With a plethora of samples, sound bites, and painful pop-punk covers swarming the air and web waves, finding a decent cover song can require intervention by a veteran P.I. Fortunately, A.V. Club has done the sleuthing for you, collecting 25 bands to cover 25 well-known songs in one small, circular room for A.V. “Undercover.”
This week, folk rock duo Wye Oak — with a little help from Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg — take a stab at The Kinks’ “Strangers.” Removed from the oft campy context of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, Wasner, Stack, and Meiburg rework the track into an emotional indie rock ballad that, I dare say, better captures Dave Davies’ original lyrical intentions. The guitar solo is pretty sweet too.
