popwreckoning

If you haven’t heard already, Berkeley’s own The Morning Benders released a groovy cover of The Strokes classic hit “Last Nite.” The boys sent out an email earlier this week to their mailing list about the cover, and it’s available to preview and download over here at their Tumblr page.

Or to download it directly, click HERE.

I’m personally digging the Morning Benders’ slowed-down angelic take on the garage rock hit. It’s like they threw the song to the west coast, put it at 70%  speed, and slapped on some synthesizer. What do you think?

The first time I saw the Morning Benders was at Neumo’s as the opening band for We Are Scientists, July 9 of 2008. I went to that exact same venue this week at the first headlining gig I’ve seen them play.

It was a short set. I would have wished to see more songs, and at least one more during the encore, but it was nice seeing the Morning Benders with a room full of other people who were there for them and not for another band. It was awesome. And I love them a lot.

When I got to Neumo’s it was basically deserted, and oddly enough I was the only photographer. So that was different. Granted, it was a Monday night.

It took until about halfway through Twin Sister’s set for the venue to fill up respectably, so the floor looked incredibly sad during Cults. People stood with a five feet empty zone between them and the stage. Oh well, more room for me to get good photos, right?

Starting out the show was New York’s own Cults with their charming retro pop. They put on a great show, with their easy, breezy (pardon my borrowed phrase) New York indie pop. As the quintet graced the stage, it was evident that all band members had the same haircut – all the guys plucking their instruments and the girl lead singer. Chances are – if you don’t live near these guys, you won’t see them play live for a while unless you catch them on this tour.

Seriously, with a name like Cults, it’s virtually impossible to sort through all the Google entries about crazy religions before you get to their sparse Bandcamp page. They don’t even have a MySpace page, but their songs (“Go Outside,” for example) are so catchy and sunny that it’s worth the digging.

Once Cults’ 25-or-so minute set was over, the PA system started playing some of the familiar hits Neumo’s plays. Local indie, obscure classics, but one in particular stood out to me. I was standing there singing along to these lyrics that I knew, but hadn’t ever heard.

“I the midnight moonlight I, be walking a long and lonely mile. And every time I do, I keep seeing this picture of you…”

Why the heck do I know this song?

“…Here comes my baby, here she comes now. And it comes as no surprise to me, she’s with another guy.”

Oh! It’s “Here Comes My Baby!” I’d only heard the Sons of Admirals version of the song, not the original Cat Stevens versions. That’s funny. I’ll spare trying to explain who the Sons of Admirals are, so I’m just going to link you here. They’re awesome. But I’m getting off topic.

I was standing next to this guy all night, and he told me before Twin Sister started playing that they were amazing. Oddly enough, later I found out that he follows me on Twitter. That was awkward.

But he was right about Twin Sister. They were awesome. Another girl-fronted group, Twin Sister produced this subtle wall of sound, kin to the Morning Benders, but more ethereal. For some reason their music reminded me of space and France, with the electronic sounds created on the keyboard and lead singer Andrea Estella’s velvety voice. If that makes any sense.

Twin Sister’s set was remarkably long. I’m almost positive they played about as long as the Morning Benders’ main set, but I didn’t mind.

By this point, during the second intermission, Neumo’s had filled up to a normal crowd, well for a Monday night. But then that crowd – me being a part of it – got impatient. It took until after 11 until the guys started playing. For about fifteen minutes before their set, keyboardist John Chu and drummer Julian Harmon had been meandering around the stage helping set up the equipment, which seemed to be causing them some grief.

But finally at ten after 11, John started the beginning strings loop to “Excuses;” but the first song on their actual set list was “Promises,” both off Big Echo, their phenomenal second album.

I’m interjecting on myself for a sec. If Big Echo doesn’t get on at least a few “best of 2010” lists, I will punch someone. This album is so underrated it’s ridiculous. Big Echo – top ten albums of 2010 – do it critics – now.

Interjection over.

