Browsing Tag

cover

Steps From the Cliff modernised Magazine with their darkwave cover of The Light Pours Out of Me

Posted on 10 March 2024

In one of their most daring releases to date, Steps From the Cliff modernised Magazine’s 1978 single, The Light Pours Out of Me, bringing the seminal release in line with the trends in the darkwave synthpop domain while amplifying the broodingly dark energy of the post-punk staple.

It was a bold move to rework the original, given all of the scintillation that pours from the atmospherically ensnaring production, but the Santa Cruz-hailing outfit, fronted by Tim Knapp, succeeded in putting their own mark on the single. The sombre reflections within the harbingering downtempo lament become all the more affecting through the contrast of the shimmer of the crystalline melodies carved by the glassy synths and the whispered snarls which carry the lyricism with maximum conviction.

The Light Pours Out of Me features on Steps From the Cliff’s most recent EP, Knowhere Fast, which reached the airwaves on January 26.

Stream The Light Pours Out of Me on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nick Cody rearranged a loveless world through the folk strings in his cover of Nick Cave’s Nobody’s Baby Now

Posted on 14 February 2024
https://on.soundcloud.com/99fhH

If you thought Nick Cave’s rendition of Nobody’s Baby Now from his 1994 album, Let Love In, hit hard, brace yourself for the evocative impact when delving into the bitter-sweet folk reimagining by Nick Cody featuring Towse, Harry Orme, Corwin Zekley.

Atop the Bob Dylan-esque instrumentals, the harmonised to-the-nines vocal arrangement pulls at the heartstrings with devastating precision. Though the lyrics have always been tragic in their forlorn romanticism when depicting a woman living a loveless life, Cody innovatively found a way, through the beguile within orchestral folk crescendos, to impart even more empathy for the female protagonist.

It takes an exceptionally talented artist to find more room for resonance within an already hauntingly captivating single. Clearly, Nick Cody can consider himself amongst the few sonic visionaries with the ability to breathe new painfully provocative life into already stunning scores – even though his humbleness, evidenced in this reworking, would never allow such an ego to show in his work.

Nobody’s Baby Now will debut on Valentine’s Day; stream the single on SoundCloud and wait for the LP, which is scheduled to drop on April 26.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London’s Immy Odon gave us the live lounge-y version we never knew we needed of Nelly Furtado’s Say It Right

Posted on 20 January 2024

Stripped-back and soulfully reimagined, Immy Odon’s acoustic RnB pop version of Nelly Furtado’s ‘Say It Right‘ is a revelation; the previously keyboard-driven single, now infused with the warmth of acoustic guitar chords, is elevated to new heights of emotional profoundness. Odon’s rendition is more than a mere cover; it’s a visceral reinvention of every harmony, showcasing her outstanding vocal performance.

Odon achieves what seems impossible: her version of ‘Say It Right’ outshines even the idea of Furtado herself performing it in a BBC Live Lounge setting. The success of Odon’s most popular single to date, ‘Unfreezing’, with over 384,000 streams on Spotify, speaks volumes about her talent and the impact of her music. Her rendition of ‘Say It Right’ is a testament to her unique ability to transform a well-known track into something entirely her own, and something that deeply connects with the listener.

Immy Odon is clearly an artist on an upward trajectory. Her upcoming releases, including several dance tracks, are eagerly anticipated. If they contain even a fraction of the magic found in her version of ‘Say It Right’, they are sure to elevate her status even further in the music world.

Stream the acoustic rendition of Say It Right on Spotify, which was first transmitted on the airwaves on January 12th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kevin Walsh paid a fitting ode to Meat Loaf with his dynamic rock-licked cover of ‘Not a Dry Eye in the House’

Posted on 27 October 2023

With his soaring, perfectly sustained tenor vocal range, Kevin Walsh could easily become the next wonder of the West End. For now, he’s commanding the airwaves through his latest single, a cover of the Diane Warren-penned Meat Loaf classic, Not a Dry Eye in the House.

The instrumentals seem to melt away around his vocal performance in the evocative rock-licked reworking of the classic hit, which, and I might be committing blasphemy by saying this, is infinitely more arresting than Meat Loaf’s rendition.

After growing up in Cork as a non-verbal autistic child with an eating disorder and intense social anxiety, Walsh sought solace in theatrical videos and dramatic performances. Emboldened by the presence of Meat Loaf, the self-taught pianist earned a First Class Honors Degree in Music before meeting his icon virtually at GalaxyCon 2020.

In 2022, Walsh entered the music scene with the neurodivergent supergroup, Embrace the World, of which Caroline Kay and Emma Langford were members; the group soared straight to number 1 on the iTunes charts. We can’t wait to see how far up the charts he climbs with this release.

Stream the official music video for Not a Dry Eye in the House which will premiere on October 27 via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Belle reworked an iconic Beats International hit for her latest EDM single, Just Be Good to Me

Posted on 27 August 2023

Pump it up to the tune of the latest slamming hit from the euphoria emissary, Belle. Her reworking of Dub Be Good to Me from the iconic act Beats International augments the earwormy grooves and feeds the mix all the staples of a seminal future house anthem.

