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.
If you are the copyright holder of the current track and wish it to be taken down please contact me to do so.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
GiganticLet it never be said that NoCal’s Morning Benders are afraid of doing a cover version or two. Though they’d just released their second album Talking Through Tin Cans in May of last year, they still found the time to put together an album’s worth of covers a couple months later, which they released for free download as The Bedroom Covers (still available to grab!).
One of the selections on the compilation was “Lovefool”, the song which both acted as a worldwide breakout hit for Sweden’s Cardigans back in 1997 and lightly damned the band as a one-hit wonder to those who couldn’t perceive the deliciously dark undercurrent that ran through both that song and really, their entire oeuvre. And watching the two videos the band made for the song, I have to wonder if that would have happened had they released the rather sexy and very European version over here rather than the cutesy one with Nina Persson batting her ridiculously blue eyes? Persson will release her second album with A Camp, Colonia, in Europe this Monday and in North America on April 28.
And to mark the Morning Benders’ upcoming tour with The Submarines, which hits the Drake Hotel on February 15, the two acts have released a digital single of each band covering the other. The Morning Benders will also be releasing a new EP in Grain Of Salt on February 24 to coincide with the finale of the tour. OC Weekly has an interview with the band.
MP3: The Morning Benders – “Lovefool”
MP3: The Morning Benders – “1940”
MP3: The Submarines – “Waiting For A War”
Video: The Morning Benders – “Lovefool” (live)
Video: The Cardigans – “Lovefool” (European version)
Video: The Cardigans – “Lovefool” (North American version)
Video: The Submarines – “1940” (live)
MySpace: The Morning Benders
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
Frank YangCalgary’s Woodpigeon will be rectifying a grievous wrong next week when they re-release their originally limited-edition (and completely sold out) Treasury Canada Library album, this time accessorized with a bonus album in the form of Houndstooth Europa. The album was one of my favourites of last year and I’m pleased that more will be getting to hear it.
But by giving older works their proper due, the band is having to postpone – at least for a little while – their newer works which are already starting to pile up. Not only is there a plan to release another album of new works entitled Die Stadt Muzikanten for this Fall, but demos are already complete for the album after that one. It’s from sessions for that record, currently called Thumbtacks + Glue and which almost certainly not to see the light of day until sometime in ’10, that this simple and haunting ABBA cover comes.
Following a couple of Vancouver dates next week, the band is set to head out on a European tour for most of February. Eastern Canada types take heart, though – they’ll be here in June for NxNE. Yet another reason to look forward to Summer. In case no longer dealing with -30 wind chills wasn’t quite sufficient.
MP3: Woodpigeon – “Lay All Your Love On Me”
Video: ABBA – “Lay All Your Love On Me” (fan video)
Sunday, January 18th, 2009
Discogs.comFranz Ferdinand seem incapable of delivering a song without a sly nudge and a wink, be it their own or someone else’s. And that’s good, because I don’t think there’s a way for anyone besides Gwen Stefani to deliver this anthem of self-affirmation with a straight face, and really, listening to the lyrics, I’m surprised she’s able to as well.
It comes from one of a Q compilation CDs circa May 2006, and this particular track was taken from a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge show, and this track sounds like a rip of the show’s stream rather than actually coming from the CD.
Franz Ferdinand deliver their third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand next Tuesday. Despite massive solo success, Stefani has decided to help her former bandmates pay their mortgages and a new No Doubt album is currently underway, with intentions to release it before the year is out.
Franz Ferdinand talks to The Herald Sun about the process of making Tonight while Alex Kapranos gives The Guardian the soundtrack of his life.
MP3: Franz Ferdinand – “What You Waiting For?”
Video: Gwen Stefani – “What You Waiting For?”
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
One Little IndianSometimes it doesn’t pay to be early to the party. For example, those of us who emigrated early to the Land Of Talk via the initial self-release of Applause Cheer Boo Hiss were left waiting a good, long time for a follow up as it was re-released and promoted in the US and Europe.
But there was a quite worthy stop-gap release in the first part of last year from European label One Little Indian in the form of the Europe/tour-only L’aventure Acoustique, which recast all of Applause Cheer and a couple songs that would appear on Some Are Lakes in acoustic – and sometimes revelatory – form. The final track, however was this cover of Halifax’s Wintersleep, a band I’ve never especially cared for but was forced to reconsider after hearing Land Of Talk’s beautiful rendition of their “Weighty Ghost” (though it’s listed on the album as just “Ghost”). And while they still don’t do much for me, I will admit it’s a good song.
This week, Land Of Talk are making up a small portion of the tour they cancelled last Fall on account of bandleader Liz Powell losing her voice. As she blogged at the end of last year, the issues with her voice aren’t fully resolved and following this short jaunt which includes a date at the Horseshoe on Thursday, she’s getting surgery done and will be spending a while after that recuperating. So catch them while you can.
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Weighty Ghost”
Video: Wintersleep – “Winter Ghost”
Sunday, January 4th, 2009
WikipediaFirstly – some of you who make this a weekly Sunday stop may have been a mite confused as to why the area to the right formerly reserved for the cover of the week is now vacant… well, henceforth that feature is now going to be rolled into the regular blog.
The benefit of this to you is that it’ll now show up in the RSS feed, like a number have asked for, and you can comment, which is always amusing. The benefit to me is that I now no longer have to have these things locked and loaded before midnight Saturday night for fear of the site breaking. Same thing about missing a week – no breakie. I mean, I’ve been churning out these things one a week for six years now, the well is starting to run a little dry, so by segue – if anyone’s got a stash of cool or interesting covers that they’d care to donate, drop me a line. It’d be appreciated. And links will still be going down after a week.
Anyways, that’s the PSA portion of things.
Glasgow’s Glasvegas rather ably conquered the UK in 2008, and are turning their eyes to America for 2009. Their self-titled debut, released back home in September, will come out in North America this Tuesday and be accompanied by a couple of bonus tracks to annoy those of us who sprung for the import.
Not amongst them, however, is this cover of Phil Spector via The Ronettes, which proves they’re not shy to own up to one of their most obvious influences. It was a b-side to their “”It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry” single.
They also kick off a North American tour tonight in Boston. No Toronto date yet, but Google certainly seems to think they’ll be at the Mod Club on April 3. I’ll confirm that when I can. Update: Date confirmed, tickets $21 on sale Saturday.
Features on the band have recently popped up at The Boston Herald, The Boston Globe and The Daily Record.
MP3: Glasvegas – “Be My Baby”
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