Most of the set list was – in fact – from Big Echo, but there were a couple times where Chris wanted to change it up a bit.

“Do you guys want to see me dance? I want to see you dance,” he said. “This is a song off our first record,” and even before Chris could say the title, this really excited chick standing up front was like, “WAITING FOR THE WAR!”

So we danced. And it was lovely, because even though Big Echo is so amazing, it’s not as energetic as Talking Through Tin Cans was.

About halfway through the set, Chris took a moment to thank Cults and Twin Sister for coming on tour with them, and to plug their merch.

“We have tee shirts for sale over there, and our album Big Echo, if you don’t have it already,” he said, and then glanced right down at me, “You were at our show last time, so I know you have the album already.” And suddenly I was a 15-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Chris remembered me. Now THAT was cool. It hasn’t happened to me since… well since August, but that’s when I saw We Are Scientists three times in two weeks and followed them 800 miles down the coast to San Francisco. So it’s reasonable that they’d remember me. But I haven’t seen the Morning Benders since May when they opened for Broken Bells. Pardon my gushing. I was just so gosh darn excited, gosh darnit.

Anyway, as the sadly short set list was winding down, we got “Stitches,” “All Day Day Light” and “Excuses.”

The first of which, “Stitches” gave me goose bumps. Chris’ longing crooning matched with the most epic crescendo I’ve heard in a long time led up to this awesome drawn out outro, which was easily half the length of the whole song. “Stitches” is melancholy, sexy, and furious at the same time, and definitely one of those songs that is completely different listening to it on record than seeing it live. I highly recommend the latter, as well as the former.

Then we got the summery “All Day Day Light,” for which the band recently came out with a video, one that’s equally as charming as the song. It was a perfect upbeat before the final song of the normal set, “Excuses.”

I have to say something about the song “Excuses.” I decided after hearing it at least a dozen times that it was going to be my first dance song at my wedding. And if a man out there agrees with me, then it’s meant to be. Hands down. Having the whole room sing a long to the “la da das” was so magical on this particular Monday that I almost want to snatch the maraca out of Chris’s hand as he sauntered across the stage.

“Last time we were here Seattle had the best singers on the tour, so I hope you guys live up to it,” Chris said, after he requested the sing-along. Last time? Last time I strictly remember no one around me was singing a long. I’d hope that we out-sang ourselves.

It was just after midnight, and we all knew it was coming – the end of the set. It saddened me to know that it was almost over, but we did get to choose which song we were going to hear during the encore.

“We’ve got a cover and a new song. Which do you wanna hear?” Chris asked. It was nearly impossible to choose, as the cover was Fleetwoot Mac’s “Dreams,” and new songs are always pleasant, so many people shouted “both,” including the guy who follows me on Twitter.

The boys didn’t give in to our plea of both songs, but their cover of “Dreams” was quite fantastic and refreshing. I hadn’t heard that song in years, at least my parents were still listening to CDs regularly.

Even though we didn’t get more than 13 or so songs (the set list was written on a paper plate, and many things were redacted and rewritten), the show was everything I wanted it to be, and I miss the Morning Benders already.

For even more photos from the show, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157625071701689/

As I’m nearing my 21^st birthday, the ever-present anxiety surrounding who’s playing all ages shows has gone out the door. However, the last all-ages show I will see as a 20-year-old human being (well, except for Sasquatch this weekend) turned out to be Broken Bells and The Morning Benders at the Showbox this week.

This is the first time I’ve seen a band since…February… that I was almost more excited to see the opening band than the actual headliners. Nothing against Broken Bells – their debut album is fantastic, but having seen The Morning Benders two times prior, first with We Are Scientists in 2008 and then with Grizzly Bear last October, I was really looking forward to seeing them for a third time.

