What makes for a good cover song might be one of the questions of the ages. I mean, should you go for paying tribute to a band who helped give shape to your own sound? Or do you go way out to left field to adapt a different sound to your own style? Or maybe you just go for that one special single that really marked a moment in your own personal music history? Any answer can be the right answer…
Citrus Clouds
What happens when one of Phoenix’s favorite fuzz pop bands pays homage to one of their favorite fuzz pop bands? Citrus Clouds offers up this stellar tribute to My Bloody Valentine with their cover of “Come In Alone” from the album, Loveless. Dive down into the shoegazy soup of Citrus Clouds below…
Beckii Power
Covering Blondie is a bold move, but one that Beckii Power didn’t shy away from. Power took the 1980 hit and added some modern mellow for her own rendition. The result is a little more daydream and a little less dance club, but I’m digging the change. Check out Beckii Power’s cover of “Call Me” below and keep an eye (or ear) out for new original music from Power this year…
MRCH
That gum you like is going to come back in style. And by “gum” I mean “television show”. Yes, I’m one of those people that is counting down the minutes until the re-boot of Twin Peaks and it looks like MRCH is on #TeamCoop too. To mark our much-anticipated return to Twin Peaks, the electropop duo took on the haunting theme song. Damn fine cover.
Mama Ghost
Mama Ghost provides us a great example of taking a song from a different style and making it your own with this Flock of Seagulls number. The Cali-based indie-folk act strips “I Ran” down to its emotional core. Give the Mama Ghost version of “I Ran” a spin below. And, just in case you haven’t visited the 1982 music video from Flock of Seagulls in a while, you can (and should) do that here.
Sugar Skull Explosion
If you’re not yet familiar with the father-daughter duo that is Sugar Skull Explosion, you need to take some corrective action. The pair released a two-track collection of cover songs called Kathleen and Courtney a few months back. Sugar Skull Explosion gives a little love to the Kathleen Hanna classic, “Rebel Girl”, and Hole’s 1994 hit, “Doll Parts”, also makes a notable appearance.
Chino XL & Rama Duke
Chino XL & Rama Duke offer listeners an interesting take on the whole concept of the cover song. Their version of “Under the Bridge” (originally by the Red Hot Chili Peppers) is one part RocknRoll cover and one part HipHop mash-up. Check out the sweet music video for the Chino XL/Rama Duke rendition of that song we all had stuck in our head back in 1992. “Under the Bridge” is also available for preview through Soundcloud (here).
Time | Wise
“Malted Milk”
This seven piece band all the way from Ahmedabad, India offer up the Robert Johnson classic, “Malted Milk”, for fans near and far. Time | Wise is no stranger to serving up jazz standards in their own style so this blues number feels smooth and soulful.