Dancefloors won’t know what has hit them when the sonic session in bass-driven hedonist transcendence is underway; with the way that the original has been polished and anthemised to the nth degree, the Grammy-nominated Cali native ensured that the track has a place in the future of EDM. It is enough to make the original sound positively lo-fi; that will only sound like blasphemy before you’ve realised how much the Future Rave remix of Just Be Good to Me will push your speakers to the limit.

The Future Rave Version of Just Be Good to Me dropped on August 18th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

I Will Break You: London creative Kyran Julius visualizes the solutions on ‘The Who’ (Cover)

Posted on 22 January 2022

Taken off his brand new album named ‘Head In The Klouds‘, Kyran Julius shows respect to Kaytranada and adds in some Eric Thomas motivation for us to be inspired by on ‘The Who’ (Cover).

Kyran Julius is a London, UK-based actor, director, writer, and hip-hop musician. Known for creating and producing his own short films and various projects, you feel his vivid imagination shining through on this well-made and stamina-stacked single.

As he grits his teeth and reminds us that we can actually do anything we set our powerful minds to, Kyran Julius shows us that it’s all about that inner determination in this strange time for humanity. He raps with a real conviction and you feel that he is ready for anything, no matter what it will take to gain that power that he seeks for his life to be content and regret-free.

‘The Who‘ (Cover) from the London, UK-based indie actor and hip-hop artist Kyran Julius, is a passionate video that ushers us all into that consciousness that we can climb that hill if we believe enough. The world may have been cold to you before but it’s time to take charge so that you may get rid of any demons that are holding you back from achieving greatness. Hard work is the answer after all, not sulky excuses.

See this motivational new music video on YouTube and see his moves on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

StarAV puts a melancholic spin on Thundercat’s single, Lava Lamp, in his debut release.

Posted on 31 October 2021

Australian singer-songwriter and producer StarAV has made his debut with his cover single, Lava Lamp. The death-musing original was heavy with pensive malaise, yet StarAV’s rendition finds brand-new ways to pull melancholy out of the cathartically bleak soundscape.

Lava Lamp is the first single to be released from his new project that curated a series of songs that explore grief, loss, death, isolation and the discomfort of growth. While cover projects can snobbishly be looked down upon, the overarching exposition of aching grief across the collection of singles acts as a sombre sign of the times where the only emotions that seem to register are the ones that hurt. If you’re looking for comfort in the isolation the project explores, you won’t be disappointed.

StarAV’s cover of Lava Lamp will be available to stream from October 31st. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Edi Aztec has made Dusty Springfield’s ‘Spooky’ even more psychedelic than before

Posted on 9 June 2021

24-year-old Greek guitarist, songwriter and producer, Edi Aztec showed his virtuosic stripes in his latest single, Spooky, featuring Sofia Hole. Reworking a classic and rekindling the same magic is a rarity, but this Dusty Springfield cover is just as indulgent as the original.

The Brighton-based artist’s cover carries the same mesmeric marks as Dusty Springfield’s original, but with the faster tempo and even more kalaedoscopic psych elements worked into the sultrily iconic single, he well and truly made Spooky his own.

If Spooky gives you a newfound infatuation with Edi Aztec’s ability to add finesse to the already flawless, you will want him on your radar for his upcoming album release.

Spooky is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Natasha Jane Julian has put her own evocative twist on Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness”

Posted on 16 March 2020
https://soundcloud.com/natashajanejulian/summertime-sadness/s-rLlAh

Up and coming Pop artist Natasha Jane Julian completely transformed Lana Del Rey’s iconic hit “Summertime Sadness” with her innovative cover.

Summertime Sadness may have been released while we’re still in the grips of winter. Yet, with the ethereal chill which lingers between the pensive notes and Natasha Jane Julian’s striking almost barque vocals, fans of arcanely melancholic Pop will definitely still want to pay it some attention.

You can check out Natasha Jane Julian’s atmospheric restyling of Summertime Sadness for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

With a newly formed band by her side, Natasha Jane Julian will be taking her sensually resounding sound on tour in 2020. You won’t want to miss a chance to see it.

Keep up to date with new releases and tours via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Penelope Darling releases brand new single ‘My Mind’

Posted on 12 September 2019

Covering Abbey Smith, aka Yebba, Penelope Darling releases a version of her song ‘My Mind’.

An amazing range, a powerful voice from bass vocals to higher pitches along with a robust vibrato, this is an excellent take on ‘My Mind; adding to the original song a pop feel and a lot more instruments. Currently based in London where she’s mainly performing, Penelope Darling draws inspiration from artists such as Sam Smith and Adele but also shows a big passion for Yebba – the reason why she decided to cover the song.

It is to be expected to get new material that she’s likely to drop in a couple of months time. 

Review By Jim Esposito