It's Hard

Early on, this acoustic jazz trio earned attention by interpreting Nirvana and Pink Floyd, and they return to the contemporary-pop fold with this set of covers. They twist tunes into new shapes; it’s only in the final minute of their version of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps” that Ethan Iverson’s piano comes close to pounding out Karen O’s most indelible refrain. The new interpretations can offer humor too, like when the uneven gait of “I Walk the Line” suggests a slightly inebriated honky-tonker.

For longtime fans of genre-bending jazz piano trio the Bad Plus, 2016's It's Hard will feel pleasantly familiar.