"End of the Road" by Blame Jones

 

2023 is rapidly coming to a close, so here's Portsmouth, UK band Blame Jones with their rendition of "End of the Road," the 1992 R & B single from Cooley High Harmony Makers Boyz II Men.

"Young Folks" by Shindig Society

 

Stockholm, Sweden indie pop band Peter Bjorn and John had their 2006 single "Young Folks" remade by Shindig Society on their 2014 album "Put Your Lips Together," which includes covers of 15 different tunes that prominently feature whistling.

Though no biography of the band can be found anywhere, their album was released by EMI Music Scandinavia, so they likely aren't too far from Stockholm themselves.  

Though, SecondhandSongs indicates that they're a studio band from the States.

"Unstoppable" by Red

 

Nashville, Tennessee Christian rock band Red muscle through Aussie singer and songwriter Sia's 2016 electropop song of empowerment and self-esteem "Unstoppable."

For more Sia covers, Trip for Biscuit's version of "Cheap Thrills" can be found here, and PVRIS's version of "Chandelier" can be found here.

"Green-Eyed Lady" by Velvet Chain

 

Denver, Colorado psychedelic rock band Sugarloaf had their 1970 single "Green Eyed Lady" revamped by Weehawken, New Jersey by way of Los Angeles, California space jazz band Velvet Chain.

"7 Years" by Flaw

 

Happy Birthday to my main man Rory!

The little guy turns eight today, so in his honor, here's Louisville, Kentucky bourbon soaked numetal band Flaw with their version of Copenhagen, Denmark soul pop group Lukas Graham's 2015 single "7 Years."

Once I was seven years old....

Yeah, once, like six hours ago.  

"Lido Shuffle" by Blufish

 

Duxbury, Massachusetts yacht rockers Blufish cover "Lido Shuffle," a 1976 hit for Canton, Ohio artist Boz Scaggs.

If you're wondering where Duxbury is, it's right down the ro-o-o-o-oad from Boston.  

"Christmas Wrapping" by Spice Girls

 

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

One day over the Spring I was sitting on the couch, minding my own business, when Jess came up to me.

"You know that song 'Christmas Wrapping' by The Waitresses?," she asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

She smirked and said "Spice Girls covered it."

Then she walked away.

Nobody prepares you for the days when marriage is this difficult.

For a cover of Spice Girls, Sandflower's version of "Wannabe" can be found here.

"Can't Help Falling in Love" by Erasure

 

Uptempo British synth pop band Erasure are one of over 600 (!) artists to cover "Can't Help Falling in Love," a 1961 single for Memphis, Tennessee by way of Tupelo, Mississippi crooner Elvis Presley.

If you're a total masochist, have fun checking out another Elvis cover -- "In the Ghetto" by Eilert Pilarm -- here,

"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" by Arkivet

 

Trinidad and Tobago born crooner Billy Ocean had his 1985 single "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" covered by Swedish house band Arkivet.

Their video was labeled "... the Tough Gets Going," and, sure enough, they throw an unnecessary "S" in there, and it bothers me more than it probably should.  Like when people pronounce the s in Illinois.  

"Heat of the Moment" by Seikima-II

 

I showed Jess a clip of Tokyo, Japan metal band Seikima-II's live performance of "Heat of the Moment," originally released on London, UK progressive rock band Asia's 1982 debut album.  

She watched for about a minute, then turned away muttering "Why are you so weird?"

Pretty sure she liked it.  Maybe.

"When You Were Young" by CrazyEightyEight

 

Multinational post hardcore collab CrazyEightyEight tossed together a couple of albums worth of cover songs, including this blistering version of Las Vegas, Nevada indie band The Killers' 2006 single "When You Were Young."

According to this Wiki article, the band derives its name from the gang in "Kill Bill."

I'm slightly disappointed, as I was hoping that the band was named after Eric Lindros.

For another Killers cover, Patent Pending's version of "Mr Brightside" can be found here.

"Dizz Knee Land" by Mother Lode

 

Denver, Colorado trio Mother Lode have a solitary video uploaded on their YouTube channel.  

It's this cover of the 1992 single "Dizz Knee Land" from Los Angeles, California alternative band Dada, a song that you likely haven't thought about in damn near 30 years.

Why haven't you?  Thought about it?  Hmmmm?  

Still a banger.

"Bad Girls" by Miss Cantaloupe

 

If disco queen Donna Summer had frequented Renaissance Faires in her youth, her 1979 funk single "Bad Girls" may have sounded a bit more like this remake from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania baroque pop band Miss Cantaloupe. 

They have a dedicated flautist.  Seriously.

For another Donna Summer cover, Curve's version of "I Feel Love" can be found here.

"Plush" by Celsius

 

San Diego, California grunge band Stone Temple Pilots' 1993 breakthrough hit "Plush" was masterly recrafted by Celsius, a Mumbai, India based band.  

The singer has a profile on a website called Talentrack, where it indicates that he has been trained under western vocals.

This is probably for the best, as the song would likely lose some of its luster if it were translated into Marathi:

ani mala vatate, ani mala vatate
jevha kutryanna ticha vas yeu lagato
tila ekatyacha vas yeil ka?

For another STP cover, Groove Machine's version of "Vasoline" can be found here.

"Eternal Flame" by Saint Sister

 

Dublin, Ireland pair Saint Sister perform a mesmerizing rendition of The Bangles' emotional 1989 power ballad "Eternal Flame," released on an album that I can only hope is not named "2 Girls, 1 Harp."

For a cover by the Bangles, their version of "Hazy Shade of Winter" can be found here.

"Reelin' in the Years" by Feed Me Jack

 

Santa Cruz, California progressive indie band Feed Me Jack cover the 1972 classic "Reelin' in the Years" by New York yacht rock band Steely Dan.

Though the original artists never revealed that the jazz heavy record was primarily about armadillos and taco trucks, Feed Me Jack sort of read between the lines and brought that imagery to the forefront.

For another Steely Dan cover, Birtha's version of "Dirty Work" can be found here.

"Playground Love" by Sugar Candy Mountain

 

Oakland, California psych pop band Sugar Candy Mountain trip hop through "Playground Love," the downtempo 2000 song from the soundtrack of Kirsten Dunst film "The Virgin Suicides," originally by French duo Air.

Sugar Candy Mountain are not to be confused with plain ol' Candy Mountain, the site where Charlie the Unicorn lost his kidney.

"Lost in Your Eyes" by EastSide Band

 

Manila, Philippines area group EastSide Band dish out a healthy dose of nostalgia by resurrecting the 1989 ballad "Lost in Your Eyes" from one of my longstanding celebrity crushes, NYC electric youth Debbie Gibson.  

For those who are thinking about what to get me for Christmas, a white tee with "Beer O'Clock" written across the front is far from the worst idea.

"Rock N Roll High School" by The Hawkbirds

 

New York family band The Hawkbirds have developed a cult following on YouTube by posting their cover versions of punk standards that are filmed in a single take using only an iPhone.  

One of the latest is this take on 1978 dance punk single "Rock N Roll High School" by Queens pop punk spearheaders Ramones, released on the soundtrack of the like titled teen comedy film. 

For another Ramones cover, The Beautiful South's version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" can be found here.

 

"Cecilia and the Satellite" by New Politics

 

Concord, Massachusetts singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon's 2014 single "Cecilia and the Satellite," was covered by Copenhagen, Denmark alternative rock band New Politics.  

The lyrics were written for McMahon's newborn daughter.

Who would be nine years old today.

So, though the line about keeping her safe and dry is sweet, I'm sure that she'd be quick to point out that she's now a big girl, and can hold her own Paw Patrol umbrella, thank you very much.

"Don't Bring Me Down" by Juliana Hatfield

 

Boston, Massachusetts area alt singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield pays tribute to Birmingham, UK orchestral rock icons Electric Light Orchestra with this version of their 1979 pop hit "Don't Bring Me Down".... Bruce!

I'm not sure how Bruce brought Juliana Hatfield down, but my guess is that he kept nitpicking the way that she drives.

"King of Wishful Thinking" by New Found Glory

 

Coral Springs, Florida pop punk band New Found Glory cover "King of Wishful Thinking," a 1990 single from UK duo Go West that, though chronologically falling on the cusp between two decades, is more '80s than neon green jelly shoes.

Fun fact about New Found Glory: Their drummer's name is Cyrus Bolooki, which is a much cooler name than yours, sorry.

"Take the Skinheads Bowling" by Artichoke

 

A 2010 article from LA Weekly opens by saying that indie band Artichoke makes music for kids and drunks.

I haven't heard a ton of their work, but, based on my limited exposure, this statement is roughly 103% accurate.

Here, they play an off-kilter cover of "Take the Skinheads Bowling," a 1985 college rock song from Cracker precursor Camper Van Beethoven. 

"Imagine" by Booost

 

Zurich, Switzerland reggae flavored band Booost reimagined "Imagine," the 1971 ballad from Head Beatle in Charge John Lennon.

On the 43rd anniversary of his assassination by an overzealous fan, it may not be the worst time to imagine all of the people living life in peace.

You may say I'm a dreamer... but I'm not the only one.

"Hypnosis" by Morphide

 

Copenhagen, Denmark by way of Latvia progressive band Morphide tackle "Hypnosis," a 2021 release from anonymous masked metal makers Sleep Token.

"You Really Got Me" by Oingo Boingo

 

Ages before scoring every blessed movie and television show from "The Simpsons" to "Batman" to "Edward Scissorhands," film composer Danny Elfman fronted Oingo Boingo, a Los Angeles collective that incorporated elements of ska, punk, worldbeat, and general weirdness.

Here's their.... different.... cover of London, UK rock band The Kinks' 1964 international hit "You Really Got Me."

"Headstrong" by Robyn Adele Anderson

 

Not sure how it took so long to discover New York City social worker turned vintage jazz performer Robyn Adele Anderson, but I'm making up for lost time by checking out her entire catalog.

Not a bad cover in the bunch.

Here's her 1950's style rendering of Los Gatos, California nu metal band Trapt's 2002 single "Headstrong."

"Shattered Dreams" by Kaiak

 

Swedish folk duo Kaiak are giving me, giving me, nothing but chill guitars, chill guitars on their cover version, cover version of Johnny Hates Ja-a--a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-azz's 1988 sophistipop number "Shattered Dreams."

"Unchained Melody" by Cocoon

 

French folk pop duo Cocoon cover "Unchained Melody," a 1955 hit for Texas lounge singer Les Baxter that was popularized a decade later by Orange County, California soul vocal pair The Righteous Brothers.

This version makes me want to catch a micro nap while making pottery with Demi Moore.

"Stand by Me" by Mona

 

Nashville, Tennessee rock band Mona perform a sinister cover of "Stand by Me," the 1961 hit song from Harlem soul singer Ben E King.

If you don't say the name of their band while imitating Tony Danza, and following up with "Samanta! Jonatin!," I'm not sure that I understand why not.

"Rain in the Summertime" by December

 

Believe it or not, it's the first day of December!

So, here's Glasgow, Scotland band December with their cover of Welsh new wave band The Alarm's 1987 oft overlooked gem "Rain in the Summertime."