Inspired by this thread, I’ve decided to start a general thread for “A.V. Undercover”, which I belatedly discovered not too long ago and have been watching a lot of.
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, A.V. Undercover is a YouTube video series that has run for eight “seasons”. The premise is simple. The A.V. Club compiles a list of 25 songs and invites 25 bands to it’s small, in-house studio to cover one of the songs on the list. It’s first-come, first-pick, and as each song is covered, it’s crossed off the list.
The series has introduced me to a lot of bands I’d never heard of (and some I had no idea were still around, like Wang Chung and Fastway), and the format of the series often forces bands outside their comfort zone to cover songs on the list.
I’m list and post links to some of my favorite covers from the show. Unfortunately, The A.V. Club has recently removed a lot of the older series from YouTube.
Gogol Bordello fuses gypsy music with punk, with a frontman who is an-over-the-top, almost Borat-like character. Here’s their cover of “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, which has a lot more passion than the original.
And here’s self-described “jazz-jazz” Canadian slacker rocker Mac DeMarco covering “Undone (The Sweater Song)” by Weezer. There’s a lot more talent here than Mac and his band would like you to think. It’s worth watching just for Mac’s gibberish version of the party dialogue.
Gwar’s covers of “Carry On, Wayword Son,” “She-Bop,” and “Get Outta My Dreams” are all fantastic. Promise Ring’s version of “Rumour Has It” by Adele is great, and They Might Be Giants rock Chumbawumba and Destiny’s Child.
The Polyphonic Spree is much an experience as a band. Their studio recordings don’t do much for me, but their live stuff is infectious. Here’s their over-the-top, hallelujah chorus version of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” with fifteen or so band members crammed into the studio.
I thought this one was lost when A.V Club deleted all the older seasons, but I found someone had saved it. Here is Punch Brothers’ cover of “Reptilia” by the Strokes. Punch Brothers is one of uber-mandolinist Chris Thile’s many side projects.