Good Cover/Bad Cover #2

ESTIMATED 

We've come to yet another episode of Good Cover/Bad Cover where we exhibit the best and worst versions of cover songs we've come across our adventures through the great internet. Here's a couple more that we think all of you should take notice of. 


Good Cover


Badbadnotgood - Flashing Lights (Kanye West cover)

The Original:
'Flashing Lights' was honestly the best track from Kanye West's 2007 release Graduation, and that says a lot for an album full of classic Kanye hits. In typical Yeezy fashion, the song is an operatic, confessional tale full of symphonic strings and synth lines that was a throwback to the glitzy 80s while still having that futuristic vibe. 

BANDWAGON TV

The Cover:
The young instrumental jazz trio BadBadNotGood had already attained fame on the net through videos and MP3s of their own complex interpretations of hip hop tracks by Odd Future and Gucci Mane. Their cover of 'Flashing Lights' however was where they truly shined - they pulled the already gorgeous song up to extreme sophistication and mind-bending configurations. Seriously just go listen to that stunning jazzy breakdown in the middle. Insane.


Katy Perry - Electric Feel (MGMT cover)

The Original:
MGMT came to popularity at a time when New Rave was all the rage. Along with the likes of Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem and CSS, they were representatives of a genre that mashed together electronica, indie pop, new wave and psychedelic music. 'Electric Feel' was just one of the many examples of the style - catchy, mysterious and dancey. What happened to MGMT anyway? 

The Cover:
Katy Perry may be getting a lot of flak nowadays for being a stereotypical popstar, making ditzy songs and amplifying her sex appeal but there was a time when she was actually a well respected musician. Her rendition of 'Electric Feel' in her appearance on the BBC Live Lounge Session brought a whole different vibe to the hippie-ish original; she made it a lot sexier. And it made sense too. It's a pretty damn good over, and it makes you wonder... what happened to you Katy?


Teen Daze - Wet Hair (Japandroids cover)

The Original:
An anthem by our favourite two-man anthemic act Japandroids, 'Wet Hair' is a sort of song you shout out with a bunch of friends who don't mind being rowdy during the duration of the song. We started a mini mosh pit fuelled by passion (a mush pit hur hur) during Laneway when Japandroids played so you can understand the intensity of their songs. Still, a feel good song, one to listen to loud. 

The Cover:
Teen Daze cleaned up the clankiness of the Japandroids song with some fuzzy guitars and lo-fi treatment. So instead of a cheeky love song slash anthem, you get a dreamy chillwave version of the original. We still like shouting out the lyrics to this song, but hey the cover ain't too bad. Plus, the intro is pretty awesome.


Bad Cover


Nouvelle Vague - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover)

The Original:
BEST SONG EVER OKAY NOBODY TOUCH IT OKAY (except Jose Gonzalez, you're all right)

The Cover:
After I bludgeoned someone, I took a drag of my Marlboro Red and said, "How dare you Bossa Nova this classic." End scene. Credits.

Kelly Osbourne - Papa Don't Preach (Madonna cover)

The Original:
Classic Madonna, and one of the most iconic pop songs of the 80s. A song about coming-of-age and maturity, about growing up and making decisions for yourself.  

The Cover:
If this is how Kelly Osbourne wants to break into the music industry, then she should have tried harder. Off-tune, screeching and a failed attempt at being 'edgy', the cover is just plain bad. Sorry Ozzy.


Avril Lavigne - Fuel (Metallica cover)

The Original:
If you needed proof of how badass Metallica (in their prime years) are, Fuel is just one of the many songs that provided that affirmation. This was Metallica in their ReLoad years, at their most pounding, confident and rambunctiously groovy.

The Cover:
No, just... No.


What other awesomely brilliant and hilariously bad covers do you want us to write about? Tweet them to us at @bandwagonapp with the #goodcover or #badcover hashtags!