The Best Covers of 2023
Do you like covers? I do. Sometimes. Especially when the cover really adds something to an album or really surprises me. It is a nice excuse to list a couple of great covers that were released last year!
Aortes - Something In The Way (Nirvana cover)
Taken from the album Devouring Gloom
Aortes is post-metal band that tried its hand on "Something In The Way", a song I would say is iconic. The slow and brooding mood of the song fits them like a glove. As a good and proper post-metal band they use the song structures to built up to an explosive finish. It gives the song a more harrowing feel that seems to fit like a glove. The way they do this makes it a perfect fit for the album. So perfect that it matches the flow of their album perfectly, even though it is included halfway the album.
- Dennis
Darkher - Like Suicide (Soundgarden cover)
Taken from the album Superunknown Redux
Soundgarden wasn't the most happy of bands and "Like Suicide" was not exactly their most happy tune ever. Give that tune to someone like Darkher and you can be sure the depression is not only made even more tangible, but also more dreamy. To me, this song in this version reaches almost the same heights as "Hurt" performed by Johnny Cash. Both songs will haunt you long after the song is finished.
- Dennis
Hinin - Réve Adolescent (The Undertones cover)
Taken from the Litovsk and Hinin split EP
When I first spinned this EP I hadn't figured out both bands had recorded a cover. Litovsk covered Bérurier Noir. I don't know the original, so this flew right by me. When I came to Hinins side I perked my ears thinking: "Hey, I know this!". I am a bit ashamed to admit I didn't immediately recognize it as a cover of "Teenage Kicks" from The Undertones. I blame the translated lyrics. Those put me on the wrong track. Once I figured that out there was no denying: Hinin made a great cover filtering the original through their oi! with post-punk lense.
- Dennis
Taxi Caveman - Don't Blame Me (Taylor Swift Cover)
Taken from the album Ugh!
When it comes to covering songs, you can go two ways. Either you cover something from a band that plays the same type of music and you just replay what they already did. Or you pick a song from someone (or from a band of course) that is in a (whole) different field than you are. I usually like those covers best. Or I should say: I find those covers more interesting. Taxi Caveman is a stoner doom band, which is a long way from the pop Taylor Swift creates. It is a testament to her songwriting that this song is fun in a stoner version. It also tells me Taxi Caveman know what they are doing. It is a fun listening experience, but I also think it is a good thing that this song is added to the end of the album as it would hinder the flow of the rest of the album.
- Dennis
Drain - Good Good Things (Descendents cover)
Taken from the album Living Proof
Drain playing Descendents? I would have never guessed it. And doing it so well too. They power it up a bit and it makes them sound more fun. This cover is great, but it taught me one thing: the importance of flow on an album. I really like this song, but the placement of it on Living Proof hinders the flow as it is something different from their own stuff. It would have been so much better had they included it at the end of their album, perhaps even as a bonus track.
- Dennis
Flying Raccoon Suit - Missionary (Operation Ivy cover)
Part of the 33-song Mooorree Than Just Another Comp, “Missionary” manages to change genres without changing the vibe. Op Ivy is probably the perfect band for this, as they seamlessly blended punk, ska, and hardcore -- so if you stick with one of those, it fits the mood. Flying Raccoon Suit adds some swinging horns and punchy singing that make the song a little more vibrant, but without losing the meaning. Here you get a ska backbeat and jazzy horns, which give the song new life while amplifying a timeless and potent social message: proving that both its message and melody are timeless 30-plus years later.
- Loren
