“Dance Monkey” hitmaker Tones and I covered fellow Australians Gang of Youths’ song “Achilles Come Down” for her recent appearance on Triple J’s Like a Version. Her version began with the pared-down combination of vocals and a grand piano. Next, orchestral strings come in with a soft pizzicato in the second verse. So many creative liberties were taken in this version, and the classical flutist/arranger in me is absolutely loving it. Continue reading »
A year ago, I did a Covering the Hits feature where the song randomizer sent me to Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower.” I found some killer covers of the Spider-Man soundtrack smash, by Vampire Weekend and AJR alongside lesser-known artists, and now there’s another to add to the pile, by Australian rock band Holy Holy. The duo of Timothy Carroll and Oscar Dawson performed it on radio show Like a Version, augmented by their live band and Tasmanian-based singer Medhanit. Continue reading »
Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” has been covered thousands of times, but rarely in a style as madcap as the new one from musical comedian Tim Minchin. Minchin takes an absurdist magnifying glass to “bad guy,” blowing up the skittish humor already embedded in the song to a cartoonish scale. Synth basses become accordion wheezes; whispery pre-choruses are, apparently, now sea chanties. Minchin and his band, grinning and seemingly on the verge of laughter for the whole performance, throw in a klezmer finale for good measure. The cover is a chockablock one minute and forty-five seconds — a quick, bizarre and wholly welcomed shock. Continue reading »
Azure Ryder’s debut appearance on Triple J’s Like A Version saw her performing a somber version of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now.” The cover is another paired down version of summer hit pop song. But it’s clear the song holds meaning for the Australian artist who seamlessly transitions the song into her own indie-folk sound. Continue reading »
There’s been a long-standing, at times insufferable debate as to whether or not My Chemical Romance were an really an emo band. While that description was accurate in terms of the lyrical sentiments, it didn’t reflect their actual sound, a manic mix of early Queen, Iron Maiden, The Misfits and The Smiths. But no matter where they’re categorized, for some listeners coming of age and not fitting during the early noughts, they were the only band that mattered. While their signature song “Welcome To The Black Parade” was epically bombastic and capable of driving moms crazy, it also had an unfailingly earnest, empathetic and melodic heart beating inside of it. Continue reading »
The Swedish sister duo may be a lot of things, but afraid to approach a song from a different angle is definitely not one of them. Continue reading »