NO ENCORE #208 | TOP 5 WORST COVER SONGS / YVES TUMOR REVIEW / FESTIVAL CHAOS WITH JIM CARROLL

The NO ENCORE episode in which Dave was like, come on into the realms of studio-quality audio, dear co-host, the high fidelity’s lovely. Yes – Craigy’s got a brand new mic (thanks Patreon peeps!) and he’s back to his velvety best after previous eps chatting into his phone through a pop shield made of old tights.

With your dynamic duo still social distancing but sounding like they’re back in the one room together, there is much to discuss:

Irish music journalist Jim Carroll is onboard for a frank analysis of whether the Electric Picnic music festival could (or even should) realistically go ahead this year, the lads run the rule over the latest Yves Tumor release, and we’ve a Top 5 face-off of worst cover songs ever where the music just gets worse and worse (and then properly appalling).

ACT ONE: Soak up that sonic loveliness as the boys catch-up on another surreal week that also saw a huge number of you supporting the show through our new Patreon. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

ACT TWO [4.12]The news is once again tinged with sadness as the pandemic claims John Prine and we also lose the legendary Bill Withers. We discuss their unimpeachable twin legacies.

As for artists thankfully very much still with us… U2 did a very nice thing for Ireland, but did it involve Bono and the boys breaking out the Elevation Jet for some international piracy?!

And as Drake begs TikTok to help his new song go viral, he also opens up his audacious abode (“The Embassy”) to Architectural Digest. We take a virtual tour of the trumped-up shopping mall, mouths agape.

ACT THREE [19.34]Dave gets Jim Carroll (RTÉ, Irish Times) on the line to take apart the official Electric Picnic line that organisers are “optimistic” the Stradbally music festival can still go ahead. Carroll reckons that the words of Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn will come back to haunt him…

ACT FOUR [39.43]: The boundary-pushing, enigmatic Yves Tumor takes another big step in from the experimental cold with their second Warp album, Heaven To A Tortured Mind. Having lashed praise on 2018’s Safe In The Hands Of Love, Craig and Dave dissect a follow-up already getting more mainstream attention. But is that a good thing?

ACT FIVE [54.08]: Turning listeners on to great music is all well and good but… it sure is hella entertaining to drag some utter rubbish over the coals. With that in mind, it’s time for our Top 5 Worst Cover Songs Of All Time.

From crabcore talk to white English pop aristocrats taking on hip-hop, settle in for two lists teeming with “what were they thinking?” awfulness – but will our hosts see eye-to-eye on every selection?