If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Michael Leviton Art-pop artist Katy Pinke and session guitarist Will Graefe have teamed on an upcoming album that sees them reimagining songs from artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Bobbie Gentry, and SZA. The duo just released a cover of Elliott Smith's "Everything Means Nothing to Me." The cover is just as sparse as the original, and is true to Smith's song while still being completely reworked. Both have an intense intimacy to them, with the biggest change being the original is a piano ballad that morphs into a full band track, and the cover is simply Pinke's vocals and Graefe's guitar. Plus, the new version is more folk-jazz than Smith's. You can listen to Katy Pinke and Will Graefe's version of "Everything Means Nothing to Me" below. Patterns is due out August 29 on Glamour Gowns. For more on Katy Pinke, check out the artist's website . For Will Graefe, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by JJ Gonson Heatmiser (aka Elliott Smith's pre-solo career rock band) is set to release a deluxe edition of their third album in a two LP set that includes rarities and unreleased tracks. The first song we can hear from the remastered  Mic City Sons is "Silent Treatment," and if you know and love Heatmiser, hearing a new-to-us song from the indie rock legends is a special treat. This one is a Neil Gust song, and just screams 1996 (the year it was originally released). We tend to love everything mid-90's, but this one is particularly special, for obvious reasons. It captures a band on the brink of ending, as Smith's solo career was just about to take off. Neil Gust says of the band's "new" song: “This one is about Elliot and me not talking, and him giving me the silent treatment. I didn't know what else to sing about.”  You can listen to "Silent Treatment" below. Mic City Sons - 30th Anniversary Remaster is due out July 25 on Thir...

Last year Kill Rock Stars had artists cover songs from Elliott Smith's eponymous album for its twenty fifth anniversary. This year is their thirtieth, so they're having artists cover songs from their entire thirty year history! The first one is going to grab us immediately. Any time Mary Lou Lord covers Elliott Smith, we're going to gleefully pay attention. (Just check out her version of "I Figured You Out" to see why.) But then add Mikaela Davis into the mix, and it's impossible not to check this out and love it! The duo's version of "Some Song" is a more fleshed out version of Smith's bare bones original, but any time you can blend Smith's biting words and Lord's lovely vocals, it's a win for all involved.  Mary Lou Lord says of the song: " I first heard 'Some Song' among the many early Elliott songs. I am from Salem, MA, and Halloween has always been a big deal in my hometown. I chose “Some Song” because it’s so ha...

Photo via Facebook To celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of Elliott Smith's 1995 self-titled album (and the deluxe reissue, of course, Kill Rock Stars has asked MAITA to cover Smith's "Coming Up Roses." MAITA's version is an obviously faithful cover, albeit a little more grungey than Smith's original. She absolutely nails the "... and I don't need your permission" line in a goosebumps producing way. Our favorite covers are the ones that balance staying true to the original while still adding something unique, and MAITA does that perfectly here.  You can listen to MAITA's take on "Coming Up Roses" below. Elliott Smith: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition  will be out August 28 on Kill Rock Stars. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on MAITA, check out the artist's website .

Photo via Facebook Last week we told you about Tanya Donelly's cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars" from the upcoming tribute album Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith. Now we can listen to J Mascis' version of "Waltz #2."  Given J Mascis' recent solo work, I was expecting more of a quiet, acoustic cover, maybe with some added string instruments even though "Waltz #2" is one of Smith's less quiet songs. Mascis' version is a full on rock song with plenty of his trademark plodding noise and fuzz. It might not exactly be the sound of old school Dinosaur Jr, but it's at least more like J Mascis & The Fog than Tied to a Star was. You can listen to J Mascis' cover of "Waltz #2" below. Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith will be released by American Laundromat Records on October 14 and also features covers by Juliana Hatfield, Amanda Palmer, Yuck, Lou Barlow, and more. You can find out more informatio...

Photo via Facebook As part of the upcoming Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith , American Laundromat Records is letting us check out Tanya Donelly's cover of "Between the Bars." Having Tanya Donelly (Belly, The Breeders, Throwing Muses) take on any of Elliott Smith's songs is like a dream come true to me. Her version of "Between the Bars" stays perfectly true to the original, except even though there is barely any instrumentation on her version, the original just comes across as even more heartbreakingly sparse. I'm not sure if it's something in the production, or it's just the magic of Elliott Smith. It's a beautiful tribute, perfect for fans of Tanya or Elliott, or just anyone with a soul. You can listen to Tanya Donelly's cover of "Between the Bars" below. Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith will be out on October 14 via American Laundromat Records. It will also feature covers by Amanda Palmer, J Mascis, Juliana Hatfie...

I love this newfangled trend of artists you'd never expect to work together coming together to record an album of covers. The latest truly has the potential to be the best. Seth Avett (of the Avett Brothers, of course) and Jessica Lea Mayfield have an album coming out in March of Elliott Smith covers. They've been working on this project for 3 years, recording in each other's homes and hotel rooms. Both are huge fans of Smiths', and from the snippets you can hear in the promo video below, it should be fantastic. The album will be titled Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith  and will be out on March 15 on Ramseur Records.  Tracklist: 1. Between the Bars 2. Baby Britain 3. Fond Farewell 4. Somebody That I Used to Know 5. Let’s Get Lost 6. Twilight 7. Ballad of Big Nothing 8. Angel in the snow 9. Pitseleh 10. Angeles 11. Roman Candle 12. Memory Lane

Maybe there was a time when Madonna was cool or relevant. I guess I have some respect for her early period, maybe. I mean, Sonic Youth covered her  and wrote a song about her and Sean Penn . She even handpicked The Stooges to perform her songs when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But lately, she's just been embarrassing herself with trying to stay relevant. This cover of Elliott Smith's particularly gorgeous "Between the Bars" might be the nail in her proverbial cool coffin, because, well, yikes. It's awful. It takes all the beauty and pain of the original and just bastardizes it. Sure, it's supposed to be a protest of the prison system, but it still sucks.