covers.

imagine you're in a dingy bar watching a band you don't know and have never seen before. you're there because your roommate thinks the bassist is cute and you're a good friend. you're a wee bit bored because, while the band is good, it's always harder to get into a show when you know zero songs that are being sung.
then it happens. the band strikes a chord and instantly you know the song and are completely engaged, it's time for a cover song. immediately you become simon cowell and mentally pick apart the cover compared to the original (and by "mentally" i mean you share every thought with your friend that drug you there in the first place.)

covers are tricky. the general feelings toward covers:

i want the band to keep the same melody so i can sing along but they have to change it up a bit so they don't sound like they're doing bad karaoke and let's be honest they are never going to live up to the original but if they can change it without changing it, really make it their own but keep the heart of the song...well i guess it will be okay then. if it bombs somewhere it's gonna be the vocals, the lead singer of the bar band just never quite measures up (at least in my humble opinion) to the lead singer of the band that won a grammy and a people's choice award for that same song but he's pretty good. at least the band got that one run almost perfect.

despite all of this, i love cover songs. i like hearing new renditions of old favorites, i like the new twists and musical surprises, and sometimes they are just great because they really highlight the talent of the band that put the song out in the first place. there are a lot, we're talking upwards of 30 here, of covers that i love (and watch/listen to regularly with the help of youtube) but i thought i would post just a few that require at least two listens through every time.

matthew mayfield, "fix you" by coldplay
the rocket summer, "blackbird" by the beatles
anthem lights, "we are never getting back together" by taylor swift

xo