Fantastic Planet – Failure, 1996

Failure was a somewhat popular but short-lived alt-rock band in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, but they made a comeback when they regrouped in 2013. Their most well known songs from Fantastic Planet, one of their earlier albums, are probably “Stuck on You” and “Saturday Saviour.” Their heavy sound combines metal and grunge, so if you’re a fan of either subgenre definitely give this one a listen.

Radiodread – Easy Star All-Stars, 2006

Easy Star All Stars is a reggae band based in New York. Radiohead is an alt-rock band from England. That one would do a cover album of the other is… unexpected, to say the least. But Easy Star All Stars has done several other cover albums before and since Radiodread. They’ve covered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. And yes, they’ve written their own original music, but it’s not nearly as bizarre as hearing reggae versions of “Airbag” and “No Surprises.”

Quiet Fire – Roberta Flack, 1971

You’ve probably listened to or at least heard of Roberta Flack, one of the most influential soul singers from the 1970’s and early 80’s. If you don’t recognize the name, maybe you recognize her most famous songs covered by other artists, like The Fugees’ cover of ”Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and Ewan MacColl’s cover of “The First time Ever I Saw Your Face.” But her third album, Quiet Fire, was somewhat overshadowed by her previous two albums: First Take and Chapter Two. One of her most well known songs from Quiet Fire is her rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”