Calico Horse’s recent take on Radiohead’s “Idioteque” moans like a Southern drawl, working its bittersweet basslines beneath a set of seductive harmonies. Emily Neveu, frontwoman of this San Diego band, appears to be primarily responsible for turning this postmodern club banger into a captivating folk song. At the heart of her version are rickety guitars and beautifully layered vocals. There’s almost a bit of a Jana Hunter sound to this song. But Neveu’s cover isn’t just a great track in its own right: it also goes to show how good those songs really were on Kid A (2000). Despite what some haters would have us think, those songs weren’t just a bunch of random laptop experiments after all. Give the cover a listen and then check out some Calico Horse originals via their Myspace page.

Calico Horse - “Idioteque” (Radiohead cover)

Calico Horse - Myspace