The Showbox was packed. Packed tight light a space bag, but instead of blankets and pillows, it was full of people. Starting at about 9, the Berkeley natives stepped out on stage – Chris Chu on lead vocals, Tim Orr on bass, John Chu on guitar and keyboards, and Julian Harmon on drums. The one thing that I always loved about seeing these guys live is how humble they are. Each time they thank the headliners multiple times and thank the crowd for “coming early to see us.” I may have said this before, but I didn’t go early, I went on time! It was also nice to see that Chris’ brother John, who joined the band last year, was sporting the same Telecaster that Chris used two years ago, with the familiar “Britney Spears” label, even if it was quasi-covered in duct tape.

They started with “Stitches,” an achingly beautiful ballad that builds to an ending no less than epic with the lyric “you don’t know me by name” repeated over and over; and it was also my second-favorite song off their phenomenal second album Big Echo. The guys were much more at ease on stage than when I saw them in October, when prior to the show someone broke into their van and stole a bunch of their equipment. At this gig, they were fully equipped with not only their instruments, but so many of the great songs off Big Echo, including the slower “Wet Cement” and “Mason Jar,” along with more upbeat tracks like “Promises,” “All Day All Night” and the short ditty “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight).”

Throughout their performance I glanced around where I was standing, and I was the only person singing along to virtually every song. No, really. Thankfully they closed with “Excuses,” as people had been shouting it various times up until then, so people had to sing along. Chris put down his guitar and grabbed the mic off the stand, and came to find that it was going to cut in and out, so he scrapped his mic and grabbed John’s from atop his keyboard. In the absence of the strings, John played the chords on his keyboard while Chris meandered around the stage from the right side to the left, singing the lovely song directly to the audience. I swear, when I heard “Excuses” for the first time, I thought I’m playing this song at my wedding, whenever it may be. It’s that adorable, but somehow not saccharine. At this point I urged everyone around me to sing along to the “da dum, da dum, la da da dum,” and I finally wasn’t the only one joining in the song.

After a half-hour intermission, Broken Bells, led by James Mercer, stepped out on stage to an ecstatic crowd. I mean, the crowd had to be ecstatic – the show sold out in a matter of days when the tickets went on sale a couple of months ago. Before jumping right into “Vaporize,” James Mercer declared to the audience, “you’re too good to me, Seattle.” To tell you the truth, we’re pretty good to most people.

Broken Bells played through the light and fun songs off their self-titled debut, as well as a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crimson & Clover” that was pretty ace. I’d have to say that their set wasn’t quite as dynamic as the Morning Benders, but it was far from boring. I like Broken Bells music because you can dance to it, but it’s so slow that it turns into a slow dance and it’s not so fast that you get tired when you’re dancing for almost an hour.

I especially liked when Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) got up from the drums and sat at the keyboard in the middle of the stage, which was otherwise vacant without Burton playing. I never really knew how multi-talented he is. Burton surely has an impressive resume.

The only thing that spoiled my night was the fact that halfway through Broken Bells’ set this guy who was obviously high on something (something that apparently makes you a total and complete butthead) came and stood right next to me and started thrusting himself around obnoxiously like he was in a mosh pit. Okay, so Broken Bells isn’t mellow, but they aren’t necessarily mosh-able. He even suggested at one point while he was filming the show with his phone that he was going to crowd surf, before the guy standing behind him told him off. Honestly if that guy had crowd-surfed, I would have let him drop. I know personal space technically goes out the window when you’re at a show, but when no one else around you is gnashing against one another, you should take a hint that you need to chill.

Trying to ignore the annoying dude standing next to me, I joined in the crowd’s massive sing-along to “Crimson & Clover,” which would have been a nice surprise if I hadn’t taken a picture of the set list before Broken Bells came onstage. It was still quite nice, though.

After their first “last” song, Mercer and Burton played a charming version of “Insane Lullaby,” from Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse’s 2009 album Dark Night of the Soul. You don’t normally expect two covers in one show, and this was pretty cool. It was just Mercer on acoustic guitar and Burton on keyboards, and it worked really well. They finished out the night with my favorite song from the album, “October,” which instantly made the crowd sway to-and-fro to the easy beat, and the dude standing next to me finally calmed down.

