mixtape maestro (2.0)

While best known for their wildly inventive exercises in hard rock, metal, prog and pop-rock sounds (as well as a seemingly glue-stuck “like Foo Fighters” tag) that have slowly helped push them further and further into the UK mainstream view, Scottish alt-rockers Biffy Clyro have also proved over the years to be reliable in delivering some really fascinating cover songs.

From Rihanna’s “Umbrella” to Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” to Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and The Killers’ “When You Were Young”, Clyro’s re-imaginings haven’t always bettered the originals, but in their (sometimes polarizing) attempts to recast these familiar nuggets, the results were never un-interesting either. So when the news dropped that the Biffy boys were gonna hit the Live Lounge studios, we were excited beyond imagination to hear what cover song they would try out next. When we found out it was going to be the slinky Ciara/ Justin Timberlake duet “Love Sex Magic” though, that excitement was multiplied times ten. Their last venture into American R&B (the aforementioned “Umbrella”) managed to be a winner…but what in the hell were they gonna do with this under-performing FutureSex/ LoveSounds leftover? Answer: Fill our hearts with glee!!

Rather than give it an extreme “rawk” makeover as they had sometimes handled their covers in the past, Biffy (thankfully) opt to go a more straightforward route this time, reinterpreting the original’s funk groove via some surprisingly groove-able singular guitar picking, and providing vocal performances that, while definitely awkward in that square-ish “non-soulful European white boys” kind of way, pull out some charmingly goofball, falsetto-aided male harmonies.

If you dug the Klaxons doing “No Diggity” or Hot Chip taking on Snoop or giving us their best R. Kelly imitation, you’ll likely admire this.

DL: “Love Sex Magic (‘Live Lounge’ Ciara Cover)” (alt)

A love song to a sex doll? That seems to be the premise behind “Rubber Lover”, a delightful little nugget by experimental Scottish alt-rockers Marmaduke Duke (aka The Atmosphere and The Dragon; aka the side project of Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Sucioperro’s JP Reid).

An early taste from their May-set sophomore collection Duke Pandemonium, “Lover” is set into motion by a cheerful Billy Joel piano sample (the Piano Man’s 1980 “Sleeping With The Television On”) which, alongside sparks of guitar and a steady dance thump, helps frame a kooky narrative about “Johnny” and his lustful adventures with his new toy.

The track might clock in at less than two minutes long, but what a good time that brief length yields: it’s nearly impossible to avoid singing along to it’s sugary “funky all the way home” chorus line at the top of your lungs or indulging in an endless repeating of it’s feel-good groove.

Marmaduke Duke – Rubber Lover

Below, catch a Live Lounge performance in which they take on Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and you’ll soon figure out why more people spend their time copying the single’s music video choreography over actually covering the record (YOU try recreating it’s spazzed out production acoustically or re-interpreting Beyonce’s steely, jack-hammer vocal and see what you come with).

That being said, Duke’s clap-happy “all around the campfire” rendition works fine, especially when the boys get to that quite lovely bridge section.