Dr. Dog Cover Architecture in Helsinki

In a publicity stunt of sorts, Australian band Architecture in Helsinki have not only commissioned 2 remixes for their upcoming single, "Heart It Races," but they've also outsourced three covers of the song. One of my favorite bands of this year, Dr. Dog, participated in the project and I feel they've delivered the winning version. While the other two bands, Soft Tigers and Hey Willpower! mimicked the danceable beat, Dr. Dog splashed on their own style. Listen to it for yourself:

Modern Cover Songs - Moscow Coup Attempt

This is a cover of the Joanna Newsome song, "The Sprout and the Bean." This is the song that introduced me to Joanna Newsome and it's still one of (if not my most) favorite of her tracks. This cover by Moscow Coup Attempt is pretty spot on. Vocals are sang by Vera Ostrova and she does a good Newsome impression. I almost wish that the vocals would have gone in a different direction than emulating the original (like Colin Meloy's version of Bridges and Balloons), but overall I'd say it works pretty well. The video is either really poignant or just artschool drivel, I haven't figured it out - but I always love hearing covers of modern songs.

SSLYBY - Big City (Merle Haggard Cover)

My favorite band of 2006, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has posted an old Merle Haggard cover that they recorded sometime last year. The song is called "Big City" and is the title track from Haggard's 1981 release. SSLYBY doesn't really offer any insight as to why this song was chosen, but I'll welcome any new recordings they are willing to post.

Dylan Covers: Elliott Smith - When I Paint My Masterpiece

This is one of the best Dylan songs from the 70's, and who better to sing it than Elliott Smith? The video dates back to 1998 right in between the Either/Or and XO eras which in my opinion was Elliott at his best. This is one of many reasons why I'm upset that I never got to see Elliott live - he always seemed to pick interesting cover songs, and was known to do a few different Dylan tunes.

Dylan Cover Friday: White Stripes - Outlaw Blues

This video comes from the White Stripes DVD Under Black Pool Lights. I had been searching around for covers of this Dylan song because it's one of my favorites from the electric years. Dylan loved the outlaw imagery and one of my favorite lines comes from this song when Dylan mentions the history of Jesse James' murder. Because this was part of a medley on the DVD, Jack White doesn't sing this particular line but head over to the Dylan lyrics site, and the Jesse James Wiki if you actually care about what I'm talking about.