Broken Bells Set List:

1. Vaporize
2. Sailing to Nowhere
3. Trap Doors
4. Citizen
5. High Road
6. Your Head is On Fire
7. The Ghost Inside
8. Crimson & Clover
9. Mongrel Heart
10. The Mall and the Misery

Encore

1. Insane Lullaby
2. Hold On
3. October

We’ve geeked out over our love for Miniature Tigers often in the past. And why shouldn’t we? They guys deliver piano pop rock tunes over a driving beat that’s fun, catchy and smart.

This weekend we’re pulling double geeking out duty. We’re geeking out about the “Lost” series finale and the Miniature Tigers. It turns out the band is loves the show. So we’re hosting a concert in celebration of both the celebration and the band.

If you’d like to win a Miniature Tigers Dharma t-shirt, comment before the “Lost” finale extravaganza begins at 6 p.m. CDT on Sunday, May 23 and tell us how you think the show will end (limited to US only). We’ll then pick a winner from the comments and contact you for your t-shirt size. It’s that easy!

Be sure to keep a look out for Miniature Tigers’ new album, Fortress, out July 27 on Modern Art. The record was produced by Chris Chu (of The Morning Benders). They’ll also be going out on tour with Free Energy and releasing a new single with chillwave artists Neon Indian.

Big Echo is fantastic. I’m just going to come right out and say it like it is. I’ve been a Morning Benders fan for about two years now, and I’ve never seen this much growth in a band in this short amount of time. It’s kind of baffling, because none of the members of this Berkeley band are over the age of 24.

A far cry from their youthful and surf-pop debut, 2008’s Talking Through Tin Cans, Big Echo was co-produced by frontman Chris Chu and friend Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. Even without knowing that, it’s almost impossible to not recognize Grizzly Bear’s influence on Big Echo, as the Morning Benders utilized a plethora of different percussion instruments and even more prominent layered vocals than their last album. Overall, it all came together in what Chu called a “wall of sound.” There’s no empty space in these songs, filling your ears with heavy bass, majestic strings, trickling piano chords, jazzy vocals and so much percussion it sounds like they recorded drummer Julian Harmon playing at least three different instruments several times. But it’s not overdone. The quartet still managed to keep the refreshing lo-fi sound that they did so well on Talking Through Tin Cans.

No track on the album better exemplifies that fact than the opening song, “Excuses,” which the band recently recorded with a bunch of fellow Bay Area musicians, releasing a video along with it. “Excuses” is nothing short of lovely, even starting off with the less-than-suggestive lyrics of, “you try to taste me, and I taped my tongue to the southern tip of your band.” Chu’s harmonies make for a song that sways beautifully like that awkward first dance. It’s darling, it’s natural, and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside (pardon the cliché).

Other standouts include “Promises,” “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight),” “Hand Me Downs,” and “Stitches.” The band released “Promises” several months ago via their website, so this was my first taste of Big Echo, and it was a good foreshadowing. The “wall of sound” mixed with familiar garage rock swagger made for a perfectly balanced (hopefully) first single. “Cold War” is by far the quickest and most upbeat of all the tracks on the album, staying at a keen 1:44 and featuring a toy piano and a driving set of hand claps, and it’s just light enough to catch your breath, metaphorically speaking, in the midst of the heavier songs. With “Hand Me Downs,” you get a great vocal hook – “when we fall, when we fall, when we fall far away,” as well as a strong guitar riff sporadically throughout the 3:46 track, reminding me of Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait for the Others,” building the sound until the end when it drifts off into pure vocal harmonies.

Vocal harmony is one thing that holds Big Echo together like Mighty Putty, like an underlying pattern in a designer’s spring collection, like a photographer’s watermark. And the Morning Benders had it even before Taylor came on to help produce it, but with his help they’ve polished it into an excellent second album.

