If you know that the Noisettes emerged out of London's indie-punk scene, you might imagine that their cover of "When You Were Young" would out-thrash or out-kill the Killers' original version. Instead, the hot British trio offer a kinder, gentler, cooler take on the song that even veers into neo-soul territory. They brought their "newfound friends," a string quarter and backup singers, into the Yahoo!/Pepsi Music studios in L.A. for this exclusive "Cover Art" performance, which is neither noisy or noisome but altogether lovely.

Shingai Shoniwa, the band's asymmetrically coiffed singer, toned down some of her more mercurial stage tendencies for this reading of the Killers' anthem. She also changed some of the lyrics of the song, making it more of a first-person love ballad and less of a third-person observational tune. The line "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus..." has now become "I don't look a thing like she does...," among other personalized lyrical switcheroos. The wistfulness that was only inherent in the Killers' original arrangement is now sweetly up-front and center. We hate to say it, Brandon Flowers, but "When You Were Young" might belong to Shoniwa now.

But Pepsi Music wasn't about to let the Noisettes get away without doing a composition of their own. They chose "Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)," a funky, nearly disco-revivalist charmer from the group's newly released second album, Wild Young Hearts. In their native England,the single went to No. 2 on the charts and established them as stars. Here, "Don't Upset the Rhythm" made it to No. 4 on Billboard's dance chart. The string section and b.g. vocalists stuck around for this one, too; as Shoniwa says, "The show is just getting bigger and bigger." And so is the Noisettes' stylistic range...

These two clips just begin to touch on the variety the Noisettes are capable of. Watching the above live performances, you could imagine Shoniwa is an Amy Winehouse type, putting a new spin on classic R&B styles—and you wouldn't be entirely wrong. But she and comrades Dan Smith and James Morrison are rockers, first and foremost, and their debut album, 2007's underheralded What's The Time Mr. Wolf, focused more on their power-trio side. For Wild Young Hearts, the threesome branched out more into soul and didn't shy away from getting down with their pop selves. And Shoniwa has always been more magazine-friendly fashion plate than dressed-down indie stalwart.

If you want to see the Noisettes rocking it out a little more, check out this barnburner from their first album: