"Low" by The Cleverlys

 

The Cleverlys are a bluegrass band hailing from Cane Spur, Arkansas.

And, they sound exactly like you'd imagine a band from Cane Spur, Arkansas might.

Here's their take on Flo Rida's club smash "Low."  

"Sunday Girl" by Heartworms

 

Listening to Washington, DC based Heartworms' rendition of  "Sunday Girl" is a lot like watching an episode of "Chopped" where a Denver sous-chef is so busy making a Teddy Graham encrusted ahi tuna with a balsamic blueberry reduction that he/she fails to see the rainbow chard at the bottom of the basket.  

Heartworms are sailing along, making their Blondie cover, transforming it and elevating it and... they somehow miss the verse in French.

You know.... depeche-toi y attend.... somethingsomethingsomething and portent j'attend....

Heartworms, your cover song is missing one of the mandatory ingredients, and, for that reason, I had to chop you.  Judges....

"Human Behavior" by The Decemberists

 It'll be tempting to stop listening to The Decemberists' interpretation of Björk's "Human Behavior" when you're about half a minute in. Spoiler Alert: It's just Colin Meloy's nasally whine over a single strummed guitar chord.

You're, of course, under no obligation to slog through the early going. But, if you do, you get rewarded when the band flips its switch from "Meh" to "Awesome" at exactly 1:01.

"Little Lion Man" by Tonight Alive

 

Tonight Alive's version of Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man" seamlessly weaves together speed metal, pop punk, and arena rock, then back again.

This is impressive enough on its own.

Then, consider that they recorded this version and were a featured act on the Vans Warped Tour before any of the Aussie whippersnappers were old enough to rent a used Nissan Murano from most Enterprise locations.

That's pretty astounding.

"Steppin' Out" by American Hi-Fi

 

Boston Indie rockers American Hi-Fi and, to a greater degree, their fan base contributed to one of my favorite concert experiences.

It was in the late Spring of 2001, and they were playing at an arena on the grounds of a Great Adventure theme park in Jackson, New Jersey.

The venue was filled to capacity, and then some. America Hi-Fi were engaging and fun. They played their encore. Everyone cheered. And then....

The stadium emptied. Tons of teens made their mass exodus, presumably to spend hours waiting in line for Kingda Ka.

Their departure left me six rows back from Belinda Carlisle and The Go-Go's.

It was my first time seeing The Go-Go's live in concert, and my proximity to the stage, made possible by thousands of young folk taking off without realizing what they would be missing, made my inner ten year old extremely happy.

Here, American Hi-Fi take on Joe Jackson.

"Beds Are Burning" by Novaspace

 Midnight Oil : It's a song about how the Aboriginal inhabitants of our nation were forced to relocate from the areas surrounding Uluru, and how we can begin the process of reparations for stealing their land and their homes.

Novaspace : COOL! DANCE PARTY!!

"Just One Fix" by Sepultura

 A fantastic replication of Industrial rocker Ministry's single "Just One Fix" by Brazilian thrash metal outfit Sepultura.

If there's any validity in the theory of reincarnation, I hope that I've lived my life in a way that I don't come back as one of Jean Dolabella's drum kits. Holy wow. Give a listen at the 1:10 mark. Brutal.

"Faith" by Lake Street Dive

Remember when Elmo from Sesame Street was all the rage? When Tickle Me Elmo dolls were going up on EBay for three times my monthly salary? Then came a barrage of other must-haves: Chicken Dance Elmo, Rock and Roll Elmo, Walk and Talk Elmo, Hokey Pokey Elmo….

I liked Elmo just fine, but Telly was way cooler of a neurotic little Muppet, and he didn’t get a fraction of Elmo’s fanfare.

So it is with cover versions of George Michael’s “Faith.”

The Limp Bizkit nu-metal version was all over the damn place in 1997. I believe I heard it played in grocery stores.

I hadn’t heard of Lake Street Dive until Lynn suggested it as a featured cover, touting it as “a song to belt out while driving. Alone.”

I can’t disagree. It’s an under-the-radar jazzy, swingy, bluesy gem!

"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" by Taking Back Sunday

If the song "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" stole my laptop on the subway, I'd have a pretty tough time differentiating between The Smashing Pumpkins version and the Taking Back Sunday cover in the police lineup.

There are subtle distinctions, sure. But like those seen in round 23 of "Photo Hunt" visual games, where it's nearly impossible to tell that the watermelon slice has 48 seeds rather than 47.

I could be way off base, but I believe Taking Back Sunday got their name when lead singer Adam Lazzara was hanging out with Corey Feldman at the bottom of a wishing well in Astoria, Oregon. Someone had chucked in several hundred calendars with random days circled. "This was my day, my Sunday," cried Corey as he pointed to a date circled in red Sharpie. "And I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back."

