If you haven’t heard, we’ve kind of declared war on the use of electronic drum pads in triple j Like A Version Covers. It’s not so much the drum pads we actually have a problem with as what they represent.
As many of our readers have also noted, there’s been a disturbing homogeneity among Like A Version covers in recent months. We’re not sure when it started, but many of the covers we see week-in week-out have become rather formulaic.
The recent spate of soundalike Like A Version covers are normally comprised of a beautiful vocal, some electronically generated percussion, some synth strings, and usually a live instrument of some kind, like a piano or guitar.
Don’t get us wrong. They’re not all like that. In fact, the past six months alone have actually seen quite a few inventive and in some cases mind-blowing Like A Version covers and we think it’s time we shone a spotlight on them.
Sarah Blasko – ‘Life On Mars’ (David Bowie)
Sarah Blasko entered the triple j studios just days after the world had lost an absolute icon of popular music. The Australian singer-songwriter honoured Bowie’s untouchable legacy with an incredible moving rendition of his signature tune, ‘Life On Mars’, with a stripped-back yet powerful arrangement.
Hey Geronimo – ‘Happiness At Best’ (Regurgitator / Courtney Barnett)
Tired Lion blew our minds when they performed an awesome alt rock mash-up of Violent Soho’s ‘Saramona Said’ and the Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘1979’ and Brisbane outfit Hey Geronimo did likewise when they put together two homegrown heroes with their mash-up of Courtney Barnett’s ‘Pedestrian at Best’ and Regurgitator’s ‘Happiness’.
Paces & Guy Sebastian – ‘Keeping Score’ (L D R U)
Guy Sebastian on triple j? It happened and it was actually awesome. Our Australian Idol joined buddy Paces for a cover of ‘Keeping Score’ by Sydney electronic favourite L D R U, with Paces taking care of beat duties and the pop chart-topper providing some absolutely killer vocals whilst manning the keyboards.
Methyl Ethel – ‘Cry Me A River’ (Justin Timberlake)
Part of the fun of Like A Version is occasionally seeing local indie bands put their own spin on big-time pop hits. This can have all sorts of different results, but in the case of Methyl Ethel they were incredibly moving. The band replaced Timbaland’s pop-tastic production with shimmering guitars, warbling bass, and understated percussion.
Citizen Kay – ‘Gold Digger’ / ‘Brick House’ / ‘Uptown Funk’ (Kanye West / The Commodores / Mark Ronson)
Yes, what actually constitutes a good Like A Version is totally up for debate and we could honestly be here all night arguing about it. But one of the elements that always makes for a great LAV is fun. By combining three of the funnest songs ever, Citizen Kay gave us one of the best times we’ve ever had listening to a LAV cover.
The Murlocs – ‘Every 1’s A Winner’ (Hot Chocolate)
Melbourne psych outfit The Murlocs took on Hot Chocolate’s ‘Every 1’s a Winner’ and immediately made our list of best LAV covers of 2016. They not only owned the tune, transmuting the 1978 funk classic into a garagey epic, but they clearly had a lot of fun doing it.
The Temper Trap – ‘Multi-Love’ (Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
Song choice is important to a good LAV and The Temper Trap well and truly nailed that part. Deciding to take on Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s ‘Multi-Love’ was an inspired pick for the band, whose shimmering instrumentals and falsetto vocals matched the song perfectly.
Halsey – ‘Love Yourself’ (Justin Bieber)
Was it just us or was this the most un-triple j Like A Version cover ever? Maybe it is just us, but there was something odd about a pop star covering another pop star whilst wearing the T-shirt of another pop star on triple j. Regardless, Halsey put on an incredible and NSFW performance.
