Cover Song
Robert Fripp and Toyah Celebrate Easter Sunday with Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are celebrating Easter Sunday in a devilish way. For their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance, they take on the Iron Maiden classic “The Number of the Beast”. Leave it to the quirky married couple to pay homage to the devil on the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pair are once again joined by a mysterious guitarist, as they were last week with their performance of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. Looking like a naughty Easter Bunny, Toyah holds three carrots in her hand as she sings the metal opus. At one point she impressively holds a note for 10 seconds, giving Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson a run for his money. “The Number of the Beast” is the title track to Maiden’s third album, and their first with Dickinson. It’s consi...
Waxahatchee Releases Anniversary Reissue of Saint Cloud: Stream
One year ago, Waxahatchee exceeded expectations when she released her album Saint Cloud. It wound up being one of our favorite LPs of the year thanks to some truly unforgettable tracks. Now, Katie Crutchfield is celebrating that milestone by releasing a special first anniversary edition of the album with three previously unreleased cover songs. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. In addition to the original 11 tracks that make up Saint Cloud, this new reissue includes three exclusive covers: a slow-burning country take on “Fruits of My Labor” by Lucinda Williams, a sunny cover of Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”, and a gentle rendition of “Streets of Philadelphia” by the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Listening to them back to back, it’s easy to understand...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Slice Their Way Through ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox continue their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series with a slice of the ZZ Top hit “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. This time around, the couple is joined by a mysterious second guitarist and two pairs of scissors. In both a musical and visual tribute to ZZ Top, King Crimson founder Fripp and the mystery guitarist are sporting hats and super-long beards in honor of the legendary Texas rock act’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Toyah, meanwhile, looks like a burlesque cross between Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorshands (both played by Johnny Depp), with her eyelashes conjuring up images of Malcolm McDowell’s sociopathic Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Not to mention, she’s wearing a top that more than rivals the see-through number she wore in the couple’s viral performanc...
Paul McCartney and Beck Share New Version of “Find My Way”: Stream
Paul McCartney and Beck have released “Find My Way”, a new single from McCartney’s upcoming McCartney III Imagined album. Stream the visualizer video below. The cover transforms the whimsical classic rock song into a disco-funk tune and finds Beck having a bit of fun with a vocoder. “You never used to be afraid of days like these / But now you’re overwhelmed by your anxieties,” he sings on the chorus. “Let me help you out, let me be your guide / I can help you reach the love you feel inside.” “Find My Way” is the opening track from McCartney’s new album, which features artists like St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Anderson .Paak, Damon Albarn, and Blood Orange covering and/or reimagining a particular track from McCartney III, which The Beatles bassist originally released in December 2020...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Deal Out Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”: Watch
It’s your lucky day, as Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox deal out the Motörhead classic “Ace of Spades” for their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance. The married couple once again deliver a frisky take on a legendary rock tune, with Toyah making a deck of cards rain as she sings and dances in a French maid’s outfit — all as a high-powered fan blows her hair back. King Crimson founder Fripp, meanwhile, remains steady as ever, as he delivers the iconic “Ace of Spades” riff. Fripp rose up the ranks of the UK music scene around the same time as late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Fripp formed King Crimson in 1968, while Lemmy played in the band The Rockin’ Vickers in the mid to late 60s before becoming a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and eventually joining Hawkwind in 1971. Meanwhil...
Warpaint Cover “Paralysed” for Gang of Four Tribute Album: Stream
As previously announced, Gang of Four co-founder Andy Gill was working on a retrospective of the band’s album Entertainment! before he tragically passed away last year. To carry on his work, Gill’s widow Catherine Mayer organized an impressive tribute album in his honor featuring cover songs by a wide range of artists. Today, she’s sharing one of her favorite cuts: “Paralysed” as played by Warpaint. For their contribution to The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, Warpaint use their trademark take on atmospheric pop to give “Paralysed” a haunting vocal performance, speckled guitar work, and one slinky bass line. Warpaint’s bassist, Jenny Lee, produced the track, which may explain why it has a similar feel to her solo album right on!. In a press release, L...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Serve Up Mötley Crüe’s “Girls Girls Girls”: Watch
Tennis, anyone? Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are back at it with another “Sunday Lunch” performance, this time taking on the Mötley Crüe hit “Girls Girls Girls” as Toyah practices her forehand. After taking a detour from tackling rock classics with a version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” last week, the King Crimson founder and his singer wife are back on the rock train this week. As she sings and dances along to Fripp’s guitar work on the Mötley Crüe song, Toyah fires off foam tennis balls with a red racquet. Toyah is once again wearing the revealing white shirt that helped propel their cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to more than 5 million views, only this time she’s sporting some strategically placed tape underneath. Did she get a note from the powers that be at YouTube? If you combi...
