How To Disappear Completely: Radiohead Covers

That there, that’s not me
I go where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I’m not here
This isn’t happening

Ane Brun – How To Disappear Completely

I’ve been listening to a lot of covers recently via the excellent Cover Me Songs site, mostly Fleetwood Mac (surprise!), Depeche Mode and Radiohead.

Something about Radiohead lends their music to radical reinterpretation, or indeed in their more radical way-out tracks, traditional interpretation brings the song that is hidden under noise and electronic bleeps. I’ve played a few of these before – the Sia version of Paranoid Android in particular, but they are good bunch of covers, blues for a summer’s evening. (Although be thankful I faded out the Darkness’s horrible cover of Street Spirit. JUST WHY?). I had to immediately watch THAT clip of Prince doing Creep to recover. Y so low res tho?

Like Ane Brun (no stranger to Radio Clash) and her haunting take on ‘How To Disappear Completely’.

As well as Sia’s take, I also like Danish band Slaraffenland’s strange echoing brass take on Paranoid Android, both original tracks I regularly come back to.

Ambition makes you look pretty ugly
Kicking, squealing, Gucci little piggy

Paranoid Android

Talking of echoing horns, there’s always time for Radiodread. again featured on the podcast before, but always bears repeating. RIP Toots.

Bluegrass Radiohead anyone? Almost happy, but not (the blue in bluegrass is there for a reason).

Everything In It’s Right Place should be on this list and the insane SONOS cover is, well everything. I’d forgotten about this cover.

Lotte Kestner like Ane Brun is no stranger to the podcast either, and similarly specialises in haunting covers that blow you away. I’m not so aware of this Radiohead track, but the cover is moving.

But I think the prize is taken by Michael Kiwanuka, of all people with his amazing yet faithful cover of No Surprises….I think it’s as much the shock that he can do acoustic as much as the heavy electric soul he’s more famous for. But there is a bit of soul that stays in the cover, though – in his voice.

A heart that’s full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won’t heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don’t, they don’t speak for us….

Such a pretty house
And such a pretty garden
No alarms and no surprises
(Get me out of here)

No Surprises

Also in a similar surprising vein, who knew that Gnarls Barkley covered Reckoner of all songs?

Black Star is one of those songs that gets forgotten, but it’s an amazing song, Gillian Welch (again no stranger to the podcast) shows that is a brilliant explanation of depression affecting in a relationship (can confirm) with again, a country bluegrass style.

P.S. – bonus, a really obscure song but love this psych cover of ‘Cuttooth’