Welcome to our 5th Annual Startlefest! Here we embrace the dark(er?) side during this spooky time of year.
Chromatics have just reposted their cover of Joy Division's 'Ceremony' online as a free download! The Portland four piece's Johnny Jewel has posted the song online on Soundcloud. Written by Joy Division 'Ceremony' was released in 1981 as New Order's debut single.
SummersRadio™ New Cover! The Cure Featuring James McCartney - 'Hello, Goodbye'
The Cure have released a new cover of The Beatles 'Hello, Goodbye' online! 'Hello, Goodbye' is the first single from a new compilation called 'The Art Of McCartney' which features well known artists covering Paul McCartney compositions spanning his entire career with The Beatles, Wings, and his solo work. It's released on November 18th on Columbia Records.
The tribute album features artists including Chrissie Hynde, Billy Joel, Brian Wilson, Jeff Lynne, Heart, Ian McCulloch, Alice Cooper and Rodger Daltry - there are 34 tracks in all plus eight bonus tracks. You can see the full tracklisting on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/art-mccartney-bonus-track/id911829038
SummersRadio™ New Cover! Tame Impala - 'Stranger In Moscow'
Tame Impala have just released a new song online today - a cover of Michael Jackson's 'Stranger In Moscow'! So what is this - covers week?! Notable covers don't come along often - but here we are with our third in as many days.
Michael Jackson released 'Stranger In Moscow' in 1996 as the fifth single from his 'HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book 1' album. I'm not a fan of the original song but Tame Impala make it their own - making it feel like less of a ballad and more like a dreamy psychedelic number.
SummersRadio™ New Cover! The Raveonettes - 'The End'
Cleopatra Records has released a new compilation called 'A Psych Tribute To The Doors'! 'A Psych Tribute To The Doors' is available on vinyl, cd and as a digital download.
The compilation features thirteen tracks - here's the full tracklisting:
1. Elephant Stone - L.A. Woman 2. The Black Angels - Soul Kitchen 3. Psychic Ills - Love Me Two Times 4. Dark Horses - Hello, I Love You 5. Camera - People Are Strange 6. Dead Meadow - The Crystal Ship 7. Sons Of Hippies - The Soft Parade 8. Dead Skeletons - Riders On The Storm 9. Wall Of Death - Light My Fire 10. Clinic - Touch Me 11. VietNam - Roadhouse Blues 12. Geri X - Love Her Madly 13. The Raveonettes - The End
The Raveonettes have released a video online for their cover of 'The End'. While their version isn't an eleven minute plus epic like the original it's still a quality cover... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Cover + Classic! Emmanuelle Seigner - 'You Think You're A Man' (Jean Tonique Remix)/ Divine - 'You Think You're A Man' (Original Extended Remix)
French actress and singer Emmanuelle Seigner is releasing a new EP next week called 'You Think You're A Man'! 'You Think You're A Man' is a cover of Divine's 1984 underground club hit. The EP will feature two remixes - one by Yuksek and this one by Jean Tonique. Seigner - who's married to director Roman Polanski - is releasing the EP next week - March 17th on Universal.
Jean Tonique's remix of 'You Think You're A Man' is a full on disco/ funk makeover complete with Nile Rodgers style funky guitars and great strings... Enjoy!
Bonus Track! Emmanuelle Seigner's choice of a song to cover is awesome - but nothing can match the vitriol of Divine's delivery on the original. This is the original 'Extended Version' produced by Barry Evangeli and Pete Waterman in all it's cowbell induced glory... Enjoy!
It's a great cover of New Order's 1987 single 'Touched By The Hand Of God' - originally from the Salvation soundtrack. It features additional fuzzy guitars so it sounds rather like The Jesus & Mary Chain covering New Order - so it's quite awesome.
SummersRadio™ New Music/ Cover + Free Download! Say Lou Lou - 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards'
Say Lou Lou have just released a new cover of Tame Impala's instant classic 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' online today!
