Huge day for #feelings today, lads. As Noisey’s resident emo, I’m very happy to announce that not one, but two, Excellent Things have happened. Both of them involve the wonderful tradition of cover versions.
Before I get to the good shit, though, let’s talk about cover versions for a second. They’re brilliant aren’t they? I’m not sure what it is exactly (and isn’t that the way to describe all of the best things?), but there’s something really magic about seeing an artist you love put their stamp on a piece of music by another artist you love. If pushed, I’d say that it lies specifically in discovering that the musician doing the covering is – just like you – also a fan of the person whose music they’re playing. It’s like an extra little nugget of connection. I simply love cover versions.
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So, yes, let’s get to the Excellent Things at hand. The first comes from known pop obsessives and millennial answers to Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (in the sense that when they collaborate they make wonderful pop music, not like, in the sense of hating each other, or cocaine), Lorde and Jack Antonoff. Last night they joined forces to play a cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Run Away With Me,” which feels like a perfect way for them to celebrate pop music:
Something about two self-confessed pop fanatics covering the darling of the genre brings a tear to the eye, in my humble opinion. And if you’d like to keep up that crying, please tune your ears to indie rock. Here is St. Vincent covering “Modern Girl” by Sleater-fucking-Kinney:
Lots to love here. Annie covering her long-time pal, and one-time girlfriend, Carrie Brownstein’s signature song (Carrie named her memoir Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl after this track). The laid back approach Annie takes to it. The blurry video, reminiscent of something a fan might put on YouTube in tribute to SK. It’s all beautiful, and it all makes me feel like maybe, actually, things might be alright if music can still make me feel like something’s been set alight in my chest. Or whatever haha lol cya.
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