1. “Dreams” by Passion Pit (Originally by The Cranberries)
2. “Time to Pretend” by Jónsi (Originally by MGMT)
3. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip (Originally by Vampire Weekend)
4. “Idioteque” by Amanda Palmer (Originally by Radiohead)
5. “My Body is a Cage” by Peter Gabriel (Originally by Arcade Fire)
6. “I Know There’s An Answer” by Sonic Youth (Originally by The Beach Boys)
7. "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley (Originally by Leonard Cohen)
8. “Single Ladies” by Pomplamoose (Originally by Beyoncé)
9. “Against All Odds” by The Postal Service (Originally by Phil Collins)
10. “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Fanfarlo (Originally by Neutral Milk Hotel)
11. “B-----s Ain’t Sh--” by Ben Folds (Originally by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg)
12. “Trailer Trash” by Jesse Lacey (Originally by Modest Mouse)
13. “Bold As Love” by John Mayer (Originally by Jimi Hendrix)
14. “Skinny Love” by Birdy (Originally by Bon Iver)
15. “Cousins” by Mumford & Sons (Originally by Vampire Weekend)
Do you have awesome taste in music? At The State Press, we do too. In fact, we like enough great music that we decided to create a playlist of modern musicians adding their signature sound to songs originally recorded by other musicians. Confused? Don’t be. Just put on some headphones and enjoy this expansive list of cover songs.
The playlist starts off with Passion Pit’s fresh take on a ‘90s favorite by the Cranberries. The band adds its own flair to “Dreams” with more percussion and more pep. To continue with the spacey feel, the next song is an electro-pop song by MGMT mellowed down by Jónsi of Sigur Rós. Jónsi’s falsetto meshes well with his piano-based rendition of “Time to Pretend.” The singer’s Icelandic accent is noticeable and very unique when he sings in English, as he does on this track.
Moving along, we find Peter Gabriel singing his own name in the lyrics of Vampire Weekend’s “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” Gabriel even changes the lyrics in the chorus from “But this feels so unnatural / Peter Gabriel too” to “But this feels so unnatural / To sing your own name.” Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls is another singer who adds something new to a classic song. She took “Idioteque” from Radiohead’s 2000 album “Kid A” and changed the sound with her ukulele. “Idioteque” was one of seven Radiohead tracks Palmer covered on her album “Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele.”
Even at age 60, Peter Gabriel proves he is still in the musical loop by his outstanding choice of music to cover. With Arcade Fire’s song “My Body is a Cage,” Gabriel turns the track into an emotional musical adventure, emphasizing his crooning voice and daring instrumentals. It doesn’t happen often, but this cover may possibly be better than the original.
Sonic Youth, which gained popularity in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, remade the Beach Boys’ hit “I Know There’s An Answer.” The group took the surfer classic and made it their own, adding reverb and an edge not found in the original.
On another cover that may be better than the original track, we find Jeff Buckley covering Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” This is arguably one of the best cover songs ever recorded, with Cohen’s wonderful lyrics and Buckley’s soothing voice combining together to solidify that argument.
The second half of the playlist is a little different than the first. The latter half is a little more out of the ordinary but contains some very unique covers, beginning with Pomplamoose’s cover of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” Next is The Postal Service’s version of “Against All Odds,” originally recorded by Phil Collins. What was originally a typical ‘80s power ballad has been transformed to include electronic alteration, strong reverb and Ben Gibbard’s lovely voice.
The next track is a bit different from the rest for one prominent reason — the remake resembles the original so surprisingly well. Neutral Milk Hotel’s lead singer, Jeff Mangum, has a hauntingly beautiful voice that is portrayed very well in “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea.” The members of Fanfarlo embrace the poignant sound but still add their own touch with extra harmony and instrumentals.
On a completely different note is Dr. Dre’s “B-----s Ain’t Sh--,” covered by piano master Ben Folds. Folds turns the vulgar lyrics of Dre and Snoop Dogg into a cutesy sounding love ballad, with every curse word still very much intact. After the amusing track by Ben Folds, we find Jesse Lacey, lead singer of Brand New, covering Modest Mouse’s song “Trailer Trash.”
John Mayer honors the late Jimi Hendrix by recreating “Bold As Love,” with Mayer giving his personal touch with his soulful voice and blues-inspired guitar riffs. Taking another turn, we find Birdy’s beautiful rendition on Bon Iver’s most popular track, “Skinny Love.” The 14-year-old singer’s piano-laden personalization of “Skinny Love” gives new meaning to Justin Vernon’s lyrics.
Lastly on the playlist is a fun, fast and folksy version of Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins.” Mumford & Sons add banjo, mandolin and more percussion to the lyrically heavy song to even out the instrumentals with the words. With enough tracks to fit any mood, consider this your ticket to impressing your friends with unique renditions of some classic tracks.
Reach the report at kmstark1@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
