Current Music interns cover for Peter this Friday with a roundup of their favorite cover versions. Stop doing work already, and let us cover for you.
Yim Yames, Behind That Locked Door
Yim Yames is actually Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and on Tuesday he released his digital EP “Tribute To.,” an album of George Harrison covers, on his website. “Behind That Locked Door” is from Harrison’s 1970 gem “All Things Must Pass.” —James Risolo
Son of Dave, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”
Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” has gotten a lot of attention in the past couple years thanks to Kanye West sampling it and the infamous YouTube video “Daft Hands” (and all of its subpar clones). However, as the rest of music listeners were buzzing about those things, I just kept thinking to myself: man, this would really be perfect if that one dude from Crash Test Dummies decided to folk up this synth beat a la their bafflingly infectious 90s single “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” Luckily, somebody with influence over Benjamin Darvill loves me. He performs as solo act Son of Dave now, and here he takes apart Daft Punk’s electronic hit, and then rebuilds it with acoustic sounds, looped perfectly just to prove to everybody that, yeah, he’s still got it. —Chanelle Johnson
The Kooks, “Kids”
The Kooks sat in the studio and listened to MGMT’s original track as it played over the airwaves and then came up with this acoustic cover. I was skeptical about this track’s sound with only two acoustic guitars, but the stripped down feel seems to bring out the gloomy feel. The upbeat, more blissful tones are gone, resulting in a smooth and thoughtful cover. Luke Pritchard’s voice works really well. It might not sound too much different than the original, but the raw sound and emotion fit in with the darker feel of this acoustic version. These U.K. boys understand pop music, and this impromptu jam shows it. —Josh Middleton
The Vines, “Ms. Jackson”
This works surprisingly well as a rock number, but I wish the Hives would have sped things up a bit more. Having said that, their choice to take it slow highlights some redeeming qualities of the track. The chorus becomes a heartfelt cry for forgiveness, something I didn’t quite pick up on from Big Boi and Andre 3000. The Hives have some other Outkast covers out there that aren’t too shabby either, go find some good ones. —JM
Jason Mraz, “Three Little Birds”
I’ve had this tune stuck in my head thanks to a recent Panic at the Disco cover I heard; I won’t deny it. While that version is sweet, it also reminded me of Jason Mraz’s own tendency to play the Bob Marley hit live. Mraz has always had a strong voice and great stage presence. He demonstrates both for this number, but what’s really impressive is how much of the audience he gets to participate, up to and including their sloppy but enthusiastic whistling. This version tends to inspire me to do a little call and response of my own when it plays, but unlike Jason’s fans, the people I’m around in public tend to drown in haterade and shush joy music coming their way. Their loss. —CJ
Norah Jones, “Jesus, Etc.”
You might not take Norah Jones fans for indie/alt-country types, but the crowd obviously got the reference when Jones performed her pared-down cover of Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc.” Despite the recent death of ex-member Jay Bennett, Wilco are still going strong. Their seventh album “Wilco (The Album)” debuted June 30th at #4 to strong reviews. —James Risolo The album will be available in stores on August 4th. —JR
