Song Of The Day 5/11/2014: Postmodern Jukebox feat. Puddles Pity Party - "Royals" (+ "Team")

Quarterly Covers Report: It's just been one of those years in music where my vote for Best New Artist, and unquestionably one of the finest vocalists to emerge in the last few months, is a 6'8" man from Atlanta who dresses up as Pagliacci. From what intelligence I've managed to gather I know that his non-greasepaint identity is Mike Geier, his wife and he write a lot of music that winds up on Cartoon Network, and Puddles The Clown is a nearly unbeatable concept. He gets up onstage with a smallish suitcase containing the requisite items for a clown act, most commonly a big fake flower, and is rendered mute for at least a couple of minutes, overcome by the ennui and dejection someone in his position is condemned to feel. Then the band starts, he begins singing, and it's brilliant. He bears a striking resemblance to Tom Jones, except he doesn't strain for the ecstatic upper reaches of his voice because -- well, what's the point? We're all going to die.

Rev. Rif brought Scott Bradlee's twee but effective Postmodern Jukebox to my attention a few weeks ago, strongly suggesting that I put up their '20s jazz version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" up on the blog. But when I saw Puddles Pity Party handling a great version of Lorde's "Royals," already a certified viral success, I knew there was no other way to start off this quarter's covers report.

They also do "Team":