Podcasts | Fantasy Podcasts

Fantasy Covers: Contest 2011

By The Staff | 18 March 2011

Four months ago, almost to the day, we announced that in lieu of doing another year-end Fantasy Covers Podcast as we had the three years previous, we’d instead turn it into a contest. Of sorts.

We had done something similar in early 2010 as part of our most recent Fantasy Podcast, when readers sent in submissions that would be used alongside bands we’d solicited. (We started out wondering if we’d get anything usable, only to end up with a seven-way tie for winner.) This time around, though, the podcast would be contest submissions only—potentially either a great way to help our readers show off, or, also likely, a horrorshow we’d drunkenly regret. We love you guys and all, but we still have nightmares about that slogan contest in 2005.

Anyway, the first step was asking for a theme—something that would inspire would-be cover-ers to dust off their four-tracks, and, ultimately, make for an interesting album-length compilation. Ethan Reis promptly wrote in with the winning concept:

For the contest, readers will submit covers of songs, but instead of just making them acoustic versions or sticking close to their original sound, the covers will “re-contextualize” the music with a sound that doesn’t seem to match the original or a common cover version (like something acoustic). That may not make a lot of sense, but maybe what I just want is for the submissions to get creative as possible. So like, we could get “I Walked,” jammed out on the accordion, or a psychedelic, reverb-soaked “Five Little Rooms,” or “Angela Surf City” re-imagined as barbershop a cappella, a la TV On the Radio doing “Mr. Grieves.” So, “Get Extremely Creative and Do Some Re-Contextualizing.”

And from there we waited for you, our loyal readers, to do just that. The response was phenomenal. In the face of a looming famine (all but a few submissions were received in the 48 hours before the deadline, meaning for almost four months we weren’t sure this would even go ahead), what you’ll hear below is the best of the feast we received: 50-odd minutes that flow as if each cover was recorded with the knowledge of what would eventually surround it, eerily holding together as a tight, varied whole. So…yeah, consider our expectations obliterated. Fucking crushed. This thing’s fantastic.

Sincere thanks to all who took the time and effort to record covers this good, and then, just as importantly, email them to us. And also to Ethan Reis, who helped to make this podcast what it is by suggesting a great, open-ended theme.

Until our next Fantasy Podcast later this year (spoiler: hope you like the ’80s!), enjoy:

Download mp3 (192kbps) / (320kbps)

Download cover jpeg

[54:47]

1. Bambara: “Modern Love”

2. Dokkemand f/ Lars Wiik: “Deadlock”

3. Sewing Machines: “Angel Treads”

4. Decomposure: “California Gurls”

5. High Cold Star: “Eraser”

6. Phil Nelson: “Zombeyonce”

7. Aid Fantasm: “I Can Change”

8. Baja: “Vitamin C”

9. Loaded People: “Penelope Tree”

10. Erik Haugen: “Asleep & Dreaming”

11. Dust Office: “Never Never / Slip Slidin’ Away”

12. Sewing Machines: “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”

13. Gnomeshaft: “Stars”