"Radio Ga Ga" by Electric Six

 Electric Six channel Queen. They're pretty dead on.

And, if you can't 100% get behind a video showing a pack of poodles rhythmically clapping while hanging out in a bar with the ghost of Freddie Mercury, I'm not sure that we can be friends.

"On the Road Again" by First Aid Kit

 

Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg of First Aid Kit lend their tuneful harmonies to this reworking of Willie Nelson's road trip staple. And, Ehrmahgerd, is that an AUTOHARP? It is! It's an autoharp!

Speaking of getting on the road again, I was reading about Kosher tank cleaners the other day.

If an 18-wheeler was carrying commodities that were not Kosher certified, like live hagfish, the inside of the trailer must be sanitized prior to getting it on the road again, adhering to strict guidelines of temperature and dormancy, with the entire process being supervised and certified by a rabbi.

I'm adding "Meticulously watching tractor trailers getting cleaned" to my list of vocational aspirations.

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Leningrad Cowboys

If my Father-In-Law ever takes up professional wrestling (that ship has likely sailed, unfortunately. But, stranger things have happened), there's little doubt of what his intro music would be.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" has been his de facto anthem since I've known him, and likely years and years before.

Unfortunately, a plane crash outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi took the life of Ronnie Van Zant in his prime, so he never got to witness his song covered by Leningrad Cowboys, some Finnish dudes with faux pompadours, accompanied on tuba and accordion and freakin' balalaikas.

Not to mention an ensemble of Russians in full military garb, heartfully belting out a song about Dixie.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

"Raining Tacos" by Dolphin Smiling

 

Our son Kaden created a game for himself around his 11th birthday where he scores points by intentionally annoying family members.

He's really good at it. Like, if needling siblings were an Olympic sport, Kip would have so many medals around his neck that he'd be stooped over like Junebug Spade from "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka."

One night, soon after we bought an Amazon Alexa, Kaden shouted out, "Alexa, Play 'It's Raining Tacos!'"

His plan backfired, because I absolutely love the song. Parry Gripp's tune is approximately two minutes of delightful family-friendly absurdity, with a catchy chorus and a sturdy bouncy synth-pop foundation.

According to Kaden, this cover version by Denver band Dolphin Smiling is "trash" (I like it better than the original, but both are pretty fab), which is great to know, as I now have a means to intentionally annoy HIM. REVERSE CARD!!!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

"Family Affair" by Streetwize

 

Mary J. Blige was the highlight of the Superbowl LVI halftime show for me.... with the possible exception of 50 Cent dangling from the rafters of his sterile cubicle looking like a crunked bat.

In 2008, NYC's Streetwize took on Mary J.'s "Family Affair," buliding a layer of electro jazz onto the track, but adding nary a bit of hateration or holleration in the process.

"Sex And Candy" by Keller & The Keels

 

Keller Williams, along with Larry and Jenny Keel, produced a lively roots rock cover of the Marcy Playground original that was probably written about Valentine's Day. At least, the title gives the top two survey answers to the Family Feud question "Name something associated with Valentine's Day." (The other two being "paper hearts" and "Midwest massacre.")

The second verse highlights the sense of humor of the Virginia born singer-songwriter.

"Eye of the Tiger" by Gloria Gaynor

If you didn't know who I want to win the Super Bowl in epic fashion, here you go.

It's the eye of the Bengal tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of their rival.

Cincinnati has yet to win a championship.

They have two previous trips to the big show.

The first was the year before Survivor initially recorded this song.

The second was a mere two years after Gloria Gaynor (you know.... disco era Gloria Gaynor. "I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor.) recorded this cover version.

30 years is a long time to wait.

Bring it home, Cincinnati!

"Ocean Man" by CG5

 

Greetings from Ocean City, MD!

Though we're not at the corner of the globe, I'm assuming it counts as a voyage and a real trip, because there are Airbnb rentals involved.

It's February, so I won't be a tan man imbibed by the sand. In fact, I don't think I'll ever be a tan man. I go straight from fish belly white to beet red, and, not enjoying the ouchies caused by celestial heatballs, I spend most of my time at the beach laying under a thin sheet of plywood.

This was the only video of CG5's cover of Ween's "Ocean Man" that I found, and it works pretty well with the dancing Spongebob characters. Larry the Lobster is FEELIN' it!

"Funky Cold Medina" by Dash of Honey

 

First, the bad.

The intro of Dash of Honey's cover of Tone Loc runs about 30 seconds longer than it needs to.

The outro runs about 30 seconds longer than it needs to.

