Cover #118: Elizabeth Setzer & La Tania cover "How To Disappear Completely" by Radiohead

 Well.  This cover is advertised as a "flamenco/balkan" version of the Kid A masterpiece, and I'll give them credit for trying.  What works?  The quiet guitar strumming in the beginning, and some of the background vocals in the second half.  What does not work?  The cacophonic castanets (or whatever flamenco percussion they are emulating), the rapid flamenco playing, and most of the vocals.  If this had been played with gentle Spanish guitar, no percussion, and softer vocals it might have been really good.  Unfortunately, it's not really good, or even good.  ✅✅

Cover 71: Aleister Einstein cover "Creep" by Radiohead

 I did not have high hopes for this one, as most of the other covers on the tribute album Anyone Can Play Radiohead:  A Tribute To Radiohead are not very good.  Some of these covers are just not very capable cover attempts, while others sound like the artist is trying to put out a sort-of remix sounding cover.  In the end, almost none of the covers on this tribute album works (I'm sure I'll get to some of the others eventually).  For me the highlight is the Aleister Einstein cover of the one Radiohead song most people know, aka the "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" of Radiohead's cover.

   This cover fits in the sort-of remix sounding cover style I mentioned above, and it works decently.  The first part of the cover spreads out the famous guitar noodle in and out of the landscape on top of the kind of electronic beat that was somewhat common in the 1990s but you rarely hear these days.  The famous distorted guitar parts around the chorus are still here, but cleaned up and sanitized.  Then, for reasons unknown, there is a bit of French dialogue in the latter third of the song.

   A great cover?  No.  But points for making a decent effort, especially considering how incredibly lame the rest of this soggy tribute album is.

✅✅✅

Cover #67: Car Seat Headrest covers "Scatterbrain" by Radiohead

   As much as I love Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac, I find myself reaching for Hail To The Thief more often.  In some ways, it pairs well with OK Computer, with a wide palette of sounds, moods, and subject matters.  Though "Scatterbrain" is not the last song on the album, it feels like the closer and even shares some sonic similarities with "The Tourist" on OK Computer.

   Why does any of this matter?  Well, to cover Radiohead well, you really have to understand that mood permeates everything-  it soaks through the lyrics and music like a tres leche dish, which can be a tiger pit for anyone who just wants to casually do a Radiohead cover.  Car Seat Headrest nails this cover, with the plaintive vocals hovering over a gentle keyboard that replaces the 3-note guitar articulation of the original.  CSH leaves out the drums and bass, which is a bold move but it works.  Radiohead can never be equaled, but in special circumstances they can be covered well.

✅✅✅✅