Thursdays and Covers

[MP3] David Byrne - Ex Guru

Awhile back when Connor had linked a really cool David Byrne article, you may have also found a neat version of Byrne covering a Fiery Furnaces song nestled amongst the sidebar. It was probably overlooked by many which is a shame because not only is it a great choice of song for Byrne to cover, he also changed the rules to the covering game. He took the whole "make it your own" mindset one step further by adding new lyrics that he wrote himself to the end of the song! Read along to figure out which lines he's added - it's a neat twist that only makes the Furnaces song that much better.

[MP3] Xiu Xiu - Under Pressure (feat. Michael Gira)

The only thing Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart and Queen's Freddie Mercury have in common, vocal wise, is that they both sing with loads of emotion. I'll leave it up to you to decide who you think sounds better but don't use Xiu Xiu's cover of "Under Pressure" to bolster your argument. The cover becomes beautifully stripped down at times and sporadically crazy with electronic beeps and blaring trumpets other times - adhering to that raw, questionable style that Xiu Xiu pull off so well. Some strong guest vocals by former Swans-frontman Michael Gira add a nice element undoubtedly meant to replicate the Bowie/Mercury dynamic.

[MP3] KT Tunstall - Get Your Freak On

KT Tunstall is a cover machine and rarely does a bad cover. Most of the songs that she picks, like Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", aren't your orthodox rock songs that you'd expect a musician to bust out at a live show. Yet, bust them out she does and I'm sure Missy Elliot was the last artist anyone expected her raspy rock voice to tackle. I'm fairly confident that only Tunstall can get away with injecting her spoken verses and somewhat bluesy voice into Elliot's rap song. While I welcome the change, the best parts of the song come when Tunstall actually sings and belts out to the audience to "Get your freak on!"