Indie acts doing covers of pop/rap/RnB songs: Classic or Dud?

I actually think this is a core point. The whole 'snarf, ha ha, look at us' attitude is indeed crap, but essentially there's a weird no win scenario posited in all this:

INDIE PERSON: "I like this, that and the other popwise."
OTHER PERSON: "You're only doing that to follow trends/seem hip/to make fun of it."
INDIE PERSON: "No I'm not! Jeez! Here." *plays version of song*
OTHER PERSON: "That was shit and why did you bother?"
INDIE PERSON: "Fine, fuck you."

But you could expand this out if you like. Personally I think it's illustrative not of the power of songs or performers or whatever but ARRANGEMENTS. Which may seem strange, but consider -- I think there's a lot of (justifiable) fear and loathing over the idea of reducing a song down to a guitar jangle, ripping out whatever it is sonically that really captivates. Lingering fears of rockism, if you like, the whole 'argh, it's only validated because you can do a folk singalong to it? that attitude is crap!' And who can blame people for feeling that way?

Britney is cynical and transient AND hooky and thrilling.

See, it's funny you say that because I'm still amazed so many people have covered "Baby One More Time" when I think it's incredibly unmemorable and dull. "Oops I Did It Again" is the song that works, and as Kate St. Claire said once, it's all because of the bassline. And interestingly Fuck have in fact covered it.

As for Tha Irony: Beck is a big, big fan of contemporary R&B, I'd say it's pretty silly to just assume his "Cry Me A River" is ironic, especially considering he's been in such a boringly earnest mode lately, *and* "Cry Me A River" fits in with the songs on Sea Change thematically. Flaming Lips and Fran Healy of Travis have both been very public about their genuine admiration of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" and "Baby One More Time". So that's that settled then (unless they have IRONY GUILT!)

Apart from that I can't comment because I've never heard any of these versions, except Travis' Britney cover which I remember quite liking at the time (mainly because I've never liked Britney's voice much.)

Yeah, I was about to say that whole assertion seemed strange. Too bad the song itself bites, but that's another matter. ;-)

POPISTS!

There should be something just interesting about the practice -- cross-genre covers are usually great, an old thing stylized in a new way -- but it seems as if there are just too many tensions and conflicts running between indie mores and pop mores for the acts to be able to do it without stepping, intentionally or not, right on some sort of mine. Unfortunately dud. The acts need to get it out of their systems in their teenage pop-punk band days, if at all possible. And if they're going to try it after that, I for one would like to see them really try it, awful and embarrassing as that would be in most cases.

Is Tico Tico who I think it is?

Nabisco - yes, almost certainly! There's a sensible reason for the identity-switch though.

In the insistent-on-pigeonholing media-driven musical world in which we live. I could have used the loathesome word "alternative" instead so count yourself lucky.

Apparently, Beck compared the opening hook to "Cry Me A River" to operatic horror, Phantom Of The Opera-style music. I take this as pisstaking.

Not gonna read this whole thread (look -- indie people are allowed to use songs by black artists just like the stones and zep and dylan amd elvis did; they don't have to be "respectful", they just have to not suck, which not-sucking is of course rare -- "irony" is nothing at all new, and nothing that indie-rockers invented, and nothing bad in and of itself, and nothing black artists for crissakes don't partake in across and amidst the racial spectrum as well). And I noticed that somebody mentioned "Hollywood Swinging" by the Big Boys. But I just wanted to throw Robert Wyatt's version of Chic's "At Last I Am Free" and James Chance's version of "Don't STop Till You GEt Enough," both of which predated either Age of Chance OR the Big Boys, in there. Ok.

I REALLY seriously doubt Beck's cover of Justin is mean spirited at all. Of any "alternative" act I've seen interviewed, he seems to be the one that generally likes mainstream acts the most.

I'd enjoy hearing his too, because the problem with Justin has always been him shoving his dire voice over great beats.

Grace Jones did a pretty good version of She's Lost Control.

On an earlier edition of Re:Covered, Liberty X covered High And Dry. They were all sat on stools and were all "Oooh, we're well cred, us - IN YOUR FACE MYLEENE - man, we so skill." It was a bit irritating.