OK, I'm Asking You to Work a Little Bit…

This was my late evening, discovering The Onion AV Club's "Undercover", where they find 25 pop songs and get indy bands to cover them. Once a song has been covered, it's off the list, and no one else can choose it.

Some were good, some were bad, some were "These people have a record contract? please kill them NOW"


Highlights, in order of my listening:

Talented but exceedingly twee band creates pussified, uninteresting cover from a punk/rock god: http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-decemberists-cover-sugar,60033/

That same punk/rock god covering his own tune (is it really a cover?) ! http://www.avclub.com/articles/bob-mould-covers-sugar,53053/

Oft vilified art band create a better cover than the original fratboy favourite and anarchist band: http://www.avclub.com/articles/they-might-be-giants-covers-chumbawamba,53068/ (probably my favourite due to the sheer joy everyone clearly had while doing it). Also spawned my Twitter QotD from the comments: "Nerd s*x is often oddly ...bitey. More than Nerf s*x, i assure you."

Girl I never heard of blows me away with song from band I want to reunite: http://www.avclub.com/articles/sharon-van-etten-covers-fine-young-cannibals,53065/

Band I've never heard of does pretty good non-twee cover of exceedingly twee (but enjoyable) Scots band: http://www.avclub.com/articles/telekinesis-covers-belle-sebastian,53071/

Poorly mixed girl band does unfortunate cover of one of my favourite songs of all time from band that influenced prettymuch every band after 1971: http://www.avclub.com/articles/dum-dum-girls-cover-big-star,53070/ (the Bangles' version is far better. Any chick named Michael rocks!)

Mellow band I like does an interesting and engaging, but ultimately dispassionate cover of 1980's (then closeted-ish) gay icon http://www.avclub.com/articles/iron-and-wine-covers-george-michael,53063/

Fair-to-meddling Jersey band covers previously mentioned oft vilified art band poorly: http://www.avclub.com/articles/titus-andronicus-covers-they-might-be-giants,53051/

Fake psychedelic band bar-clones amazingly talented duet http://www.avclub.com/articles/of-montreal-covers-the-white-stripes,53048/ (meh)


Band I can never remember if I like because it sounds like songs from other people, or other bands creates an interesting, if not exactly accessible version of an 80s anthem involving a large continent where it's said all humans emerged http://www.avclub.com/articles/low-covers-toto,53049/