AV Undercover

Since 2010, AV Club has been inviting artists to cover songs from a list chosen by our readers. Once a song has been chosen, it's crossed off the list for that season, leading to fewer and fewer options as the season goes on. We're in the process of restoring our archives on The AV Club YouTube channel and will add links as they're republished. After seven years, we're bringing AV Undercover back, so stay tuned for Season 9.Season 1 (2010)Ted Leo and the Pharmacists cover Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"Fruit Bats cover Hall & Oates' "One On One"Alkaline Trio covers Archers Of Loaf's "Web in Front"Cursive covers Starship's "We Built This City"Justin Townes Earle covers Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City"Retribution Gospel Choir covers the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”Maritime covers Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence"The Clientele covers M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes"Ben Folds cover Elliott Smith's "Say Yes" Wye Oak cover the Kinks' "Strangers"Motion City Soundtrack covers Pavement's "Cut Your Hair"The Wedding Present covers the Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown"Owen Pallett covers Guided by Voices’ “Game Of Pricks”The Antlers cover Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"Rise Against covers Nirvana's "Sliver"Frightened Rabbit covers The Lemonheads' "Confetti"Clem Snide covers Journey's "I'll Be Your Mirror"Coheed And Cambria covers The Smiths' "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours"Patrick Stump covers The Wedding Present's "My Favourite Dress"Superchunk covers The Cure's "In Between Days"Mates Of State cover The Replacements' "I Will Dare"The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two-Headed Boy"Cymbals Eat Guitars cover Superchunk's "Detroit Has A Skyline"Tokyo Police Club covers Billy Squier's "Detroit Has A Skyline"The Walkmen cover R.E.M.'s "Driver 8"Holiday Undercover 1 (2010)The Walkmen cover Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road"Brendan Benson covers Slade's "Merry X-Mas Everybody"Kate Nash covers Slade's "Merry X-Mas Everybody"Andrew W.K. and Rodney The Mailman cover "Silent Night"Andrew W.K. covers "Silent Night"Shearwater covers Randy Newman's "Holiday in Cambodia"Dresden Dolls cover Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy"Fran Healy covers Joni Mitchell's "River"The Music Tapes cover "Let It Snow"/"Zat You, Santa Claus?"Vetiver covers The Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)"Badly Drawn Boy covers "Do They Know It's Christmas"Season 2 (2011)Iron and Wine covers George Michael's "One More Try"Baths cover LCD Soundsystem' "All My Friends"Dum Dum Girls cover Big Star's "September Gurls"The Low Anthem covers Wilco's "A Shot in the Arm"Titus Andronicus covers They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul"Wye Oak covers Danzig's "Mother"Telekinesis covers Belle & Sebastian's "Like Dylan In The Movies"Rocky Votolato and Matt Pond PA cover The Human League's "Don't You Want Me"Low covers Toto's "Africa"Smith Westerns cover Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "American Girl"Of Montreal covers the White Stripes' "Fell In Love With A Girl"Sharon Van Etten covers Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy"The Mountain Goats cover Jawbreaker's "Boxcar"Parts & Labor covers Kanye West's "Runaway"Surfer Blood covers Pixies' "Gigantic"...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead covers Indigo Girls' "Blood and Fire"Sloan covers "Cars" by Gary NumanThey Might Be Giants covers Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping"Maps & Atlases cover 'Summer Breeze' by Seals & CroftYellow Ostrich cover In the Summertime" by Mungo JerryJosh Caterer of Smoking Popes covers 'Ask' by the SmithsDale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. covers 'Summer Babe' by PavementOwen covers 'Summertime Rolls' by Jane's AddictionCrooked Fingers cover 'Summertime' by George GershwinLes Savy Fav cover 'School's Out' by Alice CooperThe Get Up Kids cover "Girls And Boys" by BlurMatt Nathanson covers Prince's "Little Red Corvette"Bob Mould covers Sugar's "If I Can't Change Your Mind"The Decemberists cover Sugar's "If I Can't Change Your Mind"Against Me! covers The Clash's "Janie Jones"Basia Bulat covers Ted Leo & The Pharmacists' "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone"The Hold Steady covers Huey Lewis & The News' "The Power of Love"Peter Bjorn And John cover Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness"Fruit Bats cover "The Other Woman" by Loretta LynnHoliday Undercover 2 (2011)Electric Six covers "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" Mannequin Men cover "Nuttin' For Christmas"Peter Wolf Crier cover "Last Christmas"Dawes covers "Christmas Time Is Here"Little Scream covers "Jesus" by The Velvet UndergroundDavid Bazan covers "Just Like Christmas" by Low Little Red covers "Christmas Lights"Office Of Future Plans and Damon Locks cover "Holiday In Cambodia"Wye Oak covers "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day" by Brenda LeeThe Mountain Goats cover "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (with special guest)The Mountain Goats cover "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"Season 3 (2012)Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater cover Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"Young The Giant covers R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)"Memoryhouse covers The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"Punch