - Oh Happy Day [Traditional]
I really like songs about Jesus. What are you gonna do about it?

Bonus beats:
Built to Spill - Freebird [Lynyrd Skynyrd]
Built to Spill - Cortez the Killer [Neil Young]
I dig both of those covers, but considering that Neil Young cover is 20 minutes, it wouldn't really fit on a one-CD mix, now would it?

Theme for January

So....

If I make the theme for January "Covers," will you actually feel inspired to make a mix? Please?

<3,
Kyle