by Ciara Dolan
![music-motroper-1000x700.jpg]()
SAMANTHA SUTCLIFFE
Earlier today Mo Troper—who is, full disclosure, my friend and a longtime Mercury contributor—premiered a cathartically nostalgic cover of Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy" on Consequence of Sound. I first heard him perform this at a Mercury music writer karaoke night last February, and needless to say we all lost our collective shit. Low-fi, grimy production replicates the karaoke feel, but Troper shakes off the dust when he belts "If it makes you happy/Then why the hell are you so sad." This is apparently the first single off an upcoming covers compilation from Portland label Good Cheer Records (cofounded by Troper) that's slated to release this winter. Listen here and weep into your fifth cup of coffee.