Brothers cover the Cars' "Just What I Needed"The Head and the Heart covers Fleetwood Mac' "Go Your Own Way"Cursive and Cymbals Eat Guitars cover Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy"Lucero covers David Bowie's "Modern Love"Trampled by Turtles covers Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)"Nada Surf covers New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle"Screaming Females cover Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy"Hospitality covers Steely Dan's "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"Portland Cello Project and Alan Sparhawk of Low cover Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized"Reggie Watts covers Van HalenThe Hood Internet covers The Pretenders' "Back on the Chain Gang"The Polyphonic Spree covers Neil Young's "Heart of Gold"Grouplove covers Andrew W.K.'s "Party Hard"Father John Misty covers The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??"Mariachi El Bronx covers The Decemberists' "Los Angeles, I'm Yours"Deer Tick covers Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta"Ceremony covers Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off"Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan & John Smith cover The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"The Spinto Band covers Chris Stamey's "Summer Sun"Eef Barzelay & Chris Otepka cover Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69"Chris Otepka & Eef Barzelay cover Roger Miller's "In the Summertime"Destroyer cover Gorky's Zygotic Mynci's "Face Like Summer"Kelly Hogan covers the Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer"The Dandy Warhols cover Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues"Scott Lucas & the Married Men cover Bananarama's "Cruel Summer"The Wood Brothers cover Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"Liturgy covers Shellac's "Prayer To God"Jukebox The Ghost covers Lana Del Rey's "Blue Jeans"Calexico covers Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone"The Promise Ring covers Adele's ""Rumour Has It"Field Report covers Sufjan Stevens' "Chicago"GWAR covers Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son"Season 4 (2013)Yo La Tengo covers The Supremes' "Come See About Me"Frontier Ruckus covers Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed"ZZ Ward covers Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You"Night Beds covers Robyn's "Dancing on My Own"Frightened Rabbit covers Cheap Trick's "Surrender"Mac DeMarco covers Weezer's "The Sweater Song"Houndmouth covers Billy Bragg & Wilco's "Joe DiMaggio Done It Again"Basia Bulat covers Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days"Thao & The Get Down Stay Down covers INXS's "Need You Tonight"Blessed Feathers covers Paul Simon's "Me and Julia Down by the Schoolyard"Coliseum covers Eddie Money's "Shakin'"Xenia Rubinos covers Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer"JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound covers Blackstreet's "No Diggity"Savoir Adore covers New Radicals' "You Get What You Give"Alpine covers Radiohead's "Just"Milo Greene covers Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire"Manchester Orchestra covers Faces's "Ooh La La"Mac McCaughan and Kelly Hogan cover Jonathan Richman's "That Summer Feeling"Matmos covers Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy"Rick Springfield covers Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well"Telekinesis covers Donovan's "Sunsine Superman"Rogue Wave covers Duran Duran's "Rio"Ezra Furman covers Wilco's "Heavy Metal Drummer"...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead covers The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon"Metz covers The Damned's "Neat Neat Neat""Mac McCaughan and Kelly Hogan cover Nick Gilder's "Hot Child in the City"Ted Leo And The Pharmacists cover The Ramones' "Go Lil' Camaro Go"Melvins covers Butthole Surfers' "Graveyard"Charli XCX covers Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way"Wang Chung covers Modest Mouse's "3rd Planet"Kurt Vile covers Nine Inch Nails' "Down In It"Free Energy covers Sleater-Kinney's "You're No Rock n' Roll Fun"Disappears covers U2's "New Year's Day"Richard Marx and Matt Scannell cover Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?"Mannequin Men covers Dinosaur Jr.'s "Not You Again"GWAR covers Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car"The Dismemberment Plan covers Heart's "Barracuda"Ben Sollee covers Rollins Band's "Low Self Opinion"Holiday Undercover 4 (2013)Os Mutantes covers John Lennon's “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”Joseph Arthur, Mike Mills, and Bill Dobrow cover John Denver's "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)"Mike Doughty covers Run D.M.C.'s “Christmas In Hollis”The World Is… covers “What Child Is This?”Pioneering Series (2013)Pioneering New Jersey: Sharon Van Etten covers "Drive All Night" by Bruce SpringsteenPioneering Seattle: La Dispute covers Nirvana's "Polly"White Fence covers Gram Parsons's "Lazy Days"Shakey Graves and Eef Barzelay cover Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love"Pioneering Nashville: Those Darlins Cover Dolly Parton's "Jolene"Pioneering Ann Arbor: Protomartyr cover The Stooges' "Down On The Street"Pioneering NYC: The Mountain Goats Cover "Danny Says" by RamonesSeason 5 (2014)Wye Oak covers Kate Bush: "Running Up That Hill"Wild Cub covers Beyoncé: "Crazy In Love"Lydia Loveless covers Echo & The Bunnymen: "The Killing Moon"The Men covers Devo: "Gates Of Steel"Howler covers .38 Special: "Hold