Special Edition: 5 Cover Songs You Need to Hear

   Hey kids, it's time for a special bonus edition of 5 Songs that I've been threatening for some time now. While I am no doubt an avid fan of original music, I have a soft spot in my heart for re-interpretations of classic songs by new artists. I especially like it when it takes the song in a whole new direction, almost making their version of the song an original song of their own.

   There has been a resurgence of interpreting cover songs in the past few years. The results have been everything from amazing to ridiculous, but here are 5 Cover Songs You Need to hear right this very minute....

1. Just What I Needed - Punch Brothers. Regular readers of this blog may recall I referenced this clip in an earlier edition. This version of the classic Cars song is nothing short of a blast. What do you call it when you take a New Wave song from the late seventies and give it to a bluegrass band in the 2010s? New Grass? Blue Wave? Whatever it is, it's awesome.

2. Wish You Were Here - Crowder. Just discovered this one a week ago. A buddy of mine asked me if I had seen the video of Crowder doing Pink Floyd, to which I replied, "No, but I know what I'm doing as soon as I get back to my computer!" Fans of Crowder may think this a weird choice for a cover, and they would be right. But it's weirdly brilliant! Enjoy!

3. Shake It Off - Zeke Duhon.  Last week I introduced readers to this wunderkind singer-songwriter from Nashville. While trying to find the best video for the song I was highlighting I stumbled on this fascinating minor key cover of the Taylor Swift pop sensation. Recorded entirely in his bedroom on nothing but piano strings, this version casts the lyrics in a more pensive and somber light. Cool factor here is off the charts.

4. I Can't Feel My Face- Walk Off the Earth. I don't know what the heck you call that crazy instrument they all play together, but this is one of the funkiest jams I've heard in a while. For my money, it's superior to the original. If you have never heard Walk Off the Earth, go ahead and plan to carve out a few hours and check out this remarkable group. They specialize in doing other people's music better than they do it themselves.

5. 1979 - Darlingside. Hats off to Darlingside for this loving tribute to those 90s juggernauts of alternative rock, Smashing Pumpkins. I imagine Billy Corgan smiling broadly at the sound of this trippy folk version of their megahit. Great song, cool cover, and a fun way to round out our special edition of 5 songs.

If you have a cool cover version you want me to hear, please share it in the comments section. I am always on the lookout for unique interpretations of classic music. Thanks for reading and listening!

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 11

Insert clever comment here. Follow with some witty banter about said comment. Transition into introduction to this week's collection of new music. Then say something like.... "What are we awaiting for? Here are 5 Songs YOU NEED to Hear.... right now!" There. My work here is finished. :-)

1. Friends - Raury. This is my current jam in the car. I stumbled upon this song one day as a suggestion from Spotify. I had a little free time to spare so I was exploring some of the recommended music the Spot-Bots generated based on what I have previously listened to. Out of nowhere comes this free-spirited anthem of unity and community, hearkening back to the kind of hippy, flower-power, peace-love-and-groovy-daffodils vibe of the late Sixties. There's a cool backstory to the video, too. Apparently, Raury is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician/rapper/producer wunderkind from Stone Mountain, GA right here in the ATL. He and a buddy wanted to get to Chicago so they decided to use Twitter to catch rides from their fans as far as they would take them. They would crash at their house, go out to eat with them, get to know them personally. They videoed their adventures along the way and edited them into the video for his song.  
Warning: Although Raury is an amazing, creative talent, much of his other music contains explicit lyrics, so please be aware if you decide to check out any of his other songs.

2. Faith and Hope - Zeke Duhon. I found this gem on Noisetrade last week. Download the whole album. It is all great. But if I had to pick a favorite from this Nashville based singer-songwriter, it would be this one. The studio version is really good, but the best video I could find is an acoustic version he filmed and recorded himself in the tunnels of downtown Tulsa, OK. Apparently, this is a well-known place that a lot of indie artists use for their videos. Cool song, great lyrics, and I really love this guy's whole attitude and approach.
Bonus: Check out Zeke's unique, minor-key approach to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off." Exceptionally cool. Look for it on an upcoming 5 Covers You Ned to Hear edition.
 

3. Do Not Destroy - Cicada Rhythm. And the award for most hipster song of the week goes to..... Cicada Rhythm. Andrea DeMarcus is a Julliard trained musician who plays the upright bass. Her partner, Dave Kirslis plays acoustic guitar. They blend these unique talents and voices into a mesmerizing sound I have never heard anywhere else. While I really enjoy the music, I can't help but feel like I am not nearly cool enough to appreciate them. I get the feeling just from listening to them and watching them play that if I knew them, they wouldn't let me hang around them. Or they would constantly look at me with a mixture of loathing and pity, like "Oh, he still thinks U2 is cool. Poor thing." But I still think you need to hear this music. And for the record, U2 is  still cool.

4. Other Suns - MAGIC GIANT. Another great Noisetrade discovery from last week. These guys make an exuberant, joyful, magic noise. They look like refugees from a traveling carnival and they are the musical equivalent of a whole bag of Skittles dumped into your mouth all at once. This song was my favorite from the sampler I downloaded...

5. Waiting on June - Holly Williams. I saved this one for lat because by the end of it, you will be crying and I don't want you to fry your computer with your tears and not hear the other songs first. Holly Williams is the grand-daughter of country music pioneer Hank Williams, and the daughter of equally legendary Hank Williams, Jr. She wrote this song about her maternal grandparents' 58 year marriage from the point of view of her grandfather. It's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Touching, tender, genuine, heartfelt. It's a new all time favorite for me and hopefully soon will be for you, too.

Insert clever ending comments here. Encourage people to support new music. Say good-bye.

"Good-bye." :-)

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 10

As a pastor, I share an affinity with Jesus for the underdog, the outcast, the outliers of society. I love that He went out of His way to find those people whom everyone else ignored, disregarded, disrespected, or even didn't know existed. I am learning to be more like Him every day (some days are better than others) and I'm trying to apply this same principle across the board in my life. I think some of the best songwriters, artists, musicians, thinkers, poets, whatever will never be known or recognized in this life. I think the New Heaven and New Earth we are promised in the scriptures will be filled with many amazing and gifted innovatives in every area of life.

Wow, that's a deep thought. And fun to think about. That's what makes it so satisfying to discover great new music from people most of us have never heard of. Not all of it is Christian. But all of it is good and deserves a shot at being heard. So here are 5 Songs (in my humble opinion) You Need To Hear...

1. Leaving Woman - The Trigger Code. Well, well, well.... somebody found their dad's Zeppelin records. This is a really convincing and sincere homage to the Sozo boys of the Seventies and I like it a lot. Great for crankin' loud at red lights next to the guy blasting Ariana Grande or some such ridiculous sugar-coated radio-pop nonsense as that. Just turn your head slowly, lower your shades and look at him as if to say, "This is what grown-ups listen to." Then watch him screech away when the light turns because he is in a big hurry to go nowhere. (Ha! That was cynical, but a lot of fun to write.)

     Tragically, there is not one video anywhere on the internet of this song. So here is the link for the song on a compilation on Noisetrade.com. You can listen to it streaming on your device. Enjoy!


2. The Ancestor - Darlingside. I love the neo-folk revival we are experiencing in music right now. So many great artists, so many good songs. This song reminds me of The Association from the Sixties, with the choral vocals and harmonies. Imagine The Association covering The Lumineers and you've got Darlingside. Really cool animated music video, too.

3. Passepied - Punch Brothers. This will be the coolest thing you hear all day. That's a promise. Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) is a freakin' genius anyway and this adaptation of a Debussy piece breaks down all previous notions of what bluegrass music can be. Don't get me wrong; I love me some front porch "Salty Dog" with the Darlin' boys as much as the next hillbilly, but this is a breath of unexpected innovation and creativity that opens the genre up to so many possibilities. I realize I'm a little late to the Punch Brothers party, but let me do you a favor and introduce you to this song. And let me say it now.... You're welcome. P.S. - If you like that, you absolutely HAVE to check out their cover of the Cars' classic "Just What I Needed" here.

4. 5678! - Butterfly Bouche. This is just cool. It's a few years old now but it came up on my iTunes shuffle last week and reminded me that I need to share this song with you all. Not a huge Butterfly Bouche fan personally, but a big fan of this song. She's like Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club; weird, odd, a little sideways... but endearing in her own way. Plus it's a really catchy song.

5. Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches - Son Little.  Great way to close out this edition of 5 Songs. This guy is cool at a level few will ever attain to. His music doesn't fit neatly into any category -- kinda R&B but not exactly, sorta soul but sometimes reggae but not quite... Who cares? Stop trying to categorize everything and just listen, for cryin' out loud. Sheesh.

Hope you liked some or all or at least one of these songs. If you did, go buy it and support the hardworking artists and songwriters that create this stuff so they can feed their families and continue to make great music for the world to enjoy. Do your part!