A couple of weeks back we proposed a theory we’ve been debating for a while amongst the Tone Deaf team. We think that if for whatever reason electronic drum pads were banned from the triple j studios, Like A Version might actually cease to exist.
See, Like A Version is so often a chance for our favourite bands to showcase their immense creativity. Some examples include Dorsal Fins’s ridiculously fun cover of Kate Ceberano’s ‘Pash’ or Art Vs Science’s electro-funk cover of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’.
But we’ve been a bit disappointed by the recent spate of soundalike Like A Version covers that are comprised of a beautiful vocal, some electronically generated percussion, some synth strings, and a live piano/guitar/bass.
Don’t get us wrong, none of them are bad. In fact, they’re almost always brilliant performances. They all just sound eerily similar. This morning’s Like A Version by English singer-songwriter Lapsley is a good example of what we mean.
The singer performed a shimmering and elegant cover of Foals’ ‘Mountain At My Gates’, which sounded fundamentally similar to Broods’ cover of Drake’s ‘One Dance’ a couple of weeks ago, or say, MS MR’s recent cover of ‘Genghis Khan’.