Latest Cover Posts

[Chill] Bob Marley – Waiting In Vain (RÆVE Feat. JahSon Cover)

Posted by Jordan Grammer - September 14, 2014

Bob Marley
Waiting In Vain (RÆVE Ft. JahSon Cover)

Every blogger worth his salt has heard at least four hundred Bob Marley covers or remixes in their day. As you can see, it’s very easy for the quality ones to get lost in the mix. And even if they are good, they usually aren’t too creative. However, RÆVE & JahSon are here to flip the script with their own interpretation of “Waiting In Vain”. JahSon lays down an incredible cover of the Marley classic, while RÆVE does the rest with his own blend of tropical sounds and house beatwork. As the winter months draw close, expect the Ninja team to keep this one in heavy rotation.

[Chill] Anna Of The North – ILYAF 1996

Posted by Jordan Grammer - September 14, 2014

ANNA OF THE NORTH
ILYAF 1996

Download

We have selfishly been hiding this track from you guys for far too long. Anna Of The North is, bar none, the greatest talent you’ve never heard of and that has gone on for far too long. I think it’s only fair to end my blogathon run with this track as it is my personal favorite and one of the most played songs in my personal collection. Donna Lewis’ 1996 karaoke classic “I Love You Always Forever” may be forgotten in the eyes and ears of most, but not Anna Lotterud of Oslo, Norway. This future legend dusted off the record and recruited producing extraordinaire Brady Daniell-Smith to recreate and as you can see, it is streets ahead of the original. Anna’s silky and warm voice pays tribute to Lewis’s rendition but, over Brady’s dream pop composition, becomes a euphoric and infectiously happy cover. I challenge ever Ninja to listen to this once (or thirty times), by the end you’ll be smiling, guaranteed. But this starlet’s catalogue doesn’t end here. Her Sway EP, now on iTunes, is one of the best 1-2 punches of 2014. Sway, America’s next great radio hit, is already turning major heads in both the creative and A&R sides of the industry and the B-side, Undervann, is one of the most hauntingly beautiful things you will ever hear. The future is so bright for this young artist (and her production team) and we can’t wait to see how far she’ll go!

[MP3 Playlist] Indie Dojo (September 2014 Round #2)

Posted by Allegra Azzopardi - September 9, 2014

Worried about the Zombie Apocalypse and/or the Robot Uprising? Yeah, you know who you are. The one who’s got their survival kit packed in the trunk of the car as you read this. Well, we don’t want to throw any more anxiety in your head, but have you ever really thought about what would happen to the world if music just died? Nothing new could be created and all musical talent disappeared? Yeah, we don’t like to think of it either. There are not enough survival kits in the entire world to prepare us for such horrors, except for maybe some Indie Dojos. We’ll just keep building up our arsenal of songs, so if there is ever such a tragic event (we don’t like to think about it, but at least we are prepared), you know where to find us. We will be more than happy to share our lifeline with you.

’Xavier Dunn – Fuckin’ Problems (A$AP Rocky Cover)’

Download

’Brijs – Tell It How It Is (with Ben Bishop & Dandelion)’

Soundcloud

’Mid Ayr – My Mayhem’

Soundcloud

’Little Shoes Big Voice – Nightfall’

Soundcloud

’Lectures – Talking In A Vacuum’

Buy

’Sundara Karma – Indigo Puff’

Soundcloud

’Natalie McCool – Dig It Out’

Soundcloud

’Woodlock – Lemons’

Soundcloud

[Future R&B] DiRTY RADiO – Relentless (prod. by Pomo)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - September 5, 2014

DiRTY RADiO
Relentless (Beat by: Pomo)

Buy

Vancouver trio DiRTY RADiO, using the sultry instrumentation of beatsmith and fellow city dweller Pomo from his tune “Only You”, just painted a perma-sexy smile on our face this Friday with their newest tune “Relentless”. The first in what will be a series of mixtape style vocal remixes, “Relentless” plays like a two-step slice of steamy future R&B fused with the clicky and sophisticated stylings of Pomo. Heading into our favorite three days of the week, and on a gray and blustery day for this writer in Denver, this one had us feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzy which was just… aces. These smooth Canucks are giving this one away for free so snag a copy here in exchange for a Facebook “like”, settle into something warm and kick back to “Relentless” to get the ball rolling on your weekend.

