I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected from the modern music scene lately. The new Andrew Bird album didn’t thrill me. I still haven’t bought into the Animal Collective love-fest. The new Whitest Boy Alive album has been growing on me, but other than that I’m fairly uninterested at the moment. As my Blur rant from a few weeks ago may indicate, I may be living a few decades behind in the times. I’ve been listening to a lot of Pavement and the Replacements, but really, it’s been mostly The Beatles on repeat. But oh, the blogger’s conundrum: how do you satiate the reader’s desire for hip, new, and fresh when you’ve been listening to nothing but forty-year-old songs? My half-assed solution: semi-modern bands playing those forty-year old songs! And so, consider this a revival of my critically-lauded covers series.
Cornershop – Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Extrapolating the Beatles’ fascination with India beyond their use of the sitar, this version is sung entirely in Punjabi. Even with a different language, the song remains remarkably enjoyable.
You might get the idea that I enjoy Rubber Soul quite a bit, and you’d be right. Mimi Walker’s lovely vocals carry this pared down version.
The late, great Grandaddy put forth a faithful cover while mixing in their distinctive sound. I’ve always felt they didn’t get the recognition they deserved. For those interested, lead singer Jason Lytle’s solo album is due in May.
David Bowie – Across the Universe
Not exactly semi-recent, but let the children boogie, man, Bowie’s a legend.
Finally, stumbling around the internet I came an impressive undertaking: a countdown of every Beatles recording. Each song is accompanied by some interesting commentary, I spent quite a bit of time with it last week. The rankings, as always, are debatable, but it’s a good read.
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