The Hotrats - I Can't Stand It

Turn this WAY up, brothers and sisters! Really really good cover songs can be colossal: giants standing on the shoulders of titans! Jimi did it with Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower"; Michael Andrews did it with Tears for Fears' "Mad World". Admittedly, this doesn't ascend to those lofty heights - but it's SHOCKING how fucking cool this cover is.

I first heard I Can't Stand It on Little Steven's most excellent XM channel and recognized it as a Velvet Underground cover almost immediately. The familiar opening riff has been amped up to snotty perfection, but when the chorus hits with its signature I can't stand it any mo mo... and that kickin' second guitar rips in from the left, it gave me a genuine arm hair erection. The modernization doesn't end there: the Hotrats have seen fit to strategically change some of the lyrics, including the character of Shelly to Brandy! Such wonderful blasphemy! Extra points for that.

BTW, The Hotrats are the side project of the boys from Supergrass. If you're unfamiliar, they've cooked up some very respectable britpop in their day, but I've never been much of a fan. I highly recommend picking up Hotrats' Turn Ons, however. It's all covers and it really delivers.