Once Upon A Time there existed a level of camaraderie between label mates. Bands on the same roster not only talked to one another, they would tour and collaborate. In honor of Tapes 'n Tapes' recent signing to the UK-based XL Records, frontman Josh Grier shares his picks of covers he'd perform with seven prominent label mates.
Basement Jaxx: "What's Going On," Marvin Gaye. "Their melodies are really good, but they tend to pump things up a bit. Maybe if they got their hands on my vocals, they might be able to run it through enough crap, that it might do the song some justice. Otherwise, it would just be horrendous."
Devendra Banhardt: "Enter Sandman," Metallica. "Think if you had him singing beautifully, and us playing the background music, which wouldn't be droney metal like Metallica, but pretty rough around the edges and creepy."
Dizzee Rascal: "Stroke," Billy Squier. "I don't think this would be too far off, since he uses the Billy Squier sample on 'Fix Up, Look Sharp.' We would do, 'Softly stroke it,' and he would do, 'Stroke! Stroke!' and he would be just singing and shit, and he would play in the background."
MIA: "Hey," Pixies. "It's so barren, but it would be really beefed up-you know what else we could do that would be totally different is "Welcome to the Jungle." It would be her singing, and us playing instruments with some extra beats, because her beats are just ridiculously good."
Prodigy: "Darling Nicki," Prince. "A little bit of a Minneapolis connection. They have the song 'Smack My Bitch Up,' and this seems like the complete opposite. It's a woman who totally dominates a dude, and the dude is Prince, so that's pretty crazy right there."
Peaches: "Myxomatosis," Radiohead. "The beat is so crazy, and that vocal track is so crazy and intense. I think she'd do a cool version of it."
White Stripes: "99 Problems," Jay-Z. "It would be a good mash up, because it's such a killer beat. Jack and I are having a duet. We'll sing three-part harmony, and have Eric, our bass player, do the third part. We'll have two drummers. It's such a big beat you need two drummers."
June 6. Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery and Chrystie Sts.), 212-533-2111; 7:30, $14.