She might be better known today for her flamboyant style, plastic surgery excesses and dumb blond stage persona, but before she became a pop-culture caricature, Dolly Parton was a tremendous singer, under-rated songwriter and country music ambassador to the world. By the age of 13, Parton had already been signed to a label and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and was well on her way to being dubbed the "Queen of Country Music". To date, she has 25 number-one singles and a record 41 top-10 country albums. Along with classics like "Coat of [...]
Indie, so hört man munkeln, sei der neue Mainstream. Peter Gabriel untermauert diese These, indem er Arcade Fire und Bon Iver covert. Kann das gut gehen? Peter Gabriel schenkt uns pünktlich zu seinem 60. Geburtstag ein aussergewöhnliches Coveralbum. Die Songauswahl von "Scratch My Back" (VÖ 12.2.) ist ebenso überraschend wie die Instrumentierung. Nach Gitarre, Bass und [...]

In the past month there have been some really great covers emerge. Phoenix doing Bob Dylan is as good as anything on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Jay Reatard's death brought an old cover out back to prominence, Major Lazer have added a whole new depth to a Beyonce track and lo fi indie rockers Little Girls have a stunning take on a new Beach House track. Enjoy these and please feel free to link to your favorite covers in the comments. Major Lazer - HALO (Beyonce Cover) Solange Knowles - Stillness [...]
On Scratch My Back , his first album in 8 years, Peter Gabriel aims to shed light on outstanding songs from both rock warhorses (Paul Simon, David Bowie, Neil Young) and from an alternative lineup that reads like a college radio programmer's wet dream (Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Magnetic Fields).

Selfhood by Tanya Johnston Because he believes in himself, he doesn't try to convince others. Because he is content with himself, he doesn't need others' approval. Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him. -- Lao Tzu This a stronger rendition of a Bon Iver favorite of mine. The original is profoundly better but this cover isn't too shabby as well. Wonderful art from Tanya Johnston . Peter [...]

Peter Gabriel's relevance in the indie (or should I say "ternative" ) music scene has been present for some time now, especially with his style being replicated and name being dropped in quite a few Vampire Weekend songs and albums. But never has his presence been more felt than this past week, when his covers of Bon Iver's "Flume" and Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage" were premiered on Stereogum . "Flume" finds Gabriel scratching the acoustic guitar and falsetto of Bon Iver, and instead belting the lyrics out in his own way- a little [...]

Anaïs Mitchell is already known as a gifted singer-songwriter, but now she has proved herself to be a brilliant poet and playwright with her new album Hadestown . This studio recording of Mitchell's "folk opera" will be released on March 9th by Righteous Babe Records, and features such well known guest vocalists as Ani Difranco, Greg Brown, Petra Haden, Bon Iver, and Ben Knox Milller of The Low Anthem . In Hadestown , Anaïs transforms the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice into a post-apocalyptic American fable with Depression era style and indie-folk sensibility. This gorgeous, [...]
It's been a long year, everybody. But we're gonna make it. Look it's already February ... Aloha "Moonless March" from Home Acres Kite Club "Going Swimming" from Esoterica Fredrik "Mujina / Locked In The Basement" from Trilogi M. Ward "Sadie" (Joanna Newsom cover) live take Peter Gabriel "Flume" (Bon Iver cover) from Scratch My Back [...]
Here are four songs that will keep you warm on this wintery day, when headphones double up as earmuffs: The first song is by Surfer Blood , an upcoming band from Florida that is creating a buzz with their debut, Astro Coast . Glint is a new band from Brooklyn, and this song is from their self-titled EP. Peter Gabriel recorded an album of covers, surprising Bon Iver with his take on [...]
Peter Gabriel has an orchestral-assisted covers album called Scratch My Back due next week where he does his own versions of the likes of The Arcade Fire, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Magnetic Fields, Neil Young, Radiohead and Talking Heads. You can hear his cover of Bon Iver's 'Flume' right here and download it below: Tracklisting: Heroes (David Bowie) The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon) Mirrorball (Elbow) Flume (Bon [...]

Here are two tracks off of Peter Gabriel's upcoming orchestral indie rock cover album Scratch My Back . It's hard to judge these fairly, because the originals already won my heart over, but there is no denying that Gabriel's orchestral interpretations are beautiful. The deep, dark, swelling build up of "My Body Is A Cage" is breathtaking and Gabriel nails the desperation in the melody of "Flume". The orchestra adds a really dramatic ambiance to these already moving songs. Both of these are must haves. Check it out. Peter Gabriel - Flume (Bon [...]