The Swedish duo love Tame Impala and the song so they decided to do their own version - here are their comments: "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" is really enthralling, it's like there are several different worlds inside one song. How it feels like a simple rock song (with almost pop melodies) but with a field of colour bursts of warm layered instrumentation that re-invents itself throughout the whole song... but it wasn't until we started making our own version that we discovered how beautiful the lyrics are - another world in itself - so we decided to strip the groove back and take it into another place.'
If Say Lou Lou's stripped down version is to your liking you can download a copy of it for free from their website here: http://www.sayloulou.com/
SummersRadio™ New Music + Free Download! AM & Shawn Lee - 'Steppin' Out'
AM & Shawn Lee have released a brilliant cover of Joe Jackson's new wave classic 'Steppin' Out'! AM & Shawn Lee are a duo who spend their time between Los Angeles and London. They released their second album called 'La Musique Numerique' last month on the Park The Van Label (available on iTunes).
'Steppin' Out' was originally released by Joe Jackson in 1982 as a single from his album 'Night And Day'. AM & Shawn Lee's cover is quite faithful to the charming original but with more contemporary keyboard sounds and a slightly more laid back feel - and if it's to your liking you can download a copy for free by clicking on the arrow below... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ Classic Cover! A Camp - 'Us And Them'
It's 12/12/12! As I write this the '12/12/12 Concert for Sandy Relief' continues live at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The line up is a mixed sac - largely focused on classic rock artists. I've watched a few enjoyable performances - muted some others immediately upon hearing their introduction - and if the rumours are true the thought of Paul McCartney fronting Nirvana later on is a bit unsettling.
So I don't feel particularly compelled to feature any of the artist's playing tonight per se - but while watching the legendary Roger Waters perform 'Us And Them' I was reminded of this excellent cover!
A Camp is the side project of Nina Persson of the recently reunited Swedish band The Cardigans. The trio have released two full length albums so far - as well as 2009's 'Covers' EP which features the band covering David Bowie ('Boys Keep Swinging'), Pink Floyd and Grace Jones ('I've Done It Again').
Nina's vocals are incredible as always - I love it when she sings the line 'Out of my way it's a busy day, and I've got things on my mind'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Comon - 'Da Da Da' (Original Mix)
Comon has just released a new cover of Trio's 1982 classic 'Da Da Da'! Who is Comon (with one m) you may ask? According to the label Toolroom Records they are 'shrouded in mystery' and so they shall remain... for now. The single features this 'Original Mix' and a remix from Tom Flynn - although one might argue that this is more of a remix than a cover anyway- as it samples the original quite extensively. It's currently available exclusively on Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/#release/comon-da-da-da/919883
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the original 'Da Da Da' which became a hit all over the world and has been recorded in several languages. It was Trio's only hit outside of Germany and the group disbanded just two years later in 1984. The song became popular again in 1997 when it was used in a Volkswagen commercial.
Comon utilizes keyboard samples and vocals from the original German version of the song but updates it wonderfully for 2012 as a groovy tech house number... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music/ Cover! YACHT - 'I'll Be Your Mirror'
YACHT have released a cover of the Velvet Underground & Nico classic 'I'll Be Your Mirror'! The band just posted this 'new beat' cover on Soundcloud yesterday - but it was actually released as the b-side song on their new six track EP for their latest single (also a cover) 'Le Goudron' - which is released on DFA Records, and is available on itunes.
This a respectful electronic cover featuring minimal synths and lovely harmonies that echo the beauty of Nico's original performance... Enjoy!
It's the May (twofour) long weekend! Time for barbecues and camping - sun and fun... only Mother Nature seems to have other plans - for Vancouver at least. The skies could hardly be greyer and heavy with rain - so I've decided to post a bit of a seasonal cover of a classic uplifting tune today.
Now that barbecue season has theoretically arrived Kingsford has been advertising their slo-mo charcoal briquets again in a commercial that features a cover of The Human League's '(Keep Feeling) Fascination' by Pinback's Rob Crow. Crow strips the synth pop dance tune down and transforms it into a beautifully chilled and wonderfully produced acoustic based tune.
