Beginning in 2009 a volume has been introduced to the world that contained covers of Beatles songs from Minnesota based bands. That’s the basic gist of it all. Like any tribute album people will have their favorites and least favorites, and probably depending on how the Beatles catalogue fairs with each individual that balance could be anything. For me, I found about 80% of this tribute album to be solid. Of course it also helps that I like a lot of the bands on the album to begin with, so I might be a little bias. So without further ado, Minnesota Beatle Project - Vol. 3.

The album kicks off with one of my favorites, Cloud Cult, covering Help. I absolutely loved this track as Cloud Cult go off in a direction all their own. When it comes to cover songs, the further a band is able to stray from the source music without making complete asses of themselves the better. Cloud Cult succeed in drawing the line with artistic freedom while keeping the track grounded to its roots.

Solid Gold follow with Love You To. For those of you who haven’t heard the original Beatles track it was created during a time when the band was in its exploratory phase. A sitar is strung throughout the track with backing bongo drums and vocals almost lazily laid out over and under the track. Not one of my favorite Beatles tracks but what Solid Gold does here just feels uninspired to me. The track opens with what sounds like a passage into Walter Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange material and then sinks into this monotonous feel that lacks culture or exploratory bravery the original track attempts. Sure, walk the line between source material and artistic freedom, but make it something memorable. This track is anything but.

White Light Riot does a fantastic job of not just covering Hey Bulldog in the next track but updating it. It doesn’t sound to far off from the original but it’s more up more up-tempo, its sound close but a bit more aggressive in vocals, and with a bit more of an upbeat groove it shines where the original kind of just floats by. A good track.

The same can be said for Charlie Parr featuring Nicholas Mrozinski’s cover of Rocky Raccoon. The track is updated by a faster tempo, more aggressive approach on vocals, and the mixture of steel guitar with saloon slinging piano gives the track a bit of mountain hop injection that places it in the here and now with such an act as the Avett Brothers as well as a step back to a young Bob Dylan. It’s a fantastic little track.

Motion City Soundtrack cover Here Comes the Sun next. Unfortunately this track has been done so many times by so many different artists that it just feels like more of the same. It doesn’t deviate much and it sounds like all the rest. I don’t think anyone can improve upon what’s been done with the song in the context of regular old rock and roll.

The Fiddle Heirs, as you might expect, infuse I’ve Got A Feeling with fiddle power. I’m not quite sure what’s up on the vocals. Its like a cross between post punk and southern rock. T times it can be quite harmonious and at other times simply some dude yelling. Overall I enjoyed the deviation on this track. Obviously it won’t be to everyone’s taste but what song will be.

Up next is Me and My Arrow doing a cover of Don’t Let Me Down. It sticks pretty much as close as you can get to the original except at some point vocals tend to go a bit autotune. That’s an automatic ejection from the game. If I’m wrong and it’s not autotune, it still sounds terrible. Tsk tsk Me and My Arrow, tsk tsk.

Red Pens is up next with their cover of Helter Skelter. Hated it. Moving on.

Up Next is Dark Dark Dark with their cover of Long Long Long. Bypassing the original’s use of acoustic guitar for piano and adding female vocals is a plus. I loved this cover version. It manages to become a sound all its own while still keeping it recognizable. Vocals are fantastic here and piano is hauntingly deep and resonating adding that extra boost of emotional investment to the track.

The Honeydogs follow with their cover of Dear Prudence. Moving on.

Up next is Tapes n’ Tapes doing their cover of I Want You (She’s So Heavy). Sounds source but vocals are fantastically done, the bass work here is phenomenal, and drums never miss a beat. Your probably going to analyze this one but it’s pretty good just the same.

The 4onthefloor do Why Don’t We Do It On The Road? next. I wasn’t to impressed. It sounds like they were trying to go for a straight cover but the vocals just weren’t there and the overall sound of the track sounds like a bar cover band giving it their best shot.

The Arms Akimbo do You Won’t See Me. It lends a hand to the routine of making the song a bit more up-tempo but, for me, it just doesn’t move far enough away from the source material. It sounds good but only if your looking to hear the song made in a more high quality sound. I haven’t heard this song remastered so it might not even be necessary.

Cantus cover Got To Get You Into My Life. It sounds like a cover.

Closing out the album is the Anoka Middle School for The Arts doing Hard Days Night. it’s a marching band covering the Beatles. You get what you expect and I’m sure the kids worked really hard on the song to be chosen for inclusion. You get what you get here.

That about wraps it up. It’s a pretty solid album mind but a few toss outs. As always final judgment is yours and I think since I enjoyed this one so much I might check out the first two volumes of the series. Hope you find this helpful. Enjoy.