2020 was a really bad year full of really great cover songs. Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe the tumultuous times led artists to lean on their favourite, comforting music but there was a substantial influx in cover releases and as 2021 digs its heels in, covers continue to roll out as we look ahead to Mo Kenney’s Covers album due out later this month. Before we get too deep into this year, we look back at some of our favourite recently released cover songs. Honourable mentions go to Dan Mangan’s covers album Thief, Dizzy’s Basement Covers EP, and Dana Gavanski’s Wind Songs EP. 

Charlotte Cornfield, “You Can Have It All” (Original song by George McCrae [1974])
My first introduction to “You Can Have It All” came by way of Yo La Tengo’s masterful version on 2000’s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out but since then, I’ve also fallen for the original swinging disco version by George McCrae. Charlotte Cornfield’s cover from her In My Corner EP manages to bridge the best of both versions, combining the original’s swagger with Yo La Tengo’s quirkiness. Thanks to Cornfield, you really can have it all in this superb cover. • Jim Di Gioia

Fiver & The Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition, “Why Do I Have To Choose” (Original song by Willie Nelson [1983])
In this cut from Fiver & The Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition’s You Wanted Country? Vol. 1, Simone Schmidt, Nick Dourado, Jeremy Costello, and Bianca Palmer dip into Willie Nelson’s extensive (and beautiful) songbook and put a shuffling spin on “Why Do I Have To Choose.” The wailing guitar throughout in lieu of the saxophone on Nelson’s original is a wonderful, forlorn, touch. • Laura Stanley

Kaia Kater, “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl” (Original song by Broken Social Scene [2003]) 
I remember downloading Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl” from Limewire at some point during the year that I turned seventeen and, obviously, I became obsessed with it. Kaia Kater’s version is filled with rich layers of vocals, banjo, electronic drum beats, and more. It’s a mesmerizing take on the track and it hits the nostalgic soft spot you may have for the original. • LS

Leif Vollebekk, “29 #Stratford APTS” (Original song by Bon Iver [2016])
This cover by Montreal artist Leif Vollebekk was seemingly composed to capture Bon Iver’s signature choir-style vocal layering. And yet, it comes hand-wrapped with a vintage Vollebekk poignancy, embodying his own nostalgic synthesis. Hats off to Vollebekk for a mesmerizing tribute. • Taylor Odishaw-Dyck

Luka Kuplowsky (feat. Felicity Williams), “Anew Day” (Original song by Mary Margaret O'Hara [1988])
I first heard Luka Kuplowsky perform Mary Margaret O’Hara’s “Anew Day” sometime in 2019 during one of the lowest periods in my life. When Kuplowsky softly sang, “walk in brightness cause it's anew day,” I felt my heart lighten a little. After the show, I listened to O’Hara’s original song on repeat for about a month straight. Kuplowsky’s rendition of “Anew Day” — which appears on his covers EP, Judee Justin Arthur Mary — has the same jauntiness as the original, albeit with slightly stripped-down instrumentation, and features the blissful voice of Felicity Williams which feels like a ray of sunshine. • LS
 

THIS MONTH'S mini REVIEWS
 

BLOOM, Stands on Sapphires (Vancouver BC)
It's very rare for me to find a sense of calm and security while listening to an alternative metal/hard rock outfit. Alas, Stands on Sapphires' debut LP BLOOM has my attention. Perhaps it's the chorus of swooning strings intricately working their way into the mix that makes my ears wiggle, coupled with guitarist Trevor Isaac's catalogue of crispy tones. Their cover of Muse's “Supermassive Black Hole” isn't too shabby either. • Michael Beda

Dream Cars, Myth of the Cat (Vancouver BC)
“Time is a steady stream if you sit down and think about it,” are the first words heard on the aptly named “Pissing in a Funeral Home,” the opening track of Dream Cars' Myth of the Cat. The sudden jolt of attention that oft comes when listening to the East Vancouver trio’s second LP flickers and burns quickly through fourteen tracks in thirty-nine minutes. Is the half-satirical/half-introspective accompaniment to their new-wave dream-pop flavour something totally unique? Not necessarily. Do they seem to care? Not at all. Let the good vibes flow! • MB

Property, “In Gloom” (St. John's NL)
Anyone else feeling ready to crawl out of their skin and up the walls? That's the way St. John's NL's Property sounds to me: a band itching to break out of some undefined box on the spiky and soothing “In Gloom.” The anxiousness about fending off boredom while being house-bound is familiar to many, but how we choose to fight the feelings are unique. Whether you sulk in the despondency or soak in the optimism and embrace your best life (and if you are one of those people: go to hell), “In Gloom” makes your days a little more tolerable. • JD

Keiran Smyth, besides (Toronto ON)
The short songs of Kieran Smyth's latest release besides — the second instalment of his ongoing “side” series — sound like they were written on paper ripped from a coiled notebook. And they probably were. About besides, Smyth writes: “I wrote most of these songs to myself, for myself - but you can have them too.” The six melodious acoustic tracks are raw, intimate, and filled with personal reminders like “keep y'r chin up boy” and “set a new route so that we can begin” and “don’t forget you need some watering too.” But these reminders aren't just for Smyth — we can all benefit from them too. • LS

Tampa, Baby (Sault Ste. Marie ON)
Christopher West claims that Baby, his debut EP under the Tampa moniker contains compositions that he hid under the vest for over eight years before gifting them to the world. The flavours of the music scenes in both Ottawa and his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie are further intertwined with tasty ingredients that made each popular alternative/dream-pop band in the 90s successful. The desire to seize something that’s out there makes me long for the cold winters I grew up knowing in Timmins. A promising debut! • MB

Thirty Cent Fare, Time To Waste Away EP (Toronto ON)
Thirty Cent Fare's (Scott Downes) Time To Waste Away has a delightful energy about it. Across the five fuzzy, emo/pop-rock songs, Downes swings through big hooks and is curious to see what the next day brings, even if the day before wasn't so great. When the EP's pace slows down — as it does on “Falling Around Me” or “This or Something Better,” the latter made me want to revisit Attack in Black's The Curve of the Earth — Time To Waste Away still makes you want to make the most out of each day. If Sinai Vessel's Ground Aswim had a spot on your list of favourite records from 2020, you'll love this EP. • LS

Wallgrin, “Slice In The Mouth” (Vancouver BC)
There's a line in the first verse of “Slice in the Mouth” that sort of sums up all of the last year for me (and probably some of you as well): “Give me a break, / at least I wake up every day!” The song is the first single from the forthcoming Yet Again the Wheels Turn, the sophomore album from Vancouver's Wallgrin. They say the album is about surrendering to nature and inevitable cycles. That's the way I feel every time I listen to “Slice in the Mouth”: I feel myself surrendering to its soft-pop charms and soothing melodies, momentarily accepting that sometimes, just being alive is victory enough. • JD

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