Under the Radar is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a double-disc compilation titled Covers of Covers, which features some of their favorite artists covering songs from musicians that have appeared on the cover of the magazine. Along with the announcement, they’ve previewed the album with Grandaddy’s take on Metric’s ‘Blindness’ and EMA’s rendition of Modest Mouse’s ‘Trailer Trash’. Take a listen and find the LP’s full tracklist below.
“Apparently my band Grandaddy was on the cover of issue #1 of Under the Radar and continued to have a cozy relationship with the mag, so it seemed a no brainer to be involved with the Covers of Covers project,” Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle said in a statement. “I’m a big Metric fan. One time I drove from Bozeman to Salt Lake City (a 9hr. drive) to see them play live. I don’t even like going to shows. That says a lot. I chose ‘Blindness as it has been one of my favourite songs of theirs since I first heard it in 2009. I recorded and mixed it all in my garage, and enjoyed treading that line of trying to emulate some of the original sounds and ‘feels’ but also making it mine for a bit, and having a little fun.”
Elaborating on her cover, EMA – the moniker of Erika M. Anderson – explained: “This song reminds me of a person I used to be in love with. We were teenage robo-buddies. We drove around on gravel roads, pulling over at abandoned barns and country cemeteries. We weren’t physical, except once when I started crying, gave them a kiss and then ran out of the car. Very dramatic. People used to say we were going to end up married and living like the ‘trailer trash’ couple in this song. It didn’t happen.”
One dollar from every purchase of Covers of Covers will be donated to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a non-profit organization that “provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.”
Covers of Covers Tracklist:
1. Grandaddy – ‘Blindness’ (Metric Cover)
2. Piroshka – ‘The Crystal Lake’ (Grandaddy Cover)
3. Peter Bjorn and John – ‘Songs of Love’ (The Divine Comedy Cover)
4. Cults – ‘Bourgeois’ (Phoenix Cover)
5. Nation of Language – ‘Stars and Sons’ (Broken Social Scene Cover)
6. Kevin Drew – ‘The Loose Ends Will Make Knots’ (Stars Cover)
7. Hatchie – ‘FUBT (HAIM Cover)
8. Sondre Lerche – ‘Townie’ (Mitski Cover)
9. C Duncan – ‘Acrobat’ (Angel Olsen Cover)
10. Cassandra Jenkins – ‘It’s You’ (Animal Collective Cover)
11. NZCA LINES – ‘Debra (Beck Cover)
12. Oceanator – ‘The Biggest Lie’ (Elliot Smith Cover)
13. Black Belt Eagle Scout – ‘Calculation Theme’ (Metric Cover)
14. Strand of Oaks – ‘’81’ (Joanna Newsom Cover)
15. Ora the Molecule – ‘The Fox in the Snow’ (Belle and Sebastian Cover)
16. Girl Ray – ‘Another Try’ (HAIM Cover)
17. James Yorkston – ‘Smoke Signals’ (Phoebe Bridgers Cover)
18. EMA – ‘Trailer Trash’ (Modest Mouse Cover)
19. Alex Lahey – ‘New York’ (St. Vincent Cover)
20. Water From Your Eyes – ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ (R.E.M. Cover)
