alternativenation·Alternative Nation: The Fediverse's Alternative and Indie Music Communitybyren (a they/them)
[30 Day Song Challenge: Alternative Nation Edition] Day 15 - An alternative song you like that's a COVER of another artist. -- WITH YOUTUBE PLAYLIST!
DAY 14 of the 30 Day Song Challenge, alternative music styles!
Who doesn't love a cover song??? Especially when it's BETTER than the original?
This one should be real good today - time to fire up the Spotify! Can not WAIT to see what y'all got. The hard part is picking just one or two!
UPDATE - Started a Youtube Playlist of your picks!!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSLYrsBpwHJTuRTcZmG05m1FZR2say-14
Each day I’ll post the challenge and you share some of your favorite alternative & indie songs that meet the challenge!
Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm cover of Michael Jackson that SLAPS!
My 2 favorites
99 Red Balloons by Goldfinger
I Will Survive by Cake
Love the Cake one especially! Their War Pigs cover is also great
I love that cover by Cake. I listened to Goldfinger for a while and had never heard that 99 Red Balloons cover. Thanks for sharing:)
I would never claim that this is better than the original, but for me at least, Primal Scream's version of the 13th floor elevators song Slip Inside This House is the perfect cover because it retains the psychedelic 60's summer of love spirit of the original song while making it utterly contemporary (for the time it was released anyway, although to me it still sounds pretty fresh).
Original version: https://youtu.be/nwSA0Tckwbk?si=xGk5bIaVtU_ZVqHF
Mike Ness - Don't Think Twice
Now look, I love the original. Freewheelin' is a great album and Don't Think Twice is a fantastic song. But 9 times out of 10, I'm choosing the Ness version because musically it matches the mood of the lyrics so much better.
Possession - Evan’s Blue (Cover of Sarah McLachlan)
In the Air Tonight - Nonpoint (cover of Phil Collins)
Ooo, never heard of these! will check them out. LOVE covers.
@ren Brian Ibbot over at coverville.com has been doing a covers podcast for years. Excellent stuff
Did someone say bluegrass Radiohead covers? Chris Thile/The Punch Brothers have you covered. Here's a few selections. They have more if you dive into youtube.
2+2=5
Paranoid Android
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box
Iron Horse's bluegrass Metallica covers are also fantastic.
Pickin' on Modest Mouse is pretty damn good, too.
Dark Center of the Universe works surprisingly well as a bluegrass song.
Yes. The fast-paced vocals work perfectly for the bluegrass style
Oh man. This is excellent.
Enter Sandman
nice! I added the Paranoid Android to the playlist - since it had the best sound recording
@kvn Bluegrass works so well for some reason, my favourite Bluegrass cover is Thunder and Rain - Sweet Child o’ Mine (2018)
https://songwhip.com/thunderandrain/sweet-child-o-mine
Very cool. I like hearing that bassline on an upright bass
"Alison (Demo)" by Green Day (Elvis Costello cover)
Nice, sincere cover. Thanks!
Scala & Kolacny Brothers - Creep (live)
[edit] aah well.. I did a vice versa
Rise Against -Anyway You Want It (Journey Cover)
Thrice -Helter Skelter (Beatles cover)
Me First and The Gimme Gimmes -Karma Chameleon (Culture Club cover)
Johnny Cash -Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover)
Bayside -Call Me (Blondie cover)
In This Moment -In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover)
Disturbed -Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
The HU -Sad But True (Metallica cover)
Stand Atlantic -Your Graduation (Modern Baseball cover)
Silverstein -Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Could keep going but this is good for now
what's your fave tho? Gotta pick one, maaaaaybe two.
Cash every time. He owned the song so hard it has made Trent Reznor impressed and a little jealous
God this is hard. Ended up picking an old cover fave of mine, REM's "Wall Of Death" https://youtu.be/UuMWS3LsOos?si=_ju0wWXINkNkOPaA
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/r-e-m-richard-thompson-wall-of-death/
For fun, while I try to pick something - here's my gender neutral cover of "I'm Your Man" by Leonard Cohen
https://youtu.be/DYU__WdmXq0?si=a1TJnGxTunRnLoGA
Real happy with this one.
Here is a cover of Taylor Swift's Love Story by black midi. Their bassist who doesn't often perform vocals sings here. And they added a saxophone solo!
Love Story
nice!!
This feels like an odd one, given it's an acoustic cover, but Frank Turner's cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup" sticks with me.
He also did a good cover of Tom Petty's American Girl, was fucking great to hear live, but I can't say it's better than the original.
The Cardigans -- Iron Man (Black Sabbath)
Muse - Feeling Good
As beautiful as the original is, this song gives me chills right from the opening notes. It is so well done.
Came here to suggest this one! Their live performance of it on BBC that there’s a video of is a great watch
https://youtu.be/JuUYLhz3tvY?si=NQOQpuF3BGLmdDtc
While this may be a bit out of left field for most, I post this to commemorate the reaction that Goober and the Boys got from my friends and I the first time we heard it. We were loving the show already, but we all just burst out laughing, hooting and singing along when the boys started “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin. Dan and the boys always put on an awesome show.
Devo - (I can't get no) satisfaction
https://youtu.be/NrchYnlV2N0
System of a Down - Metro (Berlin cover) From the Dracula 2000 soundtrack
Here is one I was recently exposed through from Henry Rollins show on KCRW.
The Casual Dots - Bumblebee
A cover of a Lavern Baker song.
From their Bandcamp page
The Casual Dots are a trio formed in Washington, DC in 2002, featuring Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Quixotic, Autoclave) on vocals and guitar, Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill, Frumpies) on guitar and backing vocals, and Steve Dore (Snoozers, Deep Lust) on drums.
@ren
Life of Agony - Don’t You (Forget About Me) (1995)
https://songwhip.com/life-of-agony/dont-you-forget-about-me
Dark and moody opening, and heavy finish. I’ve loved this since it came out.
I have a song I would have picked, but it’s a acoustic radio show bootleg. I still love Amy Lee’s voice.
Evanescence - Heart-Shaped Box (live) (2003)
https://youtu.be/yAVcVRdSRt4?si=R5Bmw28pne2EzzXC
It's hard to beat Big Black's version "The Model" in this regard, but award for the most esoteric would have to be Atom and His Package covering The Mountain Goats "Going to Georgia", both great and totally different songs.
Smashing Pumpkins - Dancing in the Moonlight (Thin Lizzy)
Not sure it's better than the original but it's definitely moodier, and Corgan sounds fantastic!
@ren https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-mYX0qKkB8
K.Flay - Self Esteem
Love K.Flay's stripped-down cover version of The Offspring's classic song.
hanne hukkelberg covering break my body (pixies)
The genre's are very similar, but the song Knowledge, by Operation Ivy was covered by Green Day on their debut album - I always enjoyed that version.
Also, another favorite was when The Presidents of the United States of America covered Video Killed the Radio Star original by The Buggles.