Raphael Camara

Based in Leipzig, Germany, and hailing from Metro Manila, Philippines, Raphael Camara is a student, music blogger, and cover song enthusiast. If seen without his iPod and a set of worn-out earphones, something is probably terribly wrong. Aside from obsessively scouring blogs for new music and creating playlists at every opportunity, he also enjoys writing and runs a blog on the side. If you should like, you could check it out here.

Apr 182016
 
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“Bones sinking like stones, all that we fought for,” laments Chris Martin, as mellow guitar and drum lines sweep over, captivating the listener and softening them up for the emotional punch that is the chorus. Straight off the album that launched Coldplay into the legendary status they have now, “Don’t Panic” is a somber, depressing tune which leaves you sitting quietly in awe as you find yourself clicking repeat.

And somehow, 18 year old Claire Rachel Wilkinson manages to match that hopeless atmosphere whilst injecting it with her own personal touches, leaving behind a dark and gloomy piece worthy of the equally dark and gloomy X-men: Apocalypse trailer in which it was featured. Continue reading »

Mar 162016
 
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Indie rock sensation St. Vincent, contributes to the soundtrack of Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming erotic-thriller A Bigger Splash, featuring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Mathias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson.

The Berkley College of Music graduate shares her cover of the Stones‘ “Emotional Rescue” featured on the highly acclaimed film’s soundtrack – which garnered the Soundtrack Stars Award at last year’s 72nd Venice Film Festival, where the movie made its premiere in September. Continue reading »

Mar 042016
 
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Rising new artist KAMAU pulls off a fresh cover of Adele‘s debut single “Hometown Glory,”cleverly adding a twist that showcases his vocal prowess in interesting ways.

With Anthony Bracewell on strings, Cale Hawkins’ keyboard strokes and Ben Talmi’s production holding everything together, the Brooklyn-based artist’s interpretation of the English 10-time Grammy winner’s 2007 breakthrough song is remarkable, to say the least. KAMAU’s soulful delivery is perfectly fitting, offering an emotional gripping listen before taking the tune in a different direction, merging “Hometown Glory” into an upbeat and energetic hip hop track – the dynamic musician demonstrating his nimble rap skill in lieu of soulful drawls. Continue reading »

Feb 122016
 
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Take my word for it – this track will make you dance. Shortly before going bankrupt and shutting down, streaming service RDIO put the Toronto foursome up to the challenge of covering a contemporary pop tune, to which the pscyh-rock group responded to by taking on the massively successful boy band One Direction. This is that cover, and it is one of the liveliest covers we’ve heard all week. Continue reading »

Feb 112016
 
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If pop songs could die, this is what I imagine their souls would sound like.

Those are the only guiding words enigmatic artist Radiochaser offers on his social media pages – and with that single sentence, he perfectly encapsulates the nature of his music.

Rather than keep the blaring feel-good vibes of the tunes he covers, the NY-based musician opts for exposing the raw emotion behind each piece, expertly stripping them down and reworking them into a haunting blend of stirring guitar acoustics and serene, ghostly vocals – resulting in chilling covers of Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and Selena Gomez in the style of a Radical Face or Bon Iver track.

Piqued your interest? Radiochaser has mine. Continue reading »

Feb 102016
 
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In what will undoubtedly be the first of many astounding collaborations in the recently launched In The Room series, alt-R&B artist Gallant – artist behind our 13th favorite cover of 2015 – and indie legend Sufjan Stevens – no stranger to our year-end lists himself – team up and take on one of Stevens’ own  – “Blue Bucket of Gold.” Continue reading »