When I saw the Morning Benders open for Grizzly Bear back in October, there was one song that I remembered, “Stitches.” I remembered it being soft and slow, with a building intensity matched with Chu’s subtle and easy vocals. Listening to it on the record was exactly how I remembered – as just one of those songs you have to listen to without any distractions so you get all the goosebumps possible.

Honestly, on my first listen of Big Echo, I was very surprised as to how toned-down it was from Talking Through Tin Cans, but it was all part of the Morning Benders natural growth, honing their writing and recording skills. And bringing Taylor on as co-producer wasn’t a bad idea either, seeing that Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest was one of the highest-rated albums of 2009. Just as well, being one of the highly anticipated albums of early 2010, Big Echo surely delivered on all marks. Remaining youthful without being pretentious, the Morning Benders will hopefully keep going with the two stellar albums in their repertoire.

I arrived at the Moore Theatre last night just in time to get my Will Call tickets right when the doors opened, thankfully – since it was one of the rainiest days of the year in Seattle, which is saying a lot. I stood out in the lobby for a bit before they opened the doors for us to find our seats.

I – along with a few other people – trickled into the old theater through the corridors myself in the box seats, the others spread around within the theater. A few guys came and sat in the box a few rows behind me, discussing whether or not to get drunk.

“We can’t drink beer down here? Let’s go mingle. Let’s go drink beer,” the first guy proposed.

“Okay, dude. Let’s go drink beer,” the second guy responded.

By that point, the historic Moore Theatre was pretty empty. Actually, most of the people didn’t arrive until halfway through the openers, the Morning Benders from San Francisco.

Personally, they were a big part of the reason why I went to the gig. I saw them in July of 2008 as openers for my favorite band We Are Scientists, and from then on I wished to see them again.

Unfortunately, when they came back to Seattle this October, someone decided to break into their van some time before the show and steal some of their equipment, among other random things. But had I not known that, I wouldn’t have thought otherwise, because they were totally at ease on stage. Kicking it off with a low-key version of “Damnit Anna,” one of the peppier songs from their debut Talking Through Tin Cans, they were just the right compliment for Grizzly Bear – the headliners. But the rest of the songs were new ones from their upcoming release, Big Echo, which doesn’t yet have an official release date. I caught a few of the titles of the new songs, and my favorites were “Hand Me Downs,” an upbeat song more reminiscent of Talking Through Tin Cans, and “Stitches,” a slow, heavy ballad. “Stitches” actually kind of mesmerized me. And sitting by myself in the box at that point, I could just bask in the sound and listen. It was nice.

The Morning Benders’ sound was more mature than the last record, which makes me excited to hear all of Big Echo. But even though their new stuff sounded more mature, the Morning Benders still had the same charm they had last time I saw them. All of their guitars may not have been labeled “Britney Spears,” but drummer Julian Harmon had the familiar sticker on his snare. Not sure what it means. I’ll have to figure that out one day, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

The Morning Benders were very gracious openers, as front man Chris Chu repeatedly thanked Grizzly Bear for bringing them on this leg of the tour, which gave everyone a nice impression of the band. But I don’t think they got the love they deserved because like I said earlier, most of the people got to the venue late, just in time to see Grizzly Bear. At the end, Chu thanked the crowd “for coming early to see us.” That’s not early, that’s on time. Everyone else got there late.

But they did come to see an amazing show. Grizzly Bear was amazing.

Normally I don’t like sitting in the theater at gigs, but in this case, the Moore was the perfect venue for it – large, but not too large so it’s still intimate. And the haunting vocals from Daniel Rossen, Ed Droste, Chris Taylor and Chris Bear worked perfectly with everyone seated. It’s not the kind of music you dance to, more like the kind you just listen to.

And that’s all I had to do – listen.

And Grizzly Bear surely brought in the crowd. The guy sitting next to me had heard of them just that day, and lived in Pullman. He drove four hours to see them. Wow.

I’ve never seen a more dynamic group of musicians. First hearing them on Veckatimest a couple months ago, I would have never guessed they could pull off all the layers of sound they achieved on the record the same way live. But they did. Droste would switch from keyboard to guitar to harpsichord, and Rossen switched from keyboards to guitar. But Taylor was the one that stood out to me in his multiple instrumentalist skills. From bass to flute to clarinet and bass clarinet, and another odd instrument that I couldn’t name if I ever tried. It just added an eerie ringing sound to several of the songs.

Speaking of the songs, Grizzly Bear played a nice mixture of songs from Veckatimest and 2006’s Yellow House, which lent itself to the range of sounds they created on stage. Starting off the show with “Southern Point,” it was just the right amount of energy to get people excited. Not only did they sound great, but also there were Mason jar lights set up all along the stage hung from stands, creating a wave of lights to go along with the psychedelic indie rock.

Some of my favorite tunes of the night were “Fine for Now,” “Little Brother,” and “Lullabye.” But what got the crowd going most was “Two Weeks,” Grizzly Bear’s biggest hit yet. Besides, it’s the easiest to sing along to. But the biggest song of the night, and the one that really gave me goosebumps with all the slow buildup, Taylor’s constant switching of instruments, and soaring harmonies from Droste and Rossen was “I Live With You.” I could see people all around the theater bobbing their heads to the music that filled the extremely tall Moore.

Droste actually said towards the end of the night, “Are you guys getting vertigo up there? I was up there earlier, and it’s weird.” The second balcony is quite tall, and most of the time requires binoculars, but it sounds just as good because of the acoustics of the theater. From where I was sitting in the box on the main floor, the heaviness of the bass actually made my glasses shudder and eyes blur for a second.

After the “last song,” everyone got on their feet to applaud for the encore, except a select few that actually thought it was the end of the show. But a couple minutes of applause later, the foursome walked back out on stage for one last song, “He Hit Me,” from the Friend EP. It was a perfect way to end the show, finishing at a little before 11 p.m.

Now all I had to do was wait for my ride to get there. But while I waited, I stood outside the venue for a bit and mingled with the other fans waiting to meet the band. I still have yet to do that, as I have an odd fear of meeting bands. Not sure why, but I really need to get over that.

Maybe next time.

Grizzly Bear: website | myspace

Fleetwood Mac, 1977: original version from Rumours
From as early as I can remember I have always loved Fleetwood Mac. Their sound, their music, reading about the torrid love affairs between bandmates and declining marriages that created some of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. I’m talking pre-Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal (No Doubt) shit. True love and despair, threats to quit the band, drugs, world-wide tours, managing professionalism in the studio when you literally want to kill the very person you depend on to lace your lyrics with chords. The reasons to quit are trumped by the reasons to stay because although you were driven to new realms of heartbreak, at least you got a hit record (Rumours) out of it all and cemented your place in music history. Not to mention, Stevie Nicks can still say she knew a love that shook her very core and changed her life forever.

Speaking of despair, while Lindsey Buckingham wrote “Go Your Own Way,” Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” as her eight-year love affair with guitarist Buckingham was coming apart at the seams. Once considered a “package deal” when signing on as new members of FM, it seems years later Buckingham wanted his package shipped elsewhere, much to the dismay of both. But they chose to rise above petty break-up feelings and instead channeled their frustration into creating the beautiful song, “Dreams.” It’s somber, it’s sweet, it’s melancholy, it’s uplifting, it’s sad… it basically is the kind of song that encapsulates all the feelings people feel when their heart is breaking. Instead of keying your ex-boyfriend’s car, or spreading Rumours (get it?!), just put this song on in the background and those bad feelings will instantly disappear. I promise.

website

–

Letters To Cleo, 1995: from Spirit of ’73: Rock for Choice
Much of my adoration for this version stems from the fact that it was the very first “Dreams” cover in my collection. Lead singer Kay Hanley is such a master of lacing sweetness with just a hint of edge during the chorus when she really begins to grow impatient with her dude’s trifling ways. The soft, jazzy guitars complement her during the tender vocal moments but wailing guitar riffs burst into a bout of heaviness with impeccable timing just as she begins to wax angry. Her vocals are perfect on this track and range from whispery, breathy, angst-ridden, yet sweet as she goes all out or holds back throughout the song.

