Each week I'm posting a random or not-so-random cover song. Only the current week's track will be available but if you see a past one you'd like, contact me and we'll make arrangements.
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Sunday, June 6th, 2010
The Antlers cover Beach House
The AntlersBeach House on their own – particularly circa their 2006 self-titled debut, were no slouches at crafting lazy, hazy dream pop, but when used as raw material for another artist who also trades in languid atmosphere, the results can be, well, barely there. In a good way.
The Antlers circa 2007 had already mostly evolved from a Peter Silberman solo project into a proper band, but the dynamic between ethereal and crushing that helped define their breakout Hospice hadn’t yet coalesced – or at least wasn’t in play for their Cold War EP, which they’re currently giving away for free.
The three songs on the release are ghostly, even by Antlers standards, but the cover of Beach House’s “Apple Orchard” is the most gossamer of the bunch, more a cloud of reverb held together by Silberman’s quavering falsetto, the suggestion of guitar chords and a steady, distant kick drum. Mathematical proof that when dream pop meets dream pop, the results aren’t additive so much as exponential.
The Antlers are in town for two nights this week, opening up for The National at Massey Hall, and Beach House are here next Saturday as part of the Toronto Island Concert as well as on September 7 at the Molson Amphitheatre opening for Vampire Weekend.
MP3: The Antlers – “Apple Orchard”
Video: Beach House – “Apple Orchard” (live)
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
The National cover The Psychedelic Furs
Johnnie CluneyThe what: The National recording a rare and unexpected cover – a shimmering interpretation of “Pretty In Pink” by British art rockers Psychedelic Furs, which inspired the John Hughes ’80s teen classic film of the same name and in turn, became one of the band’s biggest hits in North America (after being re-recorded and cleaned up, of course).
The when and where: It was recorded in 2007 for internet treasure Daytrotter whilst the band were on tour in support of Boxer.
The why now: The National released their latest opus High Violet earlier this month. Violet isn’t too far off from pink on most colour wheels worth their salt. The National are in town next week for two shows at Massey Hall – June 8 and June 9. The Psychedelic Furs are in town for an intimate show at Lee’s Palace for the first of those nights, June 8. I don’t expect any Richard Butler guest spots with The National or anything, but these are the sort of sychronicities that make me happy.
The what else: The Houston Chronicle has an interview with The National while Consequence Of Sound has found some videos of Matt Berninger and the Dessner brothers playing stripped-down versions of “Anyone’s Ghost” and “Fake Empire” outside of Los Angeles garage. Just because, I guess.
MP3: The National – “Pretty In Pink”
Video: The Psychedelic Furs – “Pretty In Pink” (original)
Video: Psychedelic Furs – “Pretty In Pink” (soundtrack version)
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
Franz Ferdinand and John Cale cover LCD Soundsystem (not together but kind of simultaneously)
rateyourmusicI’ve already ‘fessed up to my late-to-the-partyness with regards to LCD Soundsystem, so I’ll not go over that ground again, save to say that I’m making up for lost time and better now than after James Murphy’s threat to retire is made real.
That said, I have had some LCD in my music collection for a while even though I’m not really sure I knew it was them. The cover of “All Your Friends” by Franz Ferdinand, which was commissioned by Murphy and company for inclusion as a b-side on the official LCD 7″ single sounds like it could have been an unreleased Franz track, which its wordy, new wave dance vibe fitting them like a pair of skinny jeans. The John Cale version, which was released as the flip of a different 7″ single, I only found recently after learning of its existence and while it’s not quite the effortless translation of the Franz version, the way the former Velvet Underground-er seizes it without reservations anyways makes it an even greater reinterpretation.
LCD Soundsystem are at the Kool Haus this Tuesday night. Franz Ferdinand started working on the follow-up to 2009’s Tonight earlier this year. John Cale continues to be generally awesome.
MP3: Franz Ferdinand – “All My Friends”
MP3: John Cale – “All My Friends”
Video: LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends”
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Gord Downie & The Sadies cover Iggy & The Stooges
Frank YangFuse was a show on CBC radio that sought to bring together two disparate Canadian artists in a live studio environment to collaborate on their own songs and covers – a great idea that yielded some great material before sadly coming to an end a couple of years ago. Putting The Sadies and Gord Downie together didn’t count as one of their most out-there combinations – The Sadies had opened up for The Tragically Hip on a number of tours and the two acts weren’t stylistically worlds apart, even though no one really sounds like The Sadies and no one writes or sings like Downie.
But even without the WTF factor, the pairing still yielded some fantastic results, including this explosive Iggy & The Stooges cover which, with The Sadies in a rare full rock-out mode and Downie giving his lungs a hell of a workout, is pretty much the definition of “raw power”. At least it was when I saw Downie join The Sadies on stage at the Horseshoe Tavern’s 60th anniversary party in December 2007 for this same song, which is to say it was awesome.
The Sadies’ new record Darker Circles is out this Tuesday and they have a couple of local dates coming up – a record release show at Lee’s Palace this Saturday, May 22 and as Canada Day headliners at Harbourfront Centre on July 1. Gord Downie’s third solo record The Grand Bounce is out June 8 and he’ll play the Hillside Festival in Guelph on June July 25. Iggy & The Stooges will headline NXNE with a free show at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 19.
MP3: Gord Downie & The Sadies – “Search & Destroy”
Video: Iggy & The Stooges – “Search & Destroy”
Sunday, May 9th, 2010
Delays cover a-ha
Rate Your MusicYes, this is two a-ha covers in a row, but come on – they’re breaking up after this tour, and then there’ll never be occasion to post any of their songs again. And plenty of you wanted the tickets to their show at Massey Hall tomorrow night, so don’t pretend you’re too cool for them. Congratulations go out to Dimitri and Samuel for winning the tickets, by the way.
As for this tune, the original isn’t as famous as their most famous song – otherwise it would be their most famous song – but it is probably my favourite (and apparently also U2’s – scrub to 1:25). It was also selected for re-interpretation by Britan’s Delays for a 2006 Q cover compilation CD that payed tribute to 1986, when “The Sun Always Shines On TV” topped the UK charts in January. Their version moves at a more droning, mechanical pace and strikes a more melancholic tone, but is still grand in its way. It works.
Delays will release their new album Star Tiger, Star Ariel on June 21. a-ha calls it a day in December. The Toronto Star has an interview with guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.
MP3: Delays – “The Sun Always Shines On TV”
Video: a-ha – “The Sun Always Shines On TV”
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