We’ve had a theory for a while now that if triple j for whatever obscure reason decided to ban the electronic drum pad from their studios, their much-loved weekly Like A Version segment might actually cease to exist.
Or at the very least, the pool of musicians who are able to perform on Like A Version would be reduced dramatically. Like, is it just us or do a lot of Like A Versions these days seem to be centred around synths and drum pads?
Sometimes this can yield incredible results, but on the whole it’s led to a bothersome homogeneity in Like A Version covers. They all just seem to sound alike these days, regardless of the artist performing or the song being covered.
The thing is, none of them are bad, quite the opposite is true in fact. They all just sound eerily similar. You take a brilliant vocal, match it with some electronically generation percussion, some synth strings, a piano, and you’re sweet.
Take Broods, for example. The talented New Zealand duo hit the triple j studios this morning to cover Drake’s ‘Once Dance’ for Like A Version and quite frankly, their rendition of the mega-hit tune was brilliant but boring.
Were Georgia Nott’s vocals on point? Absolutely. Was the instrumentation subtle and elegant? You bet. Did it make for a shimmering homage to the original? Of course. The duo and their band hit the actual performance out of the park
But compare it to, say, Dorsal Fins’s ridiculously fun cover of Kate Ceberano’s ‘Pash’, Art Vs Science’s electro-funk cover of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’, or Tuka and Thelma Plum’s rendition of ‘Big Jet Plane’. These were truly great covers because they were creative, imaginative, and unique.
