Cover Me

I've written a lot about Neutral Milk Hotel since the inception of this blog (most recently about the rare live appearance of Jeff Mangum in New York), simply because I've always thought they are one of the best rock bands that no one has ever heard (and should). While it's still true that the average non-music-obsessive, who doesn't have me as a friend or family member probably doesn't know much about the band, they have gained a huge following among musicians and wannabe musicians. Just as an experiment I searched You Tube for "Neutral Milk Hotel Covers" and came up with 1,030 results. What came up ranged from very famous bands to teenagers in basements just barely able to play an instrument, trying to pull off the 8 minute epic, "Oh Comely."

Here are some of the best, worst and one that, well, you can judge for yourself.

The Worst

Surfer Blood - "Two-Headed Boy"

Want to see a great song die a horrible death? That is what happens when these flavor-of-the-month indie surf-pop boys try and play this furious, emotional song. My guess (hope) is that a lot of alcohol was involved here.

Eisley- "Aeroplane Over The Sea"

Wow, Eisley, way to take a haunting song about unobtainable love torn apart by war and make it sound like a Christain summer camp sing-along - which actually sounds kind of cool on paper, but not so much in reality.

The Best

Frightened Rabbit - "Song Against Sex"

Simple, heartfelt and on a park bench in Scotland. Perfect.

Jesse Lacey (of Brand New) - "Oh Comely"

By all rights this should be embarrassing and terrible. Brand New? Really? But somehow Jessee Lacey, the lead singer of this otherwise horrible band, pulls off the unthinkable.

And then there's this...