The Mixtape - 8/28/18: The Summer Song of 2018 is...

 

Miss Lindsey Jordan, aka Snail Mail, has been around since I relaunched my whole 'Mixtape' thing at the end of May. "Heat Wave" was #4 then and, after a brief wait for Kanye to rotate through the top spot in June with his own "Ghost Town" and KIDS SEE GHOSTS' "4th Dimension," it found its way to the top where it's spent the past 10 weeks. If ever a song owned (my) summer, it's this one.

As far as summer songs 2018 go, the rest of the world can have Cardi B's "I Like It" or Drake's "In My Feeling." My summer song wasn't meant to be a jam this go around. I mean, Reverse (Ft. G-Eazy) – Vic Mensa, G-Eazy, APESHIT – The Carters, and Fuck Yo Club (Bonus) – 'Lgado, Valee all outlasted any Kanye West production cut this summer, but none of them ear-wormed their way in to my heart the way "Heat Wave" did.

So the summer is nearly over and I spent it mostly listening to somber tales of love lost or, perhaps, love not even worth attempting. Sure, I rocked out a bit (thanks, THICK, Swearin', and Late Bloomer), but while I'd like to think the forecast will call for sunnier tunes, I'm presently knee-deep in Tomberlin's powerfully hushed debut, At Weddings. It's been a mainstay in my headphones these past few weeks (aka Mixtape cycles) that I've been away. Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that, by the way...life, ya know?

Tomberlin's ascension toward the top aside, it's been mostly business as usual, musically speaking. Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy have remained 1-2 the past month with the aforementioned summer song of 2018 and "Scorpio Rising" respectively. During my blogging downtime, I found great new music from Black Belt Eagle Scout (13), Kurt Vile (34), YBN Cordae (38), and Ultra Beauty (39). And as much as my 1999 self LOVED Slim Shady, his surprise Kamikaze release last week didn't get catch me buying what Mr. Mathers is selling in 2018.

The past month, Muncie Girls and Death Cab For Cutie releases aside, didn't offer me much reason to anticipate New Music Friday. That drought ends this week with a handful of new albums I'm eager to spend some time with. I'm gonna party like it's 1979 with new releases from all the Pauls - McCartney, Simon, and Carrack - and dig in to some albums I'll might still be listening to in 2019 from Waxahatchee and Mothers. I might even wax nostalgic for the 90s and check out the latest offerings from Everlast, Macy Gray, and Lenny Kravitz. Stranger things have happened; have you heard the new Eminem album?

Cover to Cover - Foo Fighters

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Sure. It's also bound to polarize the hell out of music fans who don't want the perfection of a song in its original state tarnished by some rando-band's half-ass attempt at recapturing what made it great in the first place. I am such a fan, but I'm also open-minded enough to know that every so often a cover song comes along that can hang with its inspiration.

Whether a cover song works or not is purely subjective, though I hope to God we can all come together and agree that Madonna NEVVVVVVVVVVVER should've covered a classic like Don McLean's "American Pie." Scientific studies have proven that the day Madonna's version was unleashed was the day the music actually did die.

From time to time, I'll pick an artist or topic or theme or whatever feels right and present related cover songs for your judgmental consumption. Let's start with one of the best cover bands on the planet (they've had a few pretty solid original songs too). This one's for you, Shelly!

Most of the Foo Fighters' covers aren't on Spotify, so here are my top five cover songs performed by Dave Grohl and company.

5. Tie Your Mother Down / Queen

The hard-rock leanings of this early Queen classic make perfect sense for the Foos to showcase their own brand of rawk on. Grohl headbangs while drummer Taylor Hawkins handles the vocals. 

4.  Born on the Bayou / CCR

Hurricane Katrina brought the pain in 2005, enough so that "A Concert For Hurricane Relief" was aired nationwide to provide awareness and garner donations for the poor souls impacted by the unnatural response to this natural disaster. I watched the entire concert and no single performance dropped my jaw more than the Foos' covering this Creedence Clearwater Revival swamp-jam. 

3. Down in the Park / Gary Numan

Gary Numan has always been ahead of his time. The popularity that electronic and new wave artists would have with sounds that he, and others of the time (Kraftwerk, etc..) pioneered would elude him after his 'one-hit wonder,' "Cars," but science fiction and a dystopian existence would continue to serve as thematic foundations for his icy, synth-driven creations. The Foos rock the hell out of this Gary Numan and Tubeway Army track from the late 70s.

2. Band on the Run / Paul McCartney and Wings

One of my all-time favorite songs by one of my all-time favorite artists. If you're going to cover Macca, you better bring your A-game and that's just what Dave and the gang did here. 

1. Baker Street / Gerry Rafferty

Gerry Rafferty's biggest hit is lodged in my all-time top 20. Year after year. Without fail. It's been a favorite since I first heard it on the radio way back in 1978. The original's iconic saxophone solo is replaced here with a guitar lick that works quite well. There is also a slight lyrical tweak and a heavier overall vibe that enables it to stand up against, and stand out from, Rafferty's classic.