So it may be soggy outside, but let's not let it dampen our long weekend spirits - this is Rob Crow's brilliant cover of '(Keep Feeling) Fascination'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ Coldplay Beastie Boys Tribute + Free Download! Coldplay - '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)'
While countless musicians have been paying tribute to the Beastie Boys Adam Yauch this weekend, Coldplay have posted a particularly heartfelt live tribute on their website titled 'RIP MCA'. It features the band covering the Beastie Boys classic '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' which they performed at a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Friday night, after hearing of Yauch's passing earlier in the day.
Coldplay often incorporate unique and rather unexpected covers into their live performances and this actually isn't the first time that they've covered this song, but not surprisingly there's a beautiful sadness inherit in this particular stripped down performance with Chris Martin adding the line 'We're sending all our love to the Beastie Boys' at the end.
SummersRadio™ New Music + Bonus Tracks! School Of Seven Bells - 'Kiss Them For Me'/ Siouxsie and the Banshees - 'Kiss Them For Me' (Kathak #2 Mix)/ Siousxie and the Banshees vs Chemical Brothers - 'Come With Us'/ Kiss Them For Me' (Kathak #2 Mix)
School Of Seven Bells have just released their new single online - a cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees 'Kiss The For Me'! Although not featured on their latest album 'Ghostory' which was released in February on the Ghostly International label, the song has been a staple of their live shows. It was officially released as a limited 7" single for Record Store Day on the weekend - and it's now available on itunes as well.
'Kiss Them For Me' was originally released as the first single from Siouxsie and the Banshee's album 'Superstition' in 1991. This is a really good cover - it's quite faithful to the original in overall structure - but with the addition of newer industrial tinged electronics... Enjoy!
Bonus Track! Siouxsie and the Banshees - 'Kiss Them For Me' (Kathak #2 Mix) This is one of the remixes from the original 1991 North American cd single by Youth... Enjoy!
Bonus Track #2!Siouxsie and the Banshees vs Chemical Brothers - 'Come With Us'/ 'Kiss Them For Me' (Kathak Mix #2) I just came across this unlikely mashup for the first time today and I was surprisingly blown away by how well it works. I don't have any further information at this time about who did the mashup other than his or her name on Youtube is TheGSST... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Saint Etienne - 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'/ 'Tonight' (Club Clique Remix)
While we anxiously await the release of Saint Etienne's new album the band has just recorded a cover of the Beach Boys classic 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'! The song is the first track on a new compilation called 'Pet Sounds Revisited' - a tribute to the Beach Boys 1966 album. The cd is being released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys and will be given away free on the cover of the June 2012 issue of the British music magazine Mojo. You can order a copy from anywhere in the world here: http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/store/displayitem.asp?sid=5355&id=51418
Saint Etienne's cover begins stripped down with just the vocals of Sarah Cracknell - then morphs into some dreamy Burt Bacharach style production - alternating with some almost dancey bits... Enjoy!
'Words And Music By Saint Etienne' - their new 13 track album - is released on May 21st - here's the cover art:
Last month 'Tonight' was released as a four track EP featuring an 'Extended Version', a song called 'You Are Here', the '2 Bears Remix' and this 'Club Clique Remix'. It's available on itunes and also as a limited 12" single from the band's official store here: http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/artists/saint-etienne/icat/saintetienne/
This is the 'Club Clique Remix' of 'Tonight'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! The Kills - 'Pale Blue Eyes'
The Kills have just released a new four track EP for their latest single - to celebrate their 10th anniversary of making music - featuring three brand new classic cover songs! 'The Last Goodbye' EP features the title track and latest single (the fourth) released from last year's 'Blood Pressures' album - plus covers of The Velvet Underground's 'Pale Blue Eyes', Marilyn Monroe's 'One Silver Dollar', and Patsy Cline's 'Crazy'.
Alison Mosshart has a lovely voice, but she lacks the sheer raw emotion here inherent in Lou Reed's vocal performance. That's not to say I don't enjoy this one too - because I do - the guitar has a much bluesier feel here as well. The Kills have actually been performing this song live for several years - it's just, you know - it's The Velvet Underground! But it's a quality cover and certainly postworthy, so... Enjoy!
Bonus Track! The Velvet Underground's original from their self titled third album which was released in 1969... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Cassettes Won't Listen - 'Ordinary World' From one new unexpected cover to another - yesterday we featured Sophie Ellis-Bextor's fun new Arcade Fire cover - and today we have the new Cassettes Won't Listen single - a cover of Duran Duran's 'Ordinary World'!
Cassettes Won't listen is basically the one man electronic project of Brooklyn's Jason Drake. He released his third full length album called 'Evinspacey' in June of this year - and 'Ordinary World' is his first new material since then - released earlier this week on the Daylight Curfew label. (available on itunes)
'Ordinary World' was first released by Duran Duran as the leadoff single from their 1993 comeback album - which was self titled but largely known as 'The Wedding Album'. The song became their first single to reach the top ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. in five years - since their 80's heyday.
Cassettes Won't Listen's cover of 'Ordinary World' - like yesterday's 'Rebellion (Lies)' - is quite faithful to the original. This version is also more electronic - with perhaps a dreamier vocal sound... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Sophie Ellis-Bextor - 'Rebellion (Lies)' Sophie Ellis-Bextor's latest song is an Arcade Fire cover! Sophie Ellis-Bextor has come a long way since fronting the Britpop band theaudience in the late 90's - she's had nine top 20 hits in the U.K. (including her club hits with Spiller and Freemasons) and she's released four studio albums. Her latest song is a track on the new charity compilation called 'Songs To Save A Life: In Aid Of Samaritans' - which is available on itunes now.
The 'Songs To Save A Life: In Aid Of Samaritans' album features 11 tracks - a mix of both new material and covers - by a diverse range of U.K. artists. The Samaritans are a support network in the U.K. and Ireland that has over 200 branches - in addition to a 24 hour helpline - that is run entirely by trained volunteers. Their goal is to give people someone to talk to when they're struggling to cope - and to help reduce the number of suicides in the U.K.
I didn't know what to expect when I first gave this song a listen - a cover of Arcade Fire's 2005 single 'Rebellion (Lies)' from their debut album 'Funeral'. It's not a full on dance cover - it's actually pretty faithful to the original - but the music is certainly more electronic. What I really love in this version (aside from Sophie's beautiful voice of course) is the wicked snare drum sound and disco style hi-hats that start about one minute in (with the bass/ guitar it sounds almost New Order-ish!) and also the keyboard bits in the last minute or so.
So I was surprised to hear about this cover - but the even better surprise is how good it really is - she really brings out the fun in this 'Funeral' track! :) This is Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new cover of 'Rebellion (Lies)'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Music! Computer Magic - '(Just Like) Starting Over' Computer Magic is the solo project of Danielle - who goes by Danz - a 21 year old dj/ student who lives in Brooklyn. She started Computer Magic a year ago and so far she's recorded and posted 18 electronic pop songs on Soundcloud which you can check out here: http://soundcloud.com/computer-magic/tracks
This is her newest recording - a cover of John Lennon's '(Just Like) Starting Over' - the first single from his 'Double Fantasy' album with Yoko Ono, which was released in 1980. The production is not quite as elaborate at Lennon's of course, but I quite like Danz's voice. This is Computer Magic's cover of '(Just Like) Starting Over'... Enjoy!
SummersRadio™ New Cover! OMD - 'VCR' Somewhat surprisingly The xx cite Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark - better known as OMD - as one of their influences. Perhaps in a show of mutual admiration OMD have recently released a cover of The xx's 'VCR'! The synths make it sound like it easily could have sat along side 'Joan Of Arc' on their classic 1981 album 'Architecture & Morality' - Enjoy!
