Damien Jurado and Richard Swift cover Kraftwerk, Chubby Checker and more on “Other People’s Songs” Vol. 1

Two weekends ago, Damien Jurado and Richard Swift got a 4 track recorder and a Coles 4038 ribbon microphone and decided to record nine of the best cover songs you’ll hear in a while.

The feel of the recording is so warm and every song sounds effortless. My personal favorite is their rendition of “If The Sun Stops Shinin’” by Chubby Checker (of “The Twist” fame).

You can stream and download (just click on tracklist) Other People’s Songs, Vol. 1 HERE.

Damien US tour dates, after the jump! And don’t forget, he and Swift will be touring the UK together. If they perform one of these covers… it would be just dynamite.

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We know you want to riiiide out: jj’s “CEO Birthday”

Every year I “celebrate” my birthday at SXSW.  By “celebrate” I mean wear earplugs, get older, eat tacos and yell “WHAT?” so many times that I lose my voice.  It’s awesome, you should go. This year was particularly special because I met and had hangs with the very mysterious Swedish duo jj.  They are funny and cool and think America looks just like it does in the movies.  We drove around Austin in a rental car listening to Akon, as you might expect.

On my birthday, I joked that I had “Birthday Sex” in my head, to which Elin Kastlander (pictured above) exclaimed, “We have a cover of that!” Joakim Benon put his coveted Dr. Dre headphones on my head (a Christmas gift from his girlfriend), and I was treated to a birthday serenade.  Their version is sexier, gentle, and piano-backed.

Today that song I was treated to is available for download.  Happy Birthday.

Download jj’s “CEO Birthday”

FRIDA HYVÖNEN’S Judee Sill cover featured in Stereogum’s ‘Gum Drop

FRIDA HYVÖNEN’s gorgeous take on Judee Sill’s “Jesus Was A Crossmaker” debuted in The ‘Gum Drop this week and is available for download HERE. In the interview Hyvönen also talks about her relationship with Sill’s music, the song she opted to cover, and what it all means to her. The track is part of Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill out 9/22 via American Dust.