This Friday 10 October sees the tenth instalment of Triple J’s hugely successful Like A Version compilations released through ABC Music / Universal.
Over the past 10 years there have been some killer appearances on Like A Version, such as Arctic Monkeys’ soulful Tame Impala cover and Karnivool’s prog-lite take on London Grammar.
You don’t have dig back far into the Triple J’s nearly decade-long Like A Version history to realise that there’s actually a tonne of inventive tributes and amazingly inventive covers produced over the years.
Though we recently made a list of our favourites, we decided to ask Triple J Breakfast hosts Matt Okine and Alex Dyson to give us a run through of what they believe to be the greatest Like A Version covers from the past 10 years.
Paul Dempsey: Bat for Lashes ‘Daniel’
Alex: “The man knows how to cover a song. And when it’s a particularly well-written song by Natasha Kahn you get this delightful and melancholic antidote to anything that’s wrong with your day. Shout outs to Mike Noga and the crew for their cheeky backing vocals as well.”
Illy: Silverchair, Hilltop Hoods, Paul Kelly, Flume, Everyone Ever ‘Ausmusic Month Medley’
Alex: “The current high water mark for Like A Versions. The audacious arrangement, clever lyrics and sheer ambition of covering 3 of Australia’s most well-loved songs plus a recent electronic banger, using a string section, was astonishing in itself. The fact it sounded so good was a bonus.”
Matt: “Aside from the four main songs Illy covers in this, I love the snippets of Australian classics that pop up throughout this incredible medley. This isn’t just a Like A Version. This is “What’s that song” trivia at its finest.”
James Vincent McMorrow: Lana Del Rey ‘West Coast’
Matt: “I was a fan of ‘West Coast’ before James covered it, but hearing his version has since made me truly appreciate it. Love his falsetto and the passion that he brings to his performances. So soulful. Mmmm soul.”
Busby Marou: Cindy Lauper ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’
Alex: “Take a well-known song. Strip it back. Make it yours. Like a Version is a simple formula in theory, and I think Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou give the best example of that with their tender Lauper homage. It also spawned my favourite LAV YouTube comment ever regarding Jeremy’s manic guitar playing: “I hope that guitar is of age….””
CHVRCHES: Arctic Monkeys ‘Do I Wanna Know’?
Alex: “I love what CHVRCHES do. In general, and with this cover. Lauren puts her own spin on Alex Turner’s yearning whilst the boys Martin and Ian’s arrangement is delightfully surprising whilst being true to the source material. It’s got 2 million views for a reason.”
Meg Mac: Broods ‘Bridges’
Matt: “Chatting to Meg only minutes beforehand, she was so incredibly quiet. Nobody was prepared for the sound that came out of her mouth as she belted an amazing cover of Broods’ ‘Bridges’.”
Matt Corby – ‘Brother’
Matt: “It’s not a cover, but it’s still one of my faves of all time. Some bands like to bring every member and instrument in and pack the studio like a peak hour tram, but Matt Corby proves that the fundamental elements of a track can be the most powerful.”
To pick up you copy of Like A Version #10, visit the ABC store.