Much like Hanley’s look in the 1990′s (blonde bombshell locks and ultra-feminine dresses that still manage to show off strategically placed tattoos), she is able to juggle lots of different personalities in her vocal delivery. She’s all girl next door with puppy dog eyes as she sings “it’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams” that even I have a hard time resisting her pleas to stay and work things out. I especially like the intonation when she starts to string out a little during “have you any dreams you’d like to sell? / dreams of loneliness like a heartbeat / drives you mad.” And this continues when she gets angrier during “players only love you when they’re playing” in a way where she’s already predicting that he’ll be back when he comes to his senses, except it’ll be too late since she will already have come to hers.

website | myspace

–

The Corrs, 1997: from Talk On Corners
If you have a jones for Celtic instruments, upbeat numbers, and top 40 sounds, then this track is for probably for you. Not only is Andrea Corr a ridiculously beautiful Irish woman, but she has a lovely voice too (where’s the justice?). Along with some flawless vocal harmony of her equally stunning sisters, they’ve created a danceable number that takes the classic “Dreams” to completely different heights of listening pleasure. This track makes me want to dance around the room, even if I don’t actually get up to do so. Gifted vocalists as well as musicians, I hear a whole mess of piano, guitars, drum beats and violins here. And since this is The Corrs, my instincts tell me someone is probably playing some tin whistle on this track. Andrea changes up the notes to steer their music to a more dance-friendly and happier place, thus venturing pretty far away from the melancholy and bittersweet nature of the original that I love so much. While this makes for a good upbeat number, I’m skeptical how this track fares as a cover because it takes away the beautiful sadness that made the original as good as it is. Readers, you decide.

website

–

Cat Power (live): November 1998
I saw Cat Power open up for Interpol last year and was literally counting down the minutes until her set was over. Maybe Madison Square Garden is the wrong venue for her intimate and laid-back vocal performances, but I wasn’t ready to give her the benefit of the doubt just yet. Plus, she’s notorious for songs that start and stop with no real indication of when either is going to occur! I didn’t know whether to boo or applaud, but left realizing I’d eventually want to give her a fair chance and chalk this one up to inappropriate venue selection since she’s received much praise from respectable music sources of mine.

Well, she got her chance. Enter this live “Dreams” cover (wow!) that may as well be titled “Redemption Song” since I am now a believer. This minimalistic, raw, emotive performance is so intimate that I feel like I’m hiding in her bathroom, listening to her sing this in her shower with her acoustic guitar. Her voice, in its most primitive state, is bluesy and jazzy. And I like how I can actually hear every nuance in her intonation, every crack in voice. The sparse guitar only accentuates this slow, stripped-down, and bare-boned version, showcasing breathy vocals that somehow still manage fortitude. Her timing is completely off from the original and she changes Stevie Nicks’ notes completely, creating almost a brand new song that still resonates with the same magic of the original.

website | myspace

–

The New Pornographers, 2005: live from NYC
Supposedly there’s some New Pornographers bootleg out there with a cover of “Dreams” on it, but they played this live version at Webster Hall a few years back and the crowd went nuts the moment that recognizable Fleetwood Mac bass line kicked in. Speaking of, that bass line is so awesome and I’d even be as bold to say it rivals that of David Bowie/Queen’s “Under Pressure.” But I digress…

Holy musical orgasm! Nothing excites me more than hearing one legendary female [Neko Case] covering another female rock goddess [Stevie Nicks] during an impromptu live cover. Case channels the trademark raw sexiness of Nicks so perfectly and does her an incredible amount of justice in this cover. Even the music increases the coolness factor in ways I don’t even feel like writing about because I’d rather just listen to this version again instead. Cool, calm, and unaffected, I like how Case casually laughs in between verses during a performance that plays like a musical “Fuck you, please. I don’t even need you.” And the backup male vocals of “lonely, oooh, ahhh” that tie in with Case’s “when the rain washes you clean, ohhh, you will know” are superb and just make me wonder why I wasn’t there? Damn.

