Cover Song
The Raconteurs Announce New Documentary and Live EP, Both Due Out Friday
Lockdown just got a bit easier thanks to The Raconteurs, who have announced the imminent release of a new documentary film and live EP. Both are titled Live at Electric Lady and due out this Friday, May 29th. The two projects capture The Raconteurs’ intimate concert event at Electric Lady studios, the legendary New York space where frontman Jack White and The White Stripes have previously recorded. Judging by the trailer seen below, the 60-minute doc and Spotify-exclusive live EP will feature favorites from across Raconteurs’ catalog, including some off last year’s Help Us Stranger album. The garage rockers also churn out a cover of Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ 1977 punk classic “Blank Generation” (Hell contributed to the first release from White’s Third Man Books). “Everyone who is a mu...
Sleigh Bells, High on Fire, Poison the Well Members Perform Guns N’ Roses’ “Rocket Queen”: Watch
Sleigh Bells singer Alexis Krauss has joined forces with members of High on Fire, Poison the Well, and more for a quarantine cover of the Guns N’ Roses classic “Rocket Queen”. It’s the latest installment of the “Bedroom Covers” series from the Two Minutes to Late Night YouTube channel. In addition to Krauss, the full lineup includes Two Minutes to Late Night host Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall) on vocals and guitar; Cloak’s Billy C. Robinson on bass; High on Fire’s Chris Maggio on drums; and Poison the Well’s Ryan Primack on guitar. Olds handles lead vocals for the first part of the Appetite for Destruction song, with Krauss providing backup on the chorus. At the 4:15 mark, Krauss (sporting an Axl Rose-like bandana on her head) takes over lead vocals, shining in the spotlight as she ...
Elliott Smith’s Self-Titled Sophomore Album Gets 25th Anniversary Reissue
This July marks the 25th anniversary of Elliott Smith’s sophomore self-titled album. To celebrate the occasion, Kill Rock Stars has announced a deluxe reissue of the LP, set for release on August 28th. Official Smith family archivist Larry Crane pulled the closest possible recordings to the original Elliott Smith mix downs from scores of reels, cassettes, files, and DAT tapes to give the album a fresh remaster. The special edition comes housed in a 52-page coffee table book featuring handwritten lyrics, stories from Smith’s friends and collaborators about the era, and two dozen previously unreleased images from photographer JJ Gonson. One of those new photographs is the original image that became the album’s cover art. What’s more, the collection includes the previously unreleased Liv...
Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme Share Video for “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”: Watch
Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme in video for “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme’s cover of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” wasn’t intentionally made for the quarantine era. “Recording this song had nothing to do with what we’d be going through… until we started going through it,” explains Homme in a statement. But while the track itself wasn’t intended to be an anthem of isolated times, its new music video fully embraces the state of the world. Directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin, the clip captures Van Etten and Homme at home with their families. The former’s kid plays around with an empty inflatable swimming pool while she sips a glass of wine and sings karaoke in front of a projection of SMPTE color bars. Homme, m...
Thin “Lzzy”: Halestorm, Judas Priest, and Alice in Chains Members Rock Thin Lizzy’s “Bad Reputation”: Watch
An all-star group of musicians has come together for a quarantine version of the Thin Lizzy classic “Bad Reputation”. Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale is joined by current and former members of Judas Priest, Alice in Chains, and Machine Head for the socially distant performance. Along with Lzzy’s vocals, the rousing rendition of the title track from Thin Lizzy’s 1977 Bad Reputation album features Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez, and former Machine Head members Phil Demmel (guitar) and Dave McClain (drums). Demmel posted the performance on his YouTube channel, writing, “I invited my buds Dave McClain (Sacred Reich/Machine Head), Richie Faulkner (Judas Preist), Mike Inez (Alice in Chains, Ozzy, BLS, pretty much every band) and resident Bad-Ass Lzzy Ha...
Incubus Frontman Brandon Boyd Covers Beach House’s “Myth”: Stream
Like many musicians these days, Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd has been recording new material to pass the time in quarantine. Earlier this month, the veteran rocker put his own spin on Ricky and Morty song “Goodbye Moonmen”; now, Boyd has shared a cover of the 2012 Beach House single “Myth”. While Beach House’s Bloom original unfurled like a blanket of dream pop, the allure of Boyd’s rendition is found it in its simplicity. The Incubus leader croons across spare guitar strums, effectively turning the track into an aching acoustic rock ballad. Hear it below. Editors’ Picks For more of Incubus, fans may need to lean hard on Boyd’s surprise covers — at least for the next few months. This afternoon, the band announced on Facebook that it was officially canceling its US tour with 311...
Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme Team for Cover of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”: Stream
Sharon Van Etten and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme have joined forces for a modernized rendition of the classic plea for harmony “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. But whereas Nick Lowe’s original and Elvis Costello’s popular cover layered hope with frustration, Van Etten and Homme’s take weighs heavier in the COVID-19 era. Theirs is a twangy, lamenting version, as if the lack of change between Lowe’s 1974 recording and the world in 2020 has only weighed down the lyrics. Still, darker though it may be, there is a tone of resilience in their voices as they harmonize on the lines, “So where are the strong?/ And who are the trusted?/ And where is the harmony?” After all, belief that things can and will be better is the only way we’re going to get through times lik...
Behemoth Add Brutality to The Cure’s “A Forest” on Newly Announced EP: Stream
Behemoth have unveiled a cover of The Cure classic “A Forest” that will appear on an upcoming EP of the same name. The extreme metal band’s crushing take on the gothic track features guest vocals by Shining’s Niklas Kvarforth. The EP, A Forest, arrives on May 29th and features the studio cover of the Cure song, as well as a live version recorded during a December 2018 show in Behemoth’s home country of Poland. In addition, the EP contains two new original Behemoth songs — “Shadows ov Ea Cast Upon Golgotha” and “Evoerecording” — that are described by frontman Nergal as a continuation of the band’s 2018 album I Loved You at Your Darkest. The rendition of “A Forest” features Kvarforth delivering the verses while Nergal chimes in with guttural screams, adding brutality to what is one of ...
Clutch’s Neil Fallon Crushes AC/DC’s “Riff Raff” with Members of Cave In, Converge, and more: Watch
The folks over at Two Minutes to Late Night have delivered yet another stellar quarantine performance, with Clutch singer Neil Fallon leading a rousing cover of AC/DC’s “Riff Raff”. Like the previous videos in the “Bedroom Covers” series, the AC/DC performance features each musician performing from his own home. Interestingly enough, this series was conceived before the pandemic, and a few of the artists recorded and filmed their contributions as early as January. Two Minutes to Late Night host Gwarsenio Hall (aka Jordan Olds), a constant in all of these videos, sings and performs bass on the AC/DC cover. He’s joined by drummer Ben Koller (Converge, Mutoid Man), and guitarists Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man), Adam McGrath (Cave In, Wear Your Wounds), and Tom Draper (Carcass). Fa...
James Blake Covers Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” on Corden from Quarantine: Watch
James Blake has been spending his time in quarantine perfecting the art of the cover song. In March, the UK crooner took to Instagram Live to perform countless originals by Radiohead, Billie Eilish, and Frank Ocean. He also tackled the Joni Mitchell track “A Case of You”, which he released on his own Enough Thunder EP from 2011. For his remote appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden on Tuesday, Blake again dusted off that Mitchell cover. Cozied up to a piano in his own sunlit living space, the Grammy winner delicately, softly sang his way through the 1971 single. Elsewhere in last night’s episode, Blake spoke to Corden about his upcoming projects. He said his newest single, “Too Precious”, would likely end up on his next album, though “the rest of the stuff is quite di...
Rivers Cuomo Covers Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”: Watch
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has kept busy during quarantine by hosting a semi-regular Zoom webinar for fans, during which he’s answered questions, offered play-throughs, and even performed some songs. During a recent installment, as Stereogum points out, Cuomo did his best Post Malone impersonation and covered Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”. His version was played on piano, next to a giant plant and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Watch below. In related news, over the weekend Weezer made their Simpsons debut on an episode called “The Hateful Eight Year Olds”. They also recently debuted a new track called “Hero”, from their upcoming, but currently-delayed new studio album, Van Weezer. [embedded content]
David Gilmour Covers Syd Barrett Songs in Quarantine: Watch
During quarantine, David Gilmour, his wife Polly Samson, and their family have gathered for a weekly “Von Trapped Family” livestream. Originally set up to promote Samson’s new book Theater for Dreamers, the livestreams have evolved to become a sort-of virtual hangout during which the family sings songs, reads poetry, answers fan-submitted questions, and drinks wine. During the latest episode, Gilmour covered two songs composed by former Pink Floyd bandmate Syd Barrett: “Octopus” and “Dominoes”. Gilmour also shared some personal andecdotes about Barrett and their time working together, in addition to revealing that he was asked to proofread a forthcoming book of Barrett’s lyrics. Watch video of the livestream below. Gilmour’s covers of “Octopus” and “Dominoes” can be heard at the times...
