The Needle Drop

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Q-Tip - "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" ft. Demi Lovato (Elton John Cover)

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As a part of the upcoming Elton John tribute album, Revamp, Q-Tip and Demi Lovato have released a cover of John’s 1976 duet with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” Revamp will feature various pop and rock stars reimagining the music of Elton John, while the concurrently released Restoration will find country singers offering their interpretations. Chris Stapleton’s cover of “I Want Love” coincided with this new version of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

The Q-Tip and Demi Lovato cover is significantly funkier than the original and replaces the straightforward rock beat with a hip hop flair. The song was released with a music video that complements the cover’s moodier tone.

Q-Tip has described his reinterpretation of the song as returning a favor for Elton John’s appearance on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Solid Wall of Sound,” which appears on We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service.

Revamp and Restoration will be released on April 6 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s creative partnership.

-Owen Murray
 

Todd Terje - "Maskindans" (Det Gylne Triangel Cover)

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Todd Terje teases toward his beautifully-titled sophomore album Numero Twomero with a lengthy cover of "Maskindans," an obscure piece of '80s minimal synth from fellow Norwegian dance music duo Det Gylne Triangel. Naturally, this new version is a lot brighter and dancier, but it also features new vocal contributions from the original artists themselves. So, credit to Todd for modernizing this hidden gem and introducing it to a wider audience.

Father John Misty - "Who Loves the Sun" (VU Cover)

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Fava Bean Pepsi has contributed to Mondo Boy's soundtrack for the film Shangri-La Suite with a cover of "Who Loves the Sun," the opener of The Velvet Underground's final (shut up) album Loaded. His rendition is spot-on and turns up at the 2:59 mark of the above stream. If you dig the vibe of the track, I guess you can just keep listening to the rest of the tape - Foxygen's Jonathan Rado covers Loaded cut "I Found a Reason" at about 22:22 too.

Buke and Gase - "Dress" (PJ Harvey Cover)

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Perhaps the most interesting installment in the Our First 100 Days compilation so far is Buke and Gase's interpretation of PJ Harvey's very first single "Dress." The structure and spirit of the Dry cut is at the heart of the cover, though Arone and Aron's custom instruments imbue a heavy crunch and industrial quality into the riffing.