Administrative note: Coverfreak moved to a new home on Tuesday. Seems that after the writeup in the Guardian I started getting so many visitors and using so much bandwdith that my former web host decided to cancel my account. As far as I can tell everything is working as it should, but if there are any problems drop me a line.

Yesterday was Groundhog Day and Thursday marks the start of the Chinese Year of the Rat. So it seems an opportune time for songs by and about rodents.

I was disappointed that I couldn’t find a decent cover of Michael Jackson’s “Ben.” If you have a good cover of that tune let me know and I’ll include it in next week’s Valentine’s Day post.

Dolapdere Big Gang “Hell” (Squirrel Nut Zippers)
I’m really digging this Turkish Romany band. Thanks to Steve Wiles for hipping me to this album.

The Squirrels “Seasons In The Sun/The Hustle” (Terry Jacks/Van McCoy)
I wonder if the kid they got to sing this knew what he was getting into. I also wonder what on earth made them combine these two songs.

Tori Amos “I Don’t Like Mondays” (Boomtown Rats)
Pretty much what you’d expect from Tori Amos. Breathy, closely miked vocals and down tempo piano. It makes me long for the Boomtown Rats version, which I never liked in the first place.

Split Lip Rayfield “Pop Goes The Weasel” (Traditional)
I was afraid that SLR would break up after the death of Kirk Rundstrom but they’re not only still together they’re on tour, making the world safe for speed-metal bluegrass.

Screeching Weasel “I Can See Clearly Now” (Johnny Nash)
I’ve always thought that Screeching Weasel is just about the perfect name for a punk band. It just puts everything right on the table.