A quartet of awesome covers

Washed Out - "Wicked Games" (Chris Isaak)

Washed Out

Chris Isaak

I hate to keep making the same pun on this artist's name, but this really is a washed-out-sounding version of the Chris Isaak classic. While the original had crooning almost worthy of Elvis Presley, Washed Out's cover presents a more airy, ethereal sound more in keeping with his style of music.

Feist - "Femme Fatale" (The Velvet Undergound)

Feist

The Velvet Underground

This is a fairly faithful cover, Feist even has a similar quality to her voice as Nico. Feist's is a bit fuller-sounding and faster. By the way, Feist will be releasing a new album soon, October 4, so be sure to check that out!

Lykke Li - "Velvet" (The Big Pink)

Lykke Li

The Big Pink

Li's cover is a sparse, simplified version of the initially synth-heavy song. Both are pretty awesome, but I love the sense of longing that Li's voice introduces to the song.The cover version is off of a recently-released iTunes Session.

Bat for Lashes - "Strangelove" (Depeche Mode)

Bat for Lashes

Depeche Mode

Almost as synth-heavy as the original, but Bat for Lashes slows things down a lot. Maybe it's just me, but I feel as though a lot of new wave/synth pop covers end up sounding more apropos than the originals. Often, they're slowed-down and darker sounding, which fits the lyrics of many of the songs better than the faster originals (see: Gary Jules cover of "Mad World"). Anyways, this cover was recorded for a Gucci cologne commercial which ran in France and I have never seen, but will look for.