Jon Hardy And The Public have ventured into interesting territory — releasing a four-song cover EP filled solely by tracks from singer/songwriter Randy Newman. No surprise: the songs sound nothing like Newman. Actually, “Little Criminals” sounds more like The Walkmen than anything else (except, of course, Jon Hardy And The Public).

Like Ultimate Reality by Dan Deacon, this video should come with a disclaimer. The visual elements are trippy and consistently screw with the eyes. Despite being entirely black and white.

The best cover songs have a simple commonality to them in relation to other covers: they have an original sound that can trick the unfamiliar into believing it is an original tune. Jon Hardy And The Public demonstrate this effortlessly in “Little Criminals” and it makes the song, even for those familiar with Newman’s version, very refreshing.

Jon Hardy And The Public: Little Criminals [mp3]

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Little Criminals from Jon Hardy & The Public on Vimeo.