False plagiarism allegations may cause Coldplay to think twice about covering other musicians in the future, but that doesn’t mean other bands aren’t anxious to cover Chris Martin’s tunes. Specifically, The Kooks who recently broke out this ace take of “Violet Hill” on Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show. (This is really shaping up to be a cover-centric Monday, n’est-ce pas?)

MP3:
The Kooks - “Violet Hill (Coldplay Cover)”

PREVIOUSLY:
The Last Shadow Puppets Cover Rihanna’s “S.O.S.”
Creaky Boards Retract Coldplay Plagiarism Allegations; Now Blame Legend of Zelda

On Friday, The Last Shadow Puppets dropped by Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show as a surprise birthday guest. It may’ve been Jo’s b-day, but Alex and Miles gave the best gift to listeners when they performed a cover of Rihanna’s “S.O.S.”! Check it out below and let’s hope the boys do keep it up for another 45 years…

MP3:
The Last Shadow Puppets - “S.O.S (Rihanna Cover)”

VIDEO:
Happy Birthday from The Last Shadow Puppets

PREVIOUSLY:
Jack White Joins Last Shadow Puppets Onstage At Glastonbury 2008
Rihanna Performs “Umbrella” With Klaxons At 2008 Brits

Give it up for Jack Conte and his killer cover/mashup of Bright Eyes’ “First Day Of My Life” and Aphex Twin’s “Flim.” Additionally, Conte filmed the track as a “videosong,” which means what you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice) and if you hear it at some point you see it (no hidden sounds). All in all, it’s very impressive. Hear it/watch it for yourself!

MP3:
Jack Conte - “First Day Of My Life / Flim”

VIDEO:

Despite ongoing stories of Katy Perry’s uncoolness, Hypeful is temporarily suspending its musical fatwā against her to offer you Max Vernon’s doo wop/jazz cover of her single “I Kissed A Girl.” It’s great to hear a guy tackle this song and you’ve got to admire Vernon’s chutzpah for really going after it. (Get ready, the song really hits its full synth-stride at the midpoint!) If you dig this, Vernon has more MP3s for your downloading pleasure on his MySpace page - which means he probably won’t be sending the IFPI after you like certain other girl-kissers I can think of…*cough cough* Enjoy!

MP3:
Max Vernon - “I Kissed A Girl (Katy Perry Cover)” (removed at request of label)

PREVIOUSLY:
Katy Perry & IFPI Shut Down Hypeful

I hope you’re sitting down, folks - ’cause we officially have an entry for Best Cover of 2008! When a band as awesome as Spoon attempts a cover of a song as awesome as The Smiths’ “Panic,” it’s amazing that the universe doesn’t collapse on itself from all of the sheer, um, awesomeness. Obviously, this cover has rendered me incoherent, so I’ll let the track speak for itself! Check it out below! (Thanks to YANP for the heads up!)

MP3s:
Spoon - “Panic” (The Smiths cover)
The Smiths - “Panic”