Christmas is almost upon us and New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, ladies and gentlemen, it totally snuck up on us but 2017 is almost here and it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months and convert our thoughts into listicles.
With triple j’s Like A Version wrapped up for the year, we thought we might turn our reflection its way and have a look at the Like A Version covers that made us go ‘Ah!’, ‘Oh…’, and ‘Ew.’
So without further ado, we would like to present to you the good, the bad, and the ugly of triple j Like A Version 2016.
The Good
Elk Road
We actually saw quite a few mash-ups this year and most of them were great. The key to a good mash-up is seamlessly mixing two tracks that everybody already loves and that uncannily work together. Arguably nobody did this better than Elk Road.
Camp Cope
Camp Cope spent pretty much the entirety of 2016 kicking goals so it’s hardly a surprise that their Like A Version, a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’s tender ballad ‘Maps’, was one of the best of the year.
DMA’s
When everyone heard DMA’s were set to hit the triple j studios to lay down a Like A Version cover, they immediately began speculating about what Britpop hit they would cover. They chucked a serious curveball when they performed an elegant cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’.
A.B. Original
A.B. Original were hot on the heels of dropping one of the most vital and powerful albums of the decade when they hit the triple j studios, so listeners were expecting something pretty special and boy did they deliver.
Sarah Blasko
Sarah Blasko had a massive task on her shoulders when she was asked to do Like A Version. The news had just broken that the great David Bowie had passed away and Blasko delivered a sterling tribute with a breathtaking cover of his signature tune.
The Bad
Broods
We embarked on something of a crusade with Like A Version this year. It’s not that we thought any of these Like A Versions were bad, we were just sick of seeing the exact same thing each week – beautiful vocals over a subtle electronic backing of synths and drum pads.
The Internet
Like we said, none of these Like A Versions were bad, and in this particular case we imagine we had just caught a very tired The Internet on kind of an off day. We just had our expectations set real high after seeing them put on incredible live sets around the country.
Ziggy the Bulldog
Talk about a real dog’s breakfast. This one came courtesy of Ziggy the Bulldog, who made an ambitious choice in opting to cover Hudson Mohawke’s instrumental banger ‘Chimes’. A lot of build-up for absolutely no payoff.
The Ugly
Bootleg Rascal
Speaking of ambitious song choices, Bootleg Rascal set themselves quite the task when they decided to take on The Weeknd’s mega-hit ‘The Hills’. After pulling off an excellent performance of their song ‘Asleep In The Machine’ the boys split listener opinion with their LAV.
