Futureheads Put on Their Red Shoes

The new issue of Q is out and it’s "The ’80s Issue" with a picture of True Blue era Madge on the cover. Also on the cover — stuck to it with that rubber booger stuff — is a CD featuring 15 ’80s songs covered by today’s artists, exclusively for Q. This is why I bought it because this once great magazine is now fairly lame. So is this ’80s covers CD. I haven’t heard of half the new bands on it — Orson? Neal Casal? Clayhill? — and most of them perform fairly rote versions of the songs. You know it’s a bad sign when Placebo are one of the best things on it with their restrained (!) take on Kate Bush‘s "Running Up That Hill."

Speaking of, The Futureheads, whose cover of Bush’s "Hounds of Love" is one of the best covers ever, contribute to this as well with a disappointing, dashed-off sounding version of David Bowie‘s "Let’s Dance."

There are a couple gems, however. Kelley Stoltz, who covered the entirety of Echo & the Bunnymen‘s Crocodiles, contributes the title cut to E&TB’s second album, Heaven Up Here. He’s been performing this live on his most recent tour and it’s really good. The Boy Least Likely To have fun with George Michael’s "Faith." I knew there was something missing in the original… banjo!

None of them, however, are likely to be worthy of a playlist (the 00’s name for mixtapes). But here’s some mp3s, anyway:

• The Futureheads – "Let’s Dance"

• Placebo – "Running Up That Hill"

• Kelley Stoltz – "Heaven Up Here"

• The Boy Least Likely To – "Faith"