Forever in debt to your priceless advice

December 29, 2015 7:53 PM

Please enjoy a cover of Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box by Icelandic phenom Ásgeir. Then try a deep house remix of Ásgeir's cover by Romanian producer Kataa, and another one by Danish producer Notize. Heck, throw in a deep house remix of the Nirvana original by Argentine producer Ubbah.
posted by Rhomboid (18 comments total)

Every time I read the term (Nth) Amended Complaint in a legal proceeding, I think of this song.
posted by Juffo-Wup at 9:28 PM on December 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

These are beautiful.

If you ever wondered what the box was: spoiler
posted by Sebmojo at 10:46 PM on December 29, 2015

One more reminder of how the '90s are somebody's '60s.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 1:09 AM on December 30, 2015 [5 favorites]

Hey!!!, Wait!!!
I've got a new complaint
It's just painful to hear someone step on Cobain. That's my new complaint.

Cobain was the coolest motherfucker alive, nobody could wail like Cobain, I don't guess anybody ever will, and Grohl going completely berserk behind... That band is responsible for a considerable amount of my deafness -- how can you listen to Nirvana and not have it turned up to 11? Why would you want to?
posted by dancestoblue at 2:49 AM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Damn, this is weird timing; I was in a cab in Bucharest on the way in from the airport, hearing this on the radio just below the level of being able to pick out the lyrics and thinking "wait, what on earth is this techno cover of Nirvana?"

Thanks for this.
posted by ChrisR at 3:24 AM on December 30, 2015

I'll be honest: anybody but Nirvana playing Nirvana songs usually leaves me cold. They're not "great songs," they're great performances by the right band at the right time. To me, this sort of stuff just exposes the songwriting without really adding anything of interest. I guess I just don't need a tender piano ballad rendition of this song.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:21 AM on December 30, 2015 [5 favorites]

I think a deep house version of an ethereal voiced singer covering (NSFW!) MV might be interesting.
posted by Candleman at 5:08 AM on December 30, 2015

Nice, but doesn't beat Patti Smith improvising prophesy over the bridge on a banjo arrangement.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 5:40 AM on December 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

To me, this sort of stuff just exposes the songwriting without really adding anything of interest.

Sometimes, that's enough for a cover. It's nice to be able to understand lyrics without referring to liner notes or the Internet. Mark Kozelek's covers of Modest Mouse, while interesting in their own right as stripped down/restructured folk songs, exposed Isaac Brock as a quite amazing lyricist in a way the originals never really did.
posted by echocollate at 6:15 AM on December 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Another excellent cover of Heart-Shaped Box previously on the blue.
posted by notpace at 6:24 AM on December 30, 2015

I can count the number of good covers of a Nirvana song I've heard on a clumsy shop teacher's right hand: Polyphonic Spree's "Lithium," Goat Punishment (aka Weezer)'s cover of "Aneurysm," and a Matthew Sweet (smirking) cover of another (Breed?) that I can't find on YouTube.

Basically, I've seen it all and I was here first, now get off my lawn.
posted by entropicamericana at 7:50 AM on December 30, 2015 [3 favorites]

Goat Punishment (aka Weezer)'s cover of "Aneurysm"

Huh, they really ripped through that. As a Weezer fan, I think I'm most surprised that Pat does a pretty convincing Dave.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:11 AM on December 30, 2015

Well, as long as we're here, behold Chris Montague from the jazz trio Troyka doing a pretty atmospheric and ethereal version by himself.
posted by eclectist at 8:55 AM on December 30, 2015

The best Nirvana covers are by Nirvana themselves, Unplugged. It is known.
posted by Nelson at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2015 [5 favorites]

It's just painful to hear someone step on Cobain. That's my new complaint.

I don't mind Sinead O'Connor's mournful take on All Apologies, but otherwise, these slowed down, weepy reimaginings of Nirvana records leave me cold. Or more to the point, driven to despair.

The best Nirvana covers are by Nirvana themselves, Unplugged yt . It is known.

Even when Nirvana themselves did it on that acoustic album. This stuff needs to f***ing erupt, or else why bother?
posted by philip-random at 9:43 AM on December 30, 2015

Heh. I still like Tori's cover.
posted by speicus at 1:13 PM on December 30, 2015

Yep, I think Nelson's nailed it. I tried a couple and then listened to all of Unplugged.

I needed that.
posted by mgrrl at 1:28 PM on December 30, 2015

It's not like HSB wasn't already a Radio Friendly Unit Shifter.
posted by klangklangston at 2:09 PM on December 31, 2015