Pop goes the Radio(head)
By Kevan • Sep 23rd, 2007 • Category: Art & Technology
Last March, I published a post called “Mixes in the Making,” in which I made a passing-paragraph reference to a song that teen sensation group Hanson performed in concert. It’s a cover of the Radiohead song, Optimistic. That post was mistakenly republished earlier today (to the Xanga version of my blog), and my friend Kristen posted this comment in response:
“Where can I find that “Optimistic” cover? My curiousity has been undeniably piqued.”
In my initial post, I had described the song as such:
“…it’s actually an inspiring piece of work. If you can put up with the legions of screaming girlies in the background, that is. The tribal-warefare drums carry the crunching guitars, and both provide the perfect rhythmic menace to counteract with whoever-it-is that’s singing in a tortured mini-rockstar wail.”
The song really is a wonder to behold, if for nothing more than the sheer surprise that the MMMBop guys can pull off this sound. I’ve uploaded the track for anybody to listen. Click or right-click to play it or download it:
Hanson - Optimistic (Radiohead cover)
While we’re on the topic of unlikely acts covering Radiohead tracks, I should share with you another. It’s neighbourhood guitar hero, John Mayer, and he’s covering the title track off Kid A. Pitchfork dissed it with a tepid 2.5 out of 5, but the nonchalant review shrugs off this incredible gem far too casually.
The Radiohead original is a virtually arrhythmic drone of digitally distorted vocals over top what sounds like a child’s mobile. It’s a beautiful track, it suits the album wonderfully, but one thing it’s not is “accessible.” Somehow, John “Wonderland” Mayer manages to wrangle a discernible melody line out of it. His multi-layered guitars provide a methodical, wooden strum as the bassline, subtle self-harmonies twisting it into something that’s both more musical and more maudlin than the chillingly dark Radiohead original. I recommend putting this track in the centre of a mixtape that chronicles a slow, downward spiral. Here’s the file:
John Mayer - Kid A (Radiohead cover)
The New Album
And of course, unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last two days, Radiohead has announced that their very brand new album has just been completed. It’s called “In Rainbows,” and is being released on October 10. And get this: you can pay however much you want for it. PAY WHAT YOU WANT. All I can say is, this is rad news. Read more:
* The official “In Rainbows” website
* In more understandable terms, from Pitchfork
Kevan is a life-size replica of a 5'8" tall human being. He has a BA in Media Communications from Trinity Western University, and spends 1/4 of his spare time scribbling down impossible ideas in his Moleskine. The other 3/4 of his time is spent with his beautiful wife Kendra, who spends 1/4 of her spare time guarding Kevan's back. Kevan is originally from Fruitvale, BC, and is generally a nice person.
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Talking along such lines, you should look around for a cover of Bjork’s Unravel by Jason Mraz. It reminds me a lot of John’s Kid A. I’ll send it to you if it tickles your fancy.
Radiohead covers are always fun to hear because they seem like such an eminently “uncoverable” entity. Radiohead songs are already very often complete. What can someone add to one? An artist like Dylan or Cohen, who writes perfect songs but can’t sing them, leaves the door wide open for a crooner or chanteuse to sweep the song off its feet and showcase its perfection; not so with Radiohead.
And it’s a pro and a con of their music, I think, that it is so uncoverable. On one hand, as I said, they’re already complete, but a good song should stand alone and Radiohead’s songs don’t.
More interesting, however, is the latest trend of sampling them rather than covering them. I guess I’d blame Kanye West, who is making it his personal mission to fold indie into hip hop because their music is better than his. Radiohead’s music is so perfect for intellectual hip hop, and when it works, as in the Lupe Fiasco track “Us Placers” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU-w4IAJePw), it’s dynamite.