website | myspace

–
Snowden, 2006: from Fuel Of The Celebration (remix EP)
What the hell is going on here? I’m all for males covering this female empowerment anthem for the irony factor, but at least do it well. Lead singer Jordan Jeffares lends vocals here that are so removed, so strange, so stoic, so foreign I find it hard to believe this band even hails from Atlanta because I had my money on Z-list German electro-rockers aiming for the American musical market. There’s a whole mess of electronic beats here that are so scattered that I actually had to turn this mp3 down a few times since I thought I missed a phone call and the answering machine was recording someone’s message. But you guessed it, no one had called and it was just some errant electro-beats that Snowden forgot to lace in seamlessly with their others. If you’re into electronica give this a listen since I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the genre, but please listen at your own risk. I can’t be held responsible for listener’s remorse.

website | myspace

–

Yo La Tengo, 2007: live from San Francisco
Bombastic spoken-word vocals, an electric feel, edgy vibe and heavy distortion always makes the perfect noise-jam. Yeah, this pretty much sums up Yo La Tengo’s cover of “Dreams.” Known for a huge repertoire of cover songs, I’m not at all surprised they performed this during a live show at Bimbo’s 365 Club last year. Lead singer Ira Kaplan marries his raw vocals with (actual wife and bandmate) Georgia Hubley’s sweet background “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.” This might blow some minds of long-time Yo La Tengo fans, but personally this is not my favorite cover. Had I been to this show I might have been super excited to witness it, but the quality pales in comparison to the original and even the live cover versions of The New Pornographers and Whiskeytown (also a male vocal). There comes a point in this song where it just becomes too noisy that I start yearning for the clarity and simplicity of the original. Basically, Yo La Tengo fan or not… this one is only good for once in a while rocking out, but not everyday listening.

website | myspace

–

The Morning Benders, 2008: from The Bedroom Covers
Where does the best indie dream pop hail from these days? Well, since I’m referring to The Morning Benders I guess the answer would be Berkeley, California. Lead singer Chris Chu has such innocent and resonant vocals that are so clean and clear. Toss in some equally dreamy background vocals and this acoustic cover shines in its sweet simplicity. I especially love the fret-tapping and gentle humming throughout the track that definitely help set this version apart from the rest. I’m really grateful that Popwrecker Bethany turned me onto this one since it’s been on loop ever since. There’s so much yearning, so much feeling, so much honesty in Chu’s musical sighs that I actually believe he’s mourning the loss of the person he is singing about. This song is arguably my favorite version of recent times and now I can’t wait to see if their original music delivers the same way this cover does.

website | myspace

–

Whiskeytown, 2008: from Strangers Almanac (Deluxe Edition Reissue)
Oh Ryan Adams, can you ever do any wrong? Whining, soap operatic and drama queen ways aside, pre-Cardinals Adams took his well-known love of Fleetwood Mac to new levels of appreciation by covering “Dreams” in 1997 with his now defunct alt-country outfit Whiskeytown. With his husky vocals that wail, rock, croon, and moan all at once, he makes it impossible not to “feel” what he himself is feeling on this track. Plus, fans of The Replacements (like myself) will enjoy his particularly Paul Westerberg-esque voice here, since it’s no secret that Adams is a huge Replacements fan and has been greatly inspired by them. Save this alt-country number for a bad day when you’re feeling low and just want to lay on the couch, turn out the lights, kick off your shoes, and just dream…  perhaps, about a Whiskeytown reunion tour?  (Fingers crossed!)

website | myspace

*****
You have the facts and now it’s up to you. Which cover reigns supreme? And to which cover shall we say “In your ‘Dreams?’”