[TMN Exclusive Interview] Trails and Ways Talk Influences, Covers and the Bay Area at Outside Lands 2014

Posted by Ash El Gamal - September 4, 2014

’Trails and Ways – Mtn Tune’

Buy

Oakland-based band, Trails and Ways, first surfaced back in 2012 with a string of impressive covers that reinvented some of the year’s strongest pop songs in unexpected and refreshing ways. Unsurprisingly, their subsequent debut EP, Trilingual, proved that their unique style is displayed in an even more powerful way through their original music. The 5-song project, true to its title, features lyrics in English, Spanish and Portuguese–a reflection of the group’s travels in Spain and Brazil. Aside from the evident international influence, Trails and Ways have an incredible take on dreamy California pop, teaming addicting lush acoustic and electronic melodies with the diverse vocals of all 4 band members.

We had a chance to catch up with Keith Brower Brown (guitar, synths) and Ian Quirk (drums) at this year’s Outside Lands to discuss their travels, musical influences and fantastic covers among other topics. Considering the quality of their library thus far, we could not be more excited for what Trails and Ways have in store in the next year.

TMN: First of all, we’re here at Outside Lands. Did you come here when you were at UC Berkeley?

Ian Quirk of Trails and Ways

Ian: I’m from the East Bay. Hayward, which is a little south of where we live now in Oakland. I went to Outside Lands twice growing up. One of the most memorable experiences was at Radiohead. The sound went out, like the main speakers went out during their set, but they totally just kept playing. Everybody was dead silent—it was crazy at a festival that big—just trying to hear basically the stage monitors and a few little speakers. I’ve never seen that before at a festival where there’s dead silence. And then the sound came back on and after the most quiet I’d ever heard, it was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard immediately afterward.

TMN: Did the whole band live together in college?

Keith: Three of us lived in a building called Lothlorien, not the the Land of the Elves although I’d love to live there. This was a co-op at Berkeley—one of the student bought houses. Hannah, the lead guitarist, lived very briefly there for a summer, but we all went to school at Berkeley. Graduated a few years ago. Continue reading →

[Chill/Pop-House] Birdy – Skinny Love (Sebastian Carter Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 19, 2014

Birdy
Skinny Love (Sebastian Carter Remix)

Soundcloud

At just 20 years of age, Sebastian Carter has shown us time and time again that musical maturity should be merited on sound regardless of age or experience. The Swiss electronic producer’s music tends to carry an emotive weight and groove which would sail directly over some of his contemporary listeners’ collective heads; casting a stunning amount of crossover promise on the young artist’s career in the process. Already with stirring retouches of The 1975, Bad Suns, and Alt J along with a few addictive originals; today Carter’s taken Birdy’s cover of the Bon Iver staple “Skinny Love” and spun a tranquil web of house all over its pop leaning framework. With rising pads serving as a slow-burning build and simultaneous mood setting device, his airy synths are free to bubble their way to the surface while Birdy’s ethereal vocal stylings submerged in hazy reverb play as beautiful as ever amongst the wunderkind’s polished instrumentation. Sebastian Carter has certainly hit the mark again with this one, and we hope you’ll drift away with us for the four minute, alluring sonic expedition.

[Alternative] Paramore – Ain’t It Fun (Kavalier Cover) feat. Molly Williams

Posted by Jordan Grammer - August 13, 2014

Kavalier (Official)
Ain't It Fun (Kavalier Cover) feat. Molly Williams

Buy

We were just about to share a different song by Kavalier when this popped on our radar. Molly Williams has always dazzled us with her sublime talent but we were blown away when she made the pop crossover and joined Kavalier on this Paramore cover. “Ain’t It Fun” maintains the upbeat, airy vibe of the original, however something must be said of Sean and Jake’s reconstruction of this track, especially the almost distorted bassline by Sean. This is just one of many features in their cover series so be sure to keep tabs on the Kavalier boys as well as the gorgeous Molly Williams.