Hear It Now: Street Sweeper Social Club Cover M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes”
Since Street Sweeper Social Club began touring in the spring of 2008, Tom Morello and Boots Riley’s amped-up version of M.I.A.’s hit single “Paper Planes” has been a live highlight in their sets. The band will finally deliver a recorded version of the tune on their new EP The Ghetto Blaster, which is due out on August 10th. On the cut, Morello adds muscle to the siren riff borrowed from the Clash’s “Straight to Hell,” resulting in a fiery rendition that would even make Joe Strummer proud. Check out an exclusive first listen to the cover below and get the full track list for the EP below (pre-order the disc here).
Click to listen to Street Sweeper Social Club’s “Paper Planes.”
“We’ve been playing our rocked out version of ‘Paper Planes’ since we toured with Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction,” Morello tells RS. “I said, ‘Boots! We need a hot cover to slay the goth children!’ He suggested ‘Paper Planes’ and two Justin Bieber songs, so we went with ‘Paper Planes.'” The Ghetto Blaster EP will also include an explosive take on LL Cool J’s hip-hop classic “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
On the same day they release their EP, Street Sweeper Social Club will join up with the Warped Tour at the festival’s San Diego stop before hitting the stage at all four Rock the Bells dates in late August. Morello will also be keeping busy with Rage Against the Machine: as Rolling Stone previously reported, Rage are tentatively planning some late July concerts in support of their Arizona-boycotting Sound Strike initiative.
The Ghetto Blaster Track List:
“Ghetto Blaster”
“Everythang”
“Paper Planes”
“The New Fuck You”
“Scars (Hold That Pose)”
“Mama Said Knock You Out”
“Promenade (Guitar Fury Remix)”