Peter Gabriel is getting set to release Scratch My Back , his orchestral indie rock cover album. It is Peter's first album in 7 years. Bob Ezrin produced the album that features covers from the likes of Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bower, Elbow, and Radiohead. I stumbled across two of the covers and want to share them with you. They are his rendition of Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage", and Bon Iver's "Flume". Peter Gabriel taps into the mood set by both of these songs and successfully transforms it into his own. The orchestration is [...]
Det er nok efterhånden de fleste bekendt, at Peter Gabriel barsler med et album fyldt med covernumre - oven i købet nogle formidable af slagsen! På albummet finder man blandt andet Arcade Fires "My Body is A Cage", Regina Spectors "Aprés Moi" samt Bon Ivers "Flume". Sidstnævnte kan p.t. streames på Stereogums hjemmeside , og Gabriels version af nummeret er næsten ligeså smukt som originalen! Albummet, der hedder "Scratch My Back", er på gaden den 15. februar, og hele tracklisten kan ses nedenfor. 01 "Heroes" (David Bowie) 02 "The Boy in [...]
Peter Gabriel - Flume ( Bon Iver cover ) Now before you hate just listen it is actually quite gorgeous. Peter Gabriel is putting out an LP chalked-full of covers that also features the likes of David Bowie, Paul Simon, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, and Regina Spektor (full listing at Sterogram ). via Sterogram
Annie Clark has come a long way from her days as a member of The Polyphonic Spree's touring band, with her fanbase and critical acclaim steadily increasing with each release and tour as St. Vincent . Marry Me , St. Vincent's 2007 debut, introduced the world to an artist with charmingly intricate lyrics and compositions that set Clark in a class above the countless idiosyncratic indie singer-songwriters. In 2009's Actor , Clark expanded upon and perfected Marry Me's musical and lyrical dichotomy between the dreamy and the nightmarish as she elaborately composed each song as a film [...]

Filed under: News , New Music , New Releases After much hype and anticipation -- at least, in music aficionado circles -- over Peter Gabriel 's upcoming collection of covers, 'Scratch My Back,' Stereogum recently previewed Gabriel's symphonic take on the Arcade Fire . On Monday, Stereogum offered the exclusive stream of Gabriel's interpretation of Bon Iver 's "Flume." With Gabriel behind the microphone, the song drops in pitch but not in intensity. A piano sets the mood for [...]
Il titolo è ironico "Scratch my back" ( Grattami la schiena ). Vi avevamo anticipato l'uscita del nuovo album di Peter Gabriel già lo scorso ottobre. Un album in cui l'ex cantante dei Genesis , fondatore della Real World si cimenta nelle cover di alcuni dei maggiori successi pop e rock degli ultimi anni. Non solo colleghi altrettanto famosi ma nomi dell'indie che ormai (almeno all'estero) sono molto più che personaggi di culto. Arcade Fire , Bon Iver e Stephin Merritt aka [...]

Eau Claire, Wisconsin resident, recognizable figure of local import, musician...no, it's not Bon Iver, but close! The offering at hand today is the reassuringly country-folk single "Somewhere South of Sunday" strummed for your enjoyment by self-described "author, humorist, speaker, singer/songwriter" Michael Perry , who was, by the by, Justin Vernon's mentor (I wasn't just baiting you). Perry isn't treading new ground, but he has nicely consolidated the traditions that make for enjoyable genre music of this stripe: deep vocals, lyrics alternating lament with self-consolation, the telltale mix of strumming punctuated by twangy finger-picking. It does what country-folk [...]
The pair collaborated last weekend at a Haiti benefit in Brooklyn.
Liens et news de la semaine Chaque jeudi, une sélection de ce qu'il ne fallait pas louper ces 7 derniers jours Keith Richards arrête de boire, l'occasion de relire ça : http://bit.ly/c3ie9F Devo aux Jeux Olympiques de Vancouver http://is.gd/7b4V1 Top of the Folk, un joli festival rennais du 11 au 13 mars http://minu.me/1m4z "Live Nation + Ticketmaster : un inquiétant géant est né" http://minu.me/1m52 [...]