killing me softly with covers

Covers are everywhere. They keep you warm at night, and protect all the cops operating under covert operations. They are reimaginations of classic hits, given a new twist and refreshed for the modern age. Either that, or every now and then a band runs low on originality and decides to rehash an old song instead. Either way it still makes for some good music.

The Bird & The Bee - How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees Cover)

We begin with another track from TB&TB. Somehow covers where the singer is of a different gender from the original often sound better. They impart a certain quality to the song which was lacking in the original; letting you see your old favourites in new light. "how deep is your love, cos we're living in a world of fools" some lines like these really just stand the test of time so well.

Embrace - How Come (D12 Cover)

What do you get if you take a lil rap, mix in some piano and strings and add one emo-sounding vocalist? You get a melodic rendition like this, which would please fans of both genres. After the bridge when you get the crescendo of drums and guitar accompanying the vocals, you can only but marvel at this successful fusion of rock themes with urban material.

Keane - With Or Without You (U2 Cover)

Another English rock band, another piano laden cover. The alternative sound that they pioneered is was pretty ahead of its time, with layers upon layers of synth, brought to the front of the audio soundscape due to their lack of a guitar as the lead instrument. The vocals here may not rival that of Bono, but its enough of a change to warrant a listen. Or two, or three and so on..

Ben Folds Five - Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr Dre Cover)

What do you get if you take a lil rap, mix in some piano and strings and add one emo-sounding vocalist? You get a melodic rendition like th- Oh shit thats the same verse, I just did this. But then this song is along the same lines as the Embrace cover above, save for the fact that a bunch of nerdy white guys going on about stuff that has nothing to do with them even remotely is pretty amusing.


The Vines - Ms. Jackson


Now this one's a little different. The rap verses were stripped from the original, leaving only the bridge and chorus. But the result ain't bad at all. It retains the heartfelt tone of the original and actually seems more suited to the emo cooing and ahhing with a backing acoustic guitar and all.

Bic Runga - Sway

Lastly, we present a song that has been covered over and over since it was released in 1997. Most live outfits have this song in their repertoire; its a song that people will listen to on the side of their conversations and start to wonder as it sounds strangely familiar yet they can't put their finger on exactly what song it is. Fear not, for indieisthenewpop tells you that its from the land of a 1001 million sheep, New Zealand to be exact, and was featured on the American Pie OST.