It's interesting no one's addressed this point: I wonder how true this is. It appears that in the past few years, especially this year and last, the cover song is how most new groups try to break through. Easier to get someone to your soundcloud page with a Kanye or "Tanning Mom" cover than it is to get anyone to your bandcamp page full of originals. In fact, covers of viral videos (like Tanning Mom, Friday, and others) are churned out within hours-to-days of the viral "apex" of the originals. It's kind of crazy and very 'now'. Perhaps there's some contempt for the acts latching on to the ill-begotten and fleeting superstardom of random internet weirdos and mega-legit superstar pop acts, but it's happening all the time and more seem to enjoy it than not. A lot of covers have been covered here, so I don't know how many beyond this I'd have to share, but I thought Jimmy Eat World did a really nice job reinterpreting one of my favorite Wedding Present songs, "Spangle" - oops, it's nowhere to be found online. You'll have to get their Singles collection or the tape someone made for me in high school. Barring that, there's this: Dillinger Escape Plan covering "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin. I hope the link works because I'm not checking it at work (can't find my headphones). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7R4zEgEvx0In the past, covering songs was a part of what making music was all about. Somewhere down the line, that became a no-no and even now it's a practice sometimes mentioned in tones of contempt.
It works! Thanks for addressing that. It's definitely less true that covers are seen as "merely derivative" these days, but it really seemed like there was a period where originality was prized above all else and that the cover was something to be hidden away on terrible compilation discs (some of which I own).