Future Islands Cover Tina Turner’s Hit “We Don’t Need Another Hero”: Stream
Future Islands have shared a new cover of Tina Turner’s classic 1985 hit “We Don’t Need Another Hero”. Stream it below. The track was recorded as part of Future Island’s new live session on SiriusXMU. While the majority of the set saw the band stripping down material from their new album As Long as You Are for an intimate radio performance, it was the cover song that stole the show — in part because their ’80s-inspired sound was born from classics like this Golden Globes-nominated single from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. As is to be expected, Future Islands glam up the Turner classic with a lot of bouncy ’80s synthpop. Leader singer Samuel T. Herring takes a smoother approach to his vocals, giving each word proper enunciation and gusto without ever overdoing it. Meanwhile, there’s some spar...
IDLES Cover Sharon Van Etten’s “Peace Signs”: Stream
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of her 2010 album Epic, Sharon Van Etten is reissuing it as a double LP featuring a front-to-back covers album. Dubbed Epic Ten, our first sample of the reimagined tracks came from Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine’s take on “A Crime”. Today, the second single has arrived, as SVE has shared IDLES’ cover of “Peace Signs”. The British outfit keeps things as close to the original as their post-punk sensibilities will allow them, with all the familiar progressions still in place. In IDLES’ hands, however, they’re riddled with anxieties and the searing tension of shredding guitars. Certainly the screaming repetition of “Peace signs” hits different coming from Joe Talbot’s growl rather than Sharon Van Etten’s voice. Take a listen to the cov...
Mike Patton Sings Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme Song for Shredder’s Revenge Video Game: Stream
What’s cooler than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song? Mike Patton singing that theme song in the trailer for the new video game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. That’s right, the lead singer of such bands as Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Dead Cross, and Fantômas lends his vocals to the infectious song that so many of us still have in our heads since it first debuted in 1987 as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show. Oddly enough, the original theme was co-written and co-recorded by Chuck Lorre, who would go on to famously produce such TV shows as Two and a Half Man, The Big Bang Theory, and others. Patton, whose six octave ranged once earned him the title of greatest singer of all time, offers a rocking take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles&nb...
CHIKA Covers Billie Eilish’s “my future”, Reimagines “U SHOULD”: Stream
All this week, the Spotify Singles series is highlighting the nominees for the 2021 Best New Artist Grammy. But the contribution from CHIKA comes as a double celebration, as today happens to be the Alabama MC’s 24th birthday. As a gift for your ears, she’s delivered a new rendition of her single “U SHOULD” as well as a cover of Billie Eiilish’s “my future”. Plenty of artists have put their own spin on Eilish’s single from last summer, including Artist of the Month Arlo Parks and Miley Cyrus. CHIKA takes it into a new realm, however, taking ownership of the luscious, jazzy ode to self worth with a whole new verse of her own. “Ain’t no stopping shooting stars/ They got their own mind, and that’s the gold mine,” she raps. “The whole grind is nuts, so hold mine/ I promise you I’m set for go ti...
Matt and Kim Cover Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”: Stream
There’s perhaps no more classic anthem for International Women’s Day than the late Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”. So to celebrate today’s festivities, Matt and Kim have flipped their name to Kim and Matt for a cover of the 1963 hit. Out via FADER, the duo’s cover of “You Don’t Own Me” sees drummer Kim Schifino providing lead vocals (natch). The home recording updates the song’s instantly recognizable R&B balladry with electronic drums and fuzzy synths. It captures all the norm-defying independence of the original for a modern audience that feels like it’s finally beginning to change those norms. “This song has always resonated with me lyrically, ever since I was a kid,” Kim said in a statement. “My dad raised me to not take shit from anyone and live the life I want to live. It break...
