The Beach Boys' "Little Honda,"
performed by Yo La Tengo

The Jesus and Mary Chain nailed the whole Beach Boys-cover thing on the head with their blistering, feedback-drenched take on "Surfin' USA," which would eventually show up on their B-sides compilation, Barbed Wire Kisses.

But that version was recorded in the '80s and therefore isn't eligible for our list. The closest '90s representation of J&MC's why-didn't-anyone-think-of-this-before approach lies in Yo La Tengo's take on "Little Honda," off of the group's much-praised 1997 album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One.

Much like the J&MC of more than 10 years previous, Yo La Tengo layers its Beach Boys cover in heavy guitar noise, though Ira Kaplan's measured control of his feedback is the perfect metaphor for what makes YLT function so well as a band: It takes what's been done well by other folks (most notably, Sonic Youth, Can and The Velvet Underground) and turns it into delicious ear candy. YLT takes its lumps from critics for not being the most original of the big name indie outfits, but you can't deny Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew's pop savvy.

That savvy is also on display on the group's myriad other cover tunes, from their much-played take on Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" to their version of the obscure Sandy Denny tune "By the Time It Gets Dark." YLT's continued mastery of the cover tune remains more certain than a four-year Dubya presidency. Do a Yo La Tengo search on Napster and see for yourself.

— Eric Wittmershaus (ericw at flakmag dot com)