Posted by Emily Exton on 10/27/2011 at 1:19 PM News

The Popdust Files: calvin harris, chris martin, coldplay, covers, rihanna, We Found Love

Odd pairings pop up in music everyday (see: Miley Cyrus tackling Bob Dylan), so try not to get hung up on the music flirting of “strange bedfellows” Coldplay and Rihanna. Instead, let’s applaud Chris Martin and the guys for not viewing themselves as above “We Found Love,” the Barbadian’s frantic club song meets drug PSA with Calvin Harris, to cover it live. It is just the kind of thing Gwynnie can get down with! Consider it the band’s attempt to return the favor after she lent her voice to “Princess of China,” and a hearty thank you for choosing to film the recent video in the U.K.—yes, that must be it. Or they’re simply worried those Mylo Xyloto leaks have run their press mill dry. And if there’s one thing Rihanna knows…

The Brits performed Talk That Talk‘s lead single on BBC Radio 1 Lounge on Wednesday. There’s a lot more piano versus Calvin Harris synths, as well as a surprise appearance by a fire alarm that doesn’t so much as shake Martin as it allows for him to include a charming little laugh during the first verse. He also incorporates his own countdowns and quiet shouts, things we’ve come to expect from the dynamic frontman who can’t so much as stand still during a song, much less be confined to the words of RiRi alone. The result is something that sounds more like the modest love songs from X&Y or A Rush Of Blood To The Head than the encompassing stadium anthems of Viva La Vida or Mylo Xyloto. Listen below.

[Prefix]