Tag Archive for Cover

23rd June 2012

The Futureheads – Beeswing

I have a little soft spot for singers that have a very obvious accent, given my own adventures in this field London. I spent about the first 18 months of living here being met by almost uniform blank looks (it still happens frequently).

Sunderland band The Futureheads are one such band. I suspected that they had been consigned to the annuls of one hit wonders after releasing a spectacular Kate Bush cover which I posted last year. However, I was surprised to hear them play this track live on TV last night and was very taken by it. It’s another cover, this time of British singer Richard Thompson and is taken from their recently released album Rant.

RjK

The Waterboys – Sweet Thing

I thought of this after posting Paul McCartney earlier in the week. It is a cover of one of my very favourite songs of all time, which I posted last year. Whilst this doesn’t quite hit the same heights and didn’t have the same impact upon me, the refrain of Blackbird (at approx. 4:30) really adds to this version.
Blackbirds singing in the dead of night…
It is taken from Fisherman’s Blues, which is a very enjoyable album with a stellar sleeve (see below).
 
/RjK

2nd June 2012


These guys used to go by the name Hype Williams. Which is a good name for a smashmouth MC, not so sure about this. It is dark and a little unsettling but there is also something beautiful lurking beneath the surface if you look hard enough. It is taken from the album Black is beautiful, which is pretty darn fresh.

I am back in Ireland for the weekend, it is nice to be home and to escape the madness of Jubilee weekend London. I had forgotten what open space feels like.

RjK

*Artist #457

CFCF* – Big Love


A mid-week energy boost. This is a track that I first heard in Austin when I was there for SXSW festival a couple of years ago. It has a real upbeat, feelgood sound.

/RjK

*Artist #445 

Aside

Prince and The Family – Nothing compares 2 U

Those of you who know me may not be too shocked to find out that I am somewhat cynical about Valentines Day. My intention was to ignore it completely in today’s post, however a good friend was goading me that I should prove that “I have a tiny bit of romance somewhere in my soul” (he may have been confusing me with someone else). He then went on to suggest I post one of two songs about heartbreak? Davy – Sinead O’Connor isn’t my thing but I can do Prince any day of the week so you will have to make do with the original.

Meanwhile, back in the real world I am going to see tUne-yArDs in Hammersmith tomorrow night. Should be fun, I’m pretty excited. I will write up a review to post later in the week.

RjK

10th December

The Futureheads – Hounds of love

I have been listening to lots of Kate Bush recently, particularly her spectacular 2005 Album Aerial. Having already posted her this year I am unable to highlight anything from it on here until January at least. In light of that fact I thought this would be the next best thing.

It is one of my favourite cover versions and I listened to it endlessly when I was at university. It is an interesting take – clever, energetic and fun.

RjK

Aside

Hot 8 brass band – Sexual Healing

I just got back from a meandering evening in central London. I started out at the southbank centre, where the London Jazz Festival was in full swing. There was an awesome brass band playing in my earshot while I sipped my Kronenburg, watched the Thames roll by and enjoyed the balmy (for November anyway) weather.

This is a clever cover. I first heard it last year in a bar in Islington. The DJ was blowing up, playing some classic soul, Stevie, Aretha and the like. In the middle of his set he dropped this and it took me about 30 seconds to work out what it was but once I got there, I got there.

Hot 8 brass band are from New Orleans, and I would love to see them play live sometime. I imagine it would be a lot of fun.

RjK

28th October

James Vincent McMorrow – Higher love

This is the second cover version I have posted this week. This also takes a song from a different era and completely turns it on it’s head. The original actually has a certain cheesy charm (the video is certainly pretty awesome) but I like the stripped back quality of this version. It sounds heartfelt and honest.

Also, how Irish does this geezer look?

RjK

Aside

The Stranglers – Walk on by

This was another of my father’s favourites that popped into my head this week. I was unsure about posting it as there are several different great versions of this song that I like, notably Dionne Warwick’s fragile and heartfelt and Issac Hayes’ dark and brooding ones.

But I decided on this for it’s energy and for nostalgia’s sake. The only slight knock is the slightly self-indulgent instrumental interlude, but otherwise it is a triumph. It is a classic cover version in that it takes a song, gives it a completely different slant and breathes new life into it. I can’t imagine there would have been too many Stranglers fans digging Burt Bacharach prior to this!

RjK

Aside

Amerie – One thing

This perhaps isn’t typical of the blog and indeed my usual taste. It is however, a stomping dancefloor classic with a typically insane (and as such pretty pleasing) video to match here.

It is probably more of a weekend tune, but the reason I am posting it today is that I came across this fascinating cover version of it by Peter and Kerry, who featured on the blog earlier in the year. It is great how two versions of a song can be so starkly different yet satisfying at the same time. One technicolour and relentless, the other reflective and subtle. I am sure you can tell which is which!

RjK