“Just Like Christmas” by David Bazan // Originally by Low
The AV Undercover series is back with it’s holiday selections and one of them happens to be David Bazan covering what is possibly my favorite (non-traditional) holiday song, Low’s “Just Like Christmas”. Bazan and his band do a solid job with the cover, actually bringing on more of a somber tone, which actually works. Good stuff.
“Summer Babe” by Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr // Originally by Pavement
Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr continues showing off their covering prowess, this time on The Onion’s excellent AV Undercover series. I’m a bit biased by my Pavement love, but this is a rock solid rendition of a classic. Definitely worth checking out several times.
(via danceyrselfclean)
“Gigantic” by Surfer Blood // Originally by The Pixies
Surfer Blood recruits Sarah Baldwin (The Girls at Dawn) to do lead vocals on The Pixies’ “Gigantic” for this edition of AV Undercover. It’s a suitably solid and rocking version. Here’s hoping Surfer Blood has a new album in them very soon.
“Boxcar” by The Mountain Goats // Originally by Jawbreaker
AV Undercover grabbed a pretty awesome score this week by nabbing The Mountain Goats. They chose the Jawbreaker track “Dear You” from the list and they do a pretty great run with it, but the best part might be John Darnielle’s introduction where he explains the connection (or now lack thereof) to the original, while managing to jam one quick witted joke back at the interviewer. The Mountain Goats pretty much nail the original (Jawbreaker fans will surely disagree) without twisting it up and sucking the message from the source. I like this one.
“Fell in Love With a Girl” by Of Montreal // Originally by The White Stripes
The AV Undercover crew continues to get great bands to cover great songs. This week they’re a bit bigger than usual and the result is pretty great. Of Montreal are pretty well known for live covers, so it’s nice to see them pull one down in a tiny studio with proper sound. It’s fun stuff.
(via danceyrselfclean)
“American Girl” by Smith Westerns // Originally by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
The AV Undercover team scored a nice connection here for their series by getting Smith Westerns to cover the Tom Petty classic. It’s a solid cover if a little by the books, and truth be told it needs some energy, but i digress. At least they had a great reason for covering the track.
(via danceyrselfclean)
“Africa” by Low // Originally by Toto // Recorded for The Onion’s AV Undercover Series
One of those guilty pleasure tracks from the height of smooth-rock cheeze gets the Low treatment at this week’s AV Undercover and it comes out less anthem-esque and more stripped bare and intimate. That catchy hook remains and that’s the big sell. I just kinda wish it were Alan Sparhawk handling the lead vocals and not Mimi Parker, but that’s a small gripe. I love both of their voices, I just prefer his on the Low stuff.
“Don’t You Want Me” by Rocky Votolato and Matt Pond PA // from the AV Undercover Series
Here’s a nice little stripped down version of The Human League’s infectious 1981 pop hit with Matt Pond handling the lady vocals and Rocky Votolato tackling the male lead. Surprisingly good stuff from a couple of guys that I haven’t listened to in a long time, but still enjoy all the same.
“Mother” by Wye Oak // Originally by Danzig
Wye Oak gets all cute in their talk of how and why they chose Danzig, then they strapped on their instruments and got serious. It’s kind of strange to be attracted to someone singing the words of Glenn Danzig, but weirder things have happened today. AV Undercover series delivers again. Check it out. Good stuff.
“Birdhouse in Your Soul” by Titus Andronicus // Originally by They Might Be Giants
From AV Undercover:
“We wouldn’t have guessed that New Jersey’s mighty Titus Andronicus would tackle They Might Be Giants 1990 quirk-pop classic “Birdhouse In Your Soul,” but apparently they’re big fans of the song. Of course, they didn’t give “Birdhouse” a particular straight reading: They start by sampling Charles Bukowski’s “Bluebird” before careening into the song. If you don’t already own last year’s The Monitor—one of The A.V. Club’s favorites of 2010—you should remedy that post-haste. Watch for contemplative Rodney at 1:58. Enjoy!”
dum dum girls - SEPTEMBER GURLS (Big Star Cover @ AV Undercover)
Dum Dum Girls covering what is probably Big Star’s most popular track. It’s super catchy and faithful to the original. Great stuff! You don’t need to know much else, but just press play.
baths - ALL MY FRIENDS (LCD Soundsystem cover)
From AV Undercover, here is Baths covered the LCD classic, “All My Friends”. No one can touch the original, but this is a valiant effort. Stripped and quiet. Definitely worth a listen.
iron and wine - ONE MORE TRY (George Michael Cover @ AV Undercover)
While not as immediately satisfying as the Gayngs cover of the same song, Iron and Wine do a great job here all the same. Sam Beam gets a little help here from Marketa Irglova (The Swell Season) on backup vocals.
This is from the Onion AV Club’s excellent series “A.V. Undercover”.
