I've had a few half started posts lying around for the last week or so. All uncomplete as they've not yet given me the rush of excitement needed to just immediately type up a little blurb and get the track OUT THERE! Step right up please then will you Mr Thane Russal, who just drops the nuclear rock n' roll bomb! Got a bit messy in the car last night as this one surprised me on my CD player. Good times party music. Set it off! LOUD!

Feeling the chilled vibes, on this equally chilly UK Monday morning, with this Belgian choir cover of the hit track by Swedish electro-poppers : The Knife. Not amazing, not wow, not you-gotta-hear-this, though a nice enough little listen, and something that might find a position in your relaxed festive playlist for the end of the year. See how you go.

Following my previous Dakar & Grinser post with yet another cover version tonight. This time around we have a Bob Dylan cover to lay down, and an equally fantastic version it is too by Norwegian singer-songwriter Even Johansen a.k.a Magnet. I must admit that until a minute ago I thought that Magnet were a band from the north of England somewhere... Cheers Wikipedia for that one.

An Iggy Pop & The Stooges electro cover version tonight people! Those familiar with the stunning 2ManyDJ's compilation As Heard On Radio Soulwax Vol 2 should recognise this instantly. It's definitely where I came to hear, and subsequently fall in love with, this tasty cover by our German duo Dakar & Grinser. Mad to think now that the groundbreaking album was released over 6yrs ago now... Time flying and all that. Anyway enjoy!

Definitely one of THE highlight tracks of my day out and about the beautiful English countryside yesterday was this superb cover of the much much much loved original by the brilliant Kate Bush. It pretty much capped off a day of new music for me as I was suprisingly put in my place by the altogether more eclectic and varied musical stylings of my lady for the day : Ms Ko.

Quite a treat on offer tonight. Well that's my opinion at least. Much thanks and appreciation to the Balanescu Quartet for producing this strings only cover of "The Model," by TSID superheroes Kraftwerk! Consisting of 3 violins and a cello I think... Anyway I dont care much for the words I do type to accompany my posts, though this is one of those times when I do wish that I had some form of learned journalistic touch in accurately describing this masterpiece to the full. Sorry!

I first came into this record via Optimo's own JD Twitch "Betty Botox Presents...," edit, entitled "Back to the Piano Magic." It is that same edit that I prefer most out of all the multiple versions born from the Lamont Dozier original, but for today it's over to this recording from Richie Haven, which itself dates back to the year of my birth : 1980!

By my count there's over 30 cover versions of this Mama's & Papa's original, and while I've actually only ever heard todays post subject and the original, I'm pretty sure in my assumptions that this must be one of the finest. There really is something special about these old soul legends, and looking around today, I personally dont see any modern equivalents picking up from where these guys left off.

Yet another of my favourite ever tracks. One of many songs labelled with my all to familiar "my best ever / top 5 ever / most loved ever etc etc...." track descriptions. I do mean it though. Perhaps top 5 could actually mean anything in your top 100, depending on the thinking at the time. Whatever. I remember this song passing me by when I used to hear it on the radio back in the day.

The original Clash tune "The Guns of Brixton," is one of my fav Clash records, and it's more often than not that when you get to hear a cover of a track that you really like, the results that follow are often found to be fairly shit. Not in this case however. With Diplo at the controls you're pretty much guaranteed a winner, and this pairing between Brooklyn babe Santogold and the mixmaster comes together really well.

Well with X Factor winner Alexandra Burke doing a "just in time for Xmas," cover of this Leonard Cohen classic, and Absolute Radio trying to cause an upset by getting listeners to go out and buy the Jeff Buckley cover (which I support by the way - LINK), I felt that it was as good a time as any to add my little contribution to the Hallelujah mix! This is actually the first version I'd ever heard of the song, and I've since found it to be quite a special addition to the music library.

First off, excuse the pro-smoking photo double bill that I've got going on here between this post, and that of the one previous. Didn't plan it that way! What news from The Maccabees then? Not much as far as I can tell, which is unfortunate as I consider myself to be quiet a fan. I caught them last at the the iTunes festival at the ICA, over a year ago, and it capped a total of around 5 shows seen by me, of this band live, in little over a year. And truth be told I'm ready for some more!