The guy singing has timing worse than Navin R. Johnson in "The Jerk." It's like he's reading the lyrics off of a cue card right after downing a vial of Zyprexa.

Then, the good.

The song contains a "Wooooo!" sample that I believe was lifted from Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." And, it fits in so perfectly.

The lyrics remain unchanged. So that one verse still mentions Spuds Mackenzie and Alex from Stroh's, despite there being an ever-shrinking niche audience who still remembers and/or cares who they were.

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" by Annett Louisan

Based on her voice, I'm betting that Annett Louisan (who's a couple of weeks older than I am) still gets carded when she tries to buy clove cigarettes.

Here, she covers The Verve.

"People of the Sun" by Walk Off The Earth

This is what it sounds like when one Verb-Preposition-The-Noun band covers another.

Walk Off the Earth's version is pretty groovy, especially for a song that’s a rallying cry for the Mexicans fighting back against close to 500 years (when it was written) of exploitation and mass killings, beginning with the arrival of Euro conquistadors.

Come to think of it, why would a band take these righteously angry lyrics and transform them into a song to sip margaritas to?

What’s next? Will a couple of jerk faces take another scathing Rage Against The Machine song and play an acoustic version with toy instruments?

God, I hope not.

"We Are Family" by Babes in Toyland

 My Mother-In-Law loves this song.

At least, I assume she does, as she's requested it at every single wedding that we've both attended.

Babes in Toyland, surprisingly, don't deviate too much from Sister Sledge's original. I thought that, rather than play a keyboard, they would try to duplicate those sounds by recording themselves punching baby gophers in the throat. That would be more on brand for them.

Happy Birthday, Jo Jo Binks!

"Just What I Needed" by Sister Hazel

This cover of The Cars isn't terrible by any means, but what's up with Sister Hazel front man Ken Block's voice? It reminds me of that episode of "The Brady Bunch" where Greg has to quickly pen a new song for The Silver Platters due to Peter's voice going through puberty-induced changes. I mean... it's cool if that's what's going on. Nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. A really, seriously late bloomer.

"Best Day of My Life" by Elenyi

What's not to love about "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors? It's catchy as all get out. It has a music video featuring a furry long-fanged monster befriending the band and hanging out playing basketball and frequenting strip joints. And, it was featured on the soundtrack of "Paul Blart : Mall Cop Part 2!" The only thing.... ONLY thing.... that could improve it would be if it were covered by a trio of Mormon sisters.

FANTASTIC NEWS! Elenyi have done just that, on their album "Straight Outta Utah." At least, I assume that's the name of it.

I had one beef with the song. The vocal track can be isolated so that we don't hear the "two. three. four" between transitions. I mean, y'all aren't The Ramones.

The four counts were in the original song, too, though.... so I don't hold it against them.

"Old Town Road" by Gavin Magnus

 

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Em's officially a teen! And our daughter! And we love her very much!

This is despite her God-awful musical appetite.

When I'm driving, she'll take my phone and switch over to her personal playlist, which consists almost 95% of songs by Gavin "Dude, Where's My Talent?" Magnus.

Here's his complete butchering of Lil' Nas X.

You're.... welcome? I guess?

"Back in Black" by Living Colour

 

Just because you CAN sing in a scratchy falsetto doesn't mean that you SHOULD.

Instrumentally, this is very much on point.

Vocally? I'd have preferred if Living Colour's Corey Glover had belted it out "Cult of Personality" - style like I know that he could, rather than try to emulate AC/DC.

Still worth a listen, though.

"Goodbye to You" by The Veronicas

 

The Veronicas are a duo of siblings. So they're just like Oasis! Except they're sisters, not brothers. And they're from Australia, not the UK. And they're twins. And they've never been in a public fistfight while calling each other "potatoes."

Otherwise, can't tell them apart.

They take Scandal's 80's smash and, from the jump, give it a guitar riff and hand clap hook that sinks its talons in far too much to ever let you go (oh, oh, oh-oh-oh)

"I Got You Babe" by Toadsuck Symphony

 

Welp. It's Groundhog Day. Again.

Sonny and Cher get the Bluegrass treatment from Toadsuck Symphony, a band of old-timers from Conway, Arkansas.

And, if their band name means what I think it may mean, they made at least one amphibian really REALLY happy.

"What Makes You Beautiful" by Cimorelli

Cimorelli are a Sacramento, California area band of sisters that formed in 2007, presumably to try and help their father pay for impending weddings. Six sisters. I couldn't even imagine how many internal organs I'd have to sell on the black market to finance six weddings.

Here is a cover of One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." At least, I'm pretty sure it's a cover. Cimorelli sister #3 looks and sounds suspiciously like Harry Styles.