May 25, 2011

Whether you knew The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” from when it first appeared on their Surfer Rosa album or if you first heard it in the closing moments of David Fincher’s 1999 flick FIGHT CLUB, it’s easily one of the most recognizable and catchy tunes in modern rock history. With it’s opening acoustic guitar chords, simplistic bass line (which Nirvana often credited as the inspiration behind Smells Like Teen Spirit) and Kim Deal’s trippy high pitched melody in the background, it’s become one of the most go-to cover songs for rock bands. Below, let’s take a look at various interpretations of The Pixies signature tune.

THE TOADIES – Back in 2002 long before The Pixies had gotten back together, it was a pleasant surprise to hear The Toadies (an underrated band in their own right) break out a cover of this classic tune as their set closer. It’s probably the version that sounds the closest & truest to the Pixies original. It’s featured on their live CD “Best of TOADIES: Live From Paradise.”

NADA SURF – This awesome trippy version of “Where Is My Mind?” comes courtesy of Nada Surf. Yes, that band with that “Popular” song. It appeared on a Pixies tribute CD and is by far the most unique take on the tune.

PLACEBO – Here’s a band that doesn’t surprise me covering this song. It sounds fairly close to the original, yet Brian Molko’s unique high voice is the main thing that sets it apart. Over all, it’s a cool interpretation. Below is a slide-show video created by a fan to the studio version that appeared on the bonus disc “Sleeping With Ghosts” (aka B-Sides, which also includes The Smith’s Big Mouth Strikes Again!). As a bonus, check out a live version directly underneath with Frank Black!

KINGS OF LEON – During several live performances on tour in 2010, Kings Of Leon also broke out the tune for their set-list. Again, very close to the original version, which seems to be the case with most of these interpretations.

STORM LARGE – Since the majority of these have kept so closely to the original (with the exception of Nada Surf) it’s nice to hear this almost lullaby-ish version by Storm Large, proving the song’s power despite what volume you play it at. In this live clip, it’s great to hear a female voice with this kind of range tackle these melodies, especially at the mid-point. Check it out below. One of my fave versions.

JAMES BLUNT – So, James Blunt covered this too. Nuff said.

YOAV & EMILY BROWNING – I have yet to see Zac Synder’s SUCKER PUNCH, but skimming through the track listing of the soundtrack and from what I’ve heard, it’s essentially a series of stylized music videos, hence this version of the song, which is probably the most radically different of the bunch. Not bad, just different. Your thoughts, faithful readers?

Last but not least, I leave you with the original version edited together with clips from FIGHT CLUB: