We’ve been faced with some pretty outstanding covers for triple j’s Like A Version over the last year, in fact, we might even think that 2016 has been the best year for Like A Version yet.
But it’s not just the last year that there has been some amazing covers, after all, Like A Version has been happening since 2004, so if you do the math, that’s an absolute boatload of quality that’s been coming out of the Like A Version segment over the years.
We’ve decided to take a look back at some of the highlights that have been produced since Like A Version’s inception. We wrote about 12 of the best last year, but we’ve decided to update the list with 10 more that you certainly wouldn’t want to miss.
triple j’s Like A Version 12 CD is out now, featuring covers from The Rubens, Tame Impala, and more – get it via the ABC Shop or iTunes!
Art vs Science – ‘Enter Sandman’ By Metallica
From the opening notes of the track, you can instantly tell that Art vs Science aren’t going to cover this song in a conventional manner. In fact, given their history, you really have no idea which direction they’ll take with this one. What they delivered though, was one of rock’s most famous songs delivered with the group’s trademark electronic funk, mixed in with a chilled vibe that no one saw coming and a guitar solo that would probably make Metallica’s Kirk Hammet jealous. Truly one of the all-time Like A Version highlights.
Something For Kate – ‘Rock The Casbah’ By The Clash
Something For Kate and frontman Paul Dempsey are responsible for some of the greatest covers in Australian music, so it’s only fitting that this was the last cover that original Like A Version host Mel Bampton was around to witness. Taking inspiration from some of their musical heroes, Something For Kate take The Clash’s classic track and throw their own uniquely Australian alternative take into the mix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qf4A6JgyO8
Mark Ronson Supergroup – ‘I Sat By The Ocean’ By Queens Of The Stone Age
Mark Ronson is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in music, so to have him in for Like A Version is a pretty big deal. It got even bigger when he brought in some friends to help him out, including Andrew Wyatt from Miike Snow, Kirin J. Callinan, and a certain someone who happens to go by the name of Kevin Parker. Together, this unfathomable entity of a supergroup took on Queens Of The Stone Age’s recent classic ‘I Sat By The Ocean’. The result was an atypically Kevin Parker-type psychedelic take on one of the biggest rock groups in the world, proving that this is exactly what Like A Version was made for.
Gyroscope – ‘Monument’ By Jebediah
Back in 1997, Jebediah took the Aussie music scene by storm when they released ‘Leaving Home’. Some fans, like fellow WA musos Gyroscope clearly checked out the second track on that single. ‘Monument’ has since been voted one of the Jebs’ best songs, regularly featuring at concerts these days, and it clearly resonated with Gyroscope enough for them to belt out this amazing cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4vgZQGIoP8
Hermitude – ‘Jóga’ By Björk
To promote their third album Threads 8 years back, Hermitude ducked into the triple j studios and undertook a feat that few have managed to pull off; successfully cover a Björk song. Armed with their vast array of unique instruments and samples, the Blue Mountains duo kicked into a luscious downtempo rendition of Björk’s 1998 track ‘Jóga’, pulling it off without a hitch, and proving that they were a band who were stowing away some serious talent.
Jonathon Boulet – ‘Colour Television’ By Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Following on from his stint as the drummer for Sydney’s Parades, Jonathon Boulet took off on a successful solo career. Early into that solo career he dropped into the triple j studios to give us a take on the classic Eddy Current Suppression Ring track. Backed by a band armed pots and an empty chlorine bucket amongst other things, Boulet’s soulful tones are in stark contrast to the Aussie drawl of Brendan Suppression on the original.
Grouplove – ‘Bullshit’ By Dune Rats
One of the more famous Like A Version covers in recent years comes from ‘honorary locals’ Grouplove. After turning Dune Rats’ already amazing ‘Bullshit’ in a inde-folk number, Grouplove’s bass player Daniel Gleason did the most Aussie thing ever seen in the Like A Version studios and necked a shoey.
Ball Park Music – ‘Do You Realize??’ By The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips’ ‘Do You Realize??’ is considered one of the greatest songs in modern rock, and was even the official rock song for the American state of Oklahoma, the home of The Flaming Lips. Covering this would be a pretty daunting task as you could imagine, but one of Australia’s favourite musical outfits decided to try this one on for size and managed to throw down a cover that was equal parts intimate, delicate, and fun.
Cub Sport – ‘Ultralight Beam’ By Kanye West
We wrote earlier this year how this was easily the best Like A Version cover of 2016, and its very easy to see why. One of the select few Like A Version covers that does more than just rehash the original, Brisbane’s Cub Sport take Kanye’s epic track and truly make it their own by adding in some stunning harmonies, lush synths, and even a guitar solo.
Austra – ‘None Of Dem’ By Robyn
Back in 2012, Canadian group Austra joined the ranks of Like A Version greats when they belted out this cover of the Robyn classic. While they stripped away the funky percussion and Scandinavian badassery that Robyn embodies, they replaced it with a relatively simple piano riff fronted by an immensely impressive vocal performance from the rest of the group. Capturing the essence of Robyn’s upfront vocals, the group delivers a cover that takes away a lot of the original, but delivers so much more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy1zIG2Rmt4
