I came to think about cover songs I never get tired of. Some of my favourite covers are listed below, but I do not rank the songs this time. Covers should be fun. Pretensions are saved for future posts.
Eva Cassidy - Over the Rainbow
Introducing this list with anyone else than Eva Cassidy would be like forgetting Dennis Bergkamp while you are talking about great football players. First, you buy the compilation Songbird. Then you play the tenth track Over the Rainbow. 3:19 into the song is heartbreaking. I could fill this entire list with Eva Cassidy, and not a single song would be a filler. After you have dried your tears you may as well continue with Fields of Gold (by Sting) and cry some more. Then Kathy's Song (by Simon and Garfunkel). Eva Cassidy is for us who believe that music can be larger than The Embassy and their laptops that froze just in time for the encore at their so called "concert".
The Maybellines - This and That by Acid House Kings
Say Yes If You Love Me is fantastic, but any band can make one hit. It is therefore ironic that a cover song made me understand the greatness of Acid House Kings. After further listening, I realised I had discovered two good bands at once.
Sambassadeur - La Chanson de Prévert by Serge Gainsbourg
The soundtrack of spring 2005 is still played with pleasure, with "skip track" on the remote within reach. Sambassadeur made half a record to love forever.
Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind
If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied
Satisfied
I do not know the whole story behind Always on My Mind, but I know it was recorded by Elvis and that he never did justice to the song. When I think of Pet Shop Boys I think of two songs, It's a Sin and Always on My Mind. The DJs at the discotheques should play Pet Shop Boys more often.
Saint Etienne - Kiss and Make Up by The Field Mice
Some people have made up their mind in advance and already decided to hate. There is no point in trying to reason with people who call Saint Etienne "worthless, braindead euro which only worked because the girl was hot". It is their loss. Saint Etienne is the only British band from the mid-nineties I still listen to a lot today and that is hardly a coincidence. Kiss and Make Up is a brilliant cover of the sleepy original by The Field Mice.
The Arrogants - Shellshock by New Order
It is unusal that good covers do not sound more or less just like the original. Shellshock in this version sounds so much The Arrogants that not even the most hardcore New Order fans would recognize it. That is good for me as I adore The Arrogants while I rate New Order as a good band only.
Kathryn Williams - Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
You don't really care for music, do you?
Laura Watling - Sunday Came and Went by The Castaway Stones
Laura Watling is perhaps the new Amelia Fletcher of the 2000s. This comparison may sound stupid to most people, but to me it is ingenious here and now.
The Shermans - Plastic Bouquet by Tara Emely Needham
I really need to find the original. The Shermans' version sounds like music to grow up to in a nursery. That is of course a compliment.
Belle and Bebastian - Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son by France Gall
Sorry ... Sorry if my French was bad.
Ohh lovely Isobel, you have nothing to apologize for. Unlike France Gall, you can sing this song.
The Lucksmiths - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths
Everyone will sooner or later come to a time in life when one discovers The Smiths. The Smiths have not been and will never become the most important band in my life. In the same way I stopped listen to The Cure, I have also left The Smiths behind me.
The Lucksmiths cover reminds me though about what I saw in The Smiths. No other band can describe a miserable night out better. And this version brings a new meaning to the lyrics. I have always wondered if they were about a very good friend or love.
Honorable mention for their good effect on a dance floor:
Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone by The Nerves
Supergrass - Some Girls Are Bigger than Others by The Smiths
Showing posts with label Lucksmiths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucksmiths. Show all posts
Monday, September 25, 2006
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Like Honey and The Lucksmiths - Lund September 3
It is a new autumn. I am back at the concert venue Mejeriet. I meet an acquaintance already on my way up the porch and feel at home. I slip through the doors and wonder what the arrangers have come up with this time. The bar is on the right side, but first I have to pay the entrance. There is merchandise on another table on the left. It feels like there are tables everywhere. Moreover, there are a lot of people for being just one hour after the doors have opened. The closet is closed, I think I am late and I am worried about the order of the live acts. Tonight's DJ Kajsa is kind and lets me put my shoulder bag behind her table. I then meet my awaited friend Elisabet and everything feels better immediately. The Lucksmith's friend Fred Astereo goes on stage shortly afterward and I get happy because that is the band order I was hoping for. At first I was doubtful, but I soften eventually. The guy knows how to tell a story and it has been a while since I laughed at a concert. When he plays a few nice songs at the end of his show, it is easy to forget that he is just a support act for the support act.
A girl walks past me and says hello. I do not recognise her, and do not respond because I think she is talking to someone else. She walks toward the stage and I wake up from my day dreams. I have seen her before. Sandra Svensson plays organ and synth in one of my favourite Swedish bands. I saw Like Honey live in the summer at The Möllevångs festival (Möllevångsfestivalen) in Malmö. You may not believe me when I write this on a rainy and windy September night, but it was certainly one of the summer's finest days. It was also one of the strangest shows I have been to. It would be a shame to say that it was good. The indoor venue left a lot to be desired, the sound was bad and I wondered why the hell you put a gig at 5 pm on a Saturday night. There were about 30 people in the crowd. The arrangers served juice. I thought I was at a kids party until Like Honey started playing. It was not a good performance, but I still fell for two things - the charm and singer Johanna Cromnows' wonderful voice which always makes me listen. I went home from Malmö very confused and a little disappointed that summer day. As I think back on this show Sandra walks back to her band and I silently count to myself one, two, three, four, five persons I recognise. I have a brief chat with Johanna and Sandra before the gig. They are in a good mood, just like me. The Lucksmiths headline the advertisement for this Emma's House night, but I know that LIKE HONEY will brighten my Sunday evening. This will be a great night, I think before it is time to move to stand at the front line of the crowd.
- We will play all of our songs in chronological order tonight, Klas says. I think to myself "that is a lot of songs, but that would be so great". And although Unexpected opens the show, Like Honey do not play all their songs.
There are whispers between band members between songs and the order does not seem entirely certain. I think I realise what I was missing during Friday's concert, a little room for spontaneity. Johanna really shines when she sings Airport and the rest of the band seems to thrive equally well. The sound is very loud and I should have brought my ear plugs, but I do not want to distance myself from the scene now. I may not know much about music in technical terms, but I know I love this voice. Like Honey are playing several new songs, and it bodes well for the new album. Especially Homesick with Klas on vocals sounds really good and has both a lovely melody and a drive in the song. Like so many other songs. I do not get to hear my favourite songs For a Reason or Sad Song but I am still not the least bit sorry. It is hard to be upset when not a single song feels like a filler. It is hard to be disappointed when a Sunday evening feels like a Friday.
The Lucksmiths enter the scene 20 minutes later. They are talented but I also think they are damn boring. You will probably hate me for this statement but after Camera-Shy was played as perhaps the tenth song, there was no reason for me to stay. I take my bag and walk out into the night with my friend. At the porch, there is a group of friends with two acquaintances of mine. I say goodbye to them and goodbye to Mejeriet for now. I turn around and know I will be back soon. This is my home.
Concert ratings:
Fred Astereo - Six out of Ten
Like Honey - Nine out of Ten
The Lucksmiths - Six out of Ten (if it is okay to rate a concert I left before it was over)
Setlist Like Honey (subject to mistakes, half the list might be wrong):
Unexpected
November
Airport
Homesick
Telling Lies
(Old song)
New York or Let It Pass
(New song Klas starts singing and Johanna ends beautifully)
I can not give you a correct setlist because I do not remember, but it is okay as the experience as a whole was greater than the individual songs. As it can only be at really nice concerts that touch the heart.
A girl walks past me and says hello. I do not recognise her, and do not respond because I think she is talking to someone else. She walks toward the stage and I wake up from my day dreams. I have seen her before. Sandra Svensson plays organ and synth in one of my favourite Swedish bands. I saw Like Honey live in the summer at The Möllevångs festival (Möllevångsfestivalen) in Malmö. You may not believe me when I write this on a rainy and windy September night, but it was certainly one of the summer's finest days. It was also one of the strangest shows I have been to. It would be a shame to say that it was good. The indoor venue left a lot to be desired, the sound was bad and I wondered why the hell you put a gig at 5 pm on a Saturday night. There were about 30 people in the crowd. The arrangers served juice. I thought I was at a kids party until Like Honey started playing. It was not a good performance, but I still fell for two things - the charm and singer Johanna Cromnows' wonderful voice which always makes me listen. I went home from Malmö very confused and a little disappointed that summer day. As I think back on this show Sandra walks back to her band and I silently count to myself one, two, three, four, five persons I recognise. I have a brief chat with Johanna and Sandra before the gig. They are in a good mood, just like me. The Lucksmiths headline the advertisement for this Emma's House night, but I know that LIKE HONEY will brighten my Sunday evening. This will be a great night, I think before it is time to move to stand at the front line of the crowd.
- We will play all of our songs in chronological order tonight, Klas says. I think to myself "that is a lot of songs, but that would be so great". And although Unexpected opens the show, Like Honey do not play all their songs.
There are whispers between band members between songs and the order does not seem entirely certain. I think I realise what I was missing during Friday's concert, a little room for spontaneity. Johanna really shines when she sings Airport and the rest of the band seems to thrive equally well. The sound is very loud and I should have brought my ear plugs, but I do not want to distance myself from the scene now. I may not know much about music in technical terms, but I know I love this voice. Like Honey are playing several new songs, and it bodes well for the new album. Especially Homesick with Klas on vocals sounds really good and has both a lovely melody and a drive in the song. Like so many other songs. I do not get to hear my favourite songs For a Reason or Sad Song but I am still not the least bit sorry. It is hard to be upset when not a single song feels like a filler. It is hard to be disappointed when a Sunday evening feels like a Friday.
The Lucksmiths enter the scene 20 minutes later. They are talented but I also think they are damn boring. You will probably hate me for this statement but after Camera-Shy was played as perhaps the tenth song, there was no reason for me to stay. I take my bag and walk out into the night with my friend. At the porch, there is a group of friends with two acquaintances of mine. I say goodbye to them and goodbye to Mejeriet for now. I turn around and know I will be back soon. This is my home.
Concert ratings:
Fred Astereo - Six out of Ten
Like Honey - Nine out of Ten
The Lucksmiths - Six out of Ten (if it is okay to rate a concert I left before it was over)
Setlist Like Honey (subject to mistakes, half the list might be wrong):
Unexpected
November
Airport
Homesick
Telling Lies
(Old song)
New York or Let It Pass
(New song Klas starts singing and Johanna ends beautifully)
I can not give you a correct setlist because I do not remember, but it is okay as the experience as a whole was greater than the individual songs. As it can only be at really nice concerts that touch the heart.
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