A Festive 50: Some favourite tracks from 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arabrot - Madonna Was A Whore

Battles featuring Matias Aguayo - Ice Cream

Bjork - Crystalline (Omar Souleyman Remix)

Blackout Beach - Be Forewarned, The Night Has Come

The Caretaker - Camaraderie at Arms Length

Cashier No.9 - Lost At Sea

Com Truise - Brokendate

Death Grips - Beware
Dirty Beaches - Lord Knows Best

The Dreams - Aloha Miami

Duchess Says - Narcisse

Enzyme X - Nathaniel

Factory Floor - Two Different Ways
Gang Gang Dance - MindKilla

Goreshit - Looming Shadow Of A Tree Long Gone

The Go! Team - Buy Nothing Day

PJ Harvey - Written On The Forehead

Hella - Psycho Bro

Husband - Love Song
Iceage - White Rune

Keep Shelly In Athens - Campus Martius

Kuedo - Scissors

Little Roy - Dive

David Lynch - Pinky's Dream

Maria and the Mirrors - Travel Sex
John Maus - Believer

Mazes - Shit Priest

Metronomy - The Bay

Modeselektor feat. Otto Von Schirach - Evil Twin

Mogwai - Drunk and Crazy

Muscles Of Joy - Coins Across His Hips

Ngunni Lovers Lovers - Cheza Ngoma

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

Peepholes - Tunnels

Planningtorock - The Breaks

Prurient - A Meal Can Be Made

Psychologist - Comes In Waves

Retox - 30 Cents Shy Of A Quarter

Rockwell - Aria

Shabazz Palaces - Swerve... The Reeping Of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)

Sissy and the Blisters - Mystics

Soft Metals - Psychic Driving

Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl

tUNe-yArds - Gangsta

US Girls - If These Walls Could Talk

Veronica Falls - Come On Over
Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever

Wu Lyfe - We Bros

Jamie XX - Far Nearer
YACHT - Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire)

45 Cover Versions

Live on national television on Saturday evening, Leona Lewis began a disgraceful butchering of Trent Reznor's song 'Hurt'. Eradicating all traces of poignancy and injecting it with several tonnes of mediocrity shipped in from Cowell's underground bunker ("Activate key changes! Turn on the blubbing!," you imagine him cackling through booming loudspeakers inside a control tower), its remains were then spat out, having been neutered and beige-popped, into a cavernous arena full of screaming wankers who now regard Harry Styles an icon. Simultaneously enraging and delighting Twitterers (but mostly enraging them), 'Hurt' was transformed into the sort of histrionic karaoke-friendly "ballid" that's presumably more palatable to the likes of Tulisa and her Lidl Mixers. Let's just say that she didn't remind us of a young Johnny Cash. So, as this year's nauseating Fix Factor splutters towards an anticlimax for another year, here are 45 cover versions which don't, y'know, completely suck. I've observed the following rules:

1. Only one song per artist.

2. No Live Lounge nonsense.

3. Obviously no Mark fucking Ronson either.

 

Here are six of the best...

Fall - Lost In Music


Bis - Shack Up



Katzenjammers - Cars



Melt-Banana - Monkey Man



Vermin Twins - I Want Yr Sex



Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre - Johnny Are You Queer




And here are another 39...

Associates - Love Hangover
Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter
Birthday Party - Cat Man

Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone
Bowwowwow - I Want Candy
Johnny Cash - I See A Darkness
Chromatics - Running Up That Hill
Clash - I Fought The Law

Cramps - Domino
Creepers - Baby's On Fire

First Aid Kit - When I Grow Up

Friendly Fires - Your Love
Human League - Rock 'N' Roll / Nightclubbing

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)
Grace Jones - La Vie En Rose
Kingsmen - Louie Louie
Metronomy - Toxic

Elton Motello - Jet Boy, Jet Girl
Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World
Pale Saints - Kinky Love
Pixies - Head On
Residents - I Can't Get No Satisfaction
Schneider TM/KPT.michi.gan - The Light 3000
Silicon Teens - Memphis Tennessee

Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Patti Smith - Gloria
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Sonic Youth - Superstar
Spiritualized - Anyway That You Want Me
St. Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Stranglers - Walk On By
This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
Tiga - Sunglasses At Night
Trespassers William - Vapour Trail
Tricky - Black Steel
Urge Overkill - Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon
Vaselines - You Think You're A Man
Scott Walker - Jackie
Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding