Kicking off the fight with a questionable cover is Cancer Bats' recent interpretation of the Beastie Boys' classic 'Sabotage'. Don't get me wrong, Cancer Bats are a great band, but the Beasties are better. And it shows. Moral of the story is: don't mess with perfection, boys. It really is a risky foray for anyone - given that the song is so brilliant and ageless to start with.
Sure, have fun and play it live. I'm sure it goes down a treat - it's a gem of a tune - just don't record it, make a lame spoof video then stick it on your album. Part of the reason this cover doesn't quite work is that it's hardly reworked at all, sounding almost identical to the original but with slightly more depth to the screaming guitars and more gravelly vocals. Hardly worth it.
Another reason it doesn't work is that we know Cancer Bats have been responsible for some cracking covers. Two fantastic examples of what they can do when they really give a song the Bats treatment are the covers of The Faint's 'Agenda Suicide' and Tegan & Sara's 'So Jealous'. Neither bear a strong resemblance to their originals, therefore transforming two songs that Bats fans might not have been interested in before.
With 'Agenda Suicide' they erase any hint of The Faint's original alt-trance sounds with chugging guitar riffs and replace echoey vocals with Liam Cormier's signature screams. 'So Jealous' transforms into a frenzied angry affair, a shadow of Tegan & Sara's former incarnation. Cancer Bats may have won this bout for the Cover Lovers, but only just.
Round two is another example of a cover that falls short of it's predecessor with Further Seems Forever's version of Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So'. Chris Carrabba's vocals don't quite convey the emotion and range that Rivers Cuomo's do. Further Seems Forever aren't packing any punches with this one: they're so similar Further Seems Forever needn't have bothered. If listening to the cover makes you want to immediately stick on the original I think it's safe to say the cover version has failed.
Hit The Lights' brings this round full circle with a cover of Further Seems Forever. The Ohio boys come out swinging with a beautifully pop-punk version of 'Snowbirds & Townies' on last year's Coast to Coast EP. Adding just enough pop and energy to distinguish itself from the original, this is a class example of a cover win. Well done, team cover has won the second bout.
However, with two EPs of covers under their belts now, the Kings of Covers are undoubtedly New Found Glory. Like alchemists they combine all the right elements to create stellar reworks of classic songs from the bands' favourite films, while keeping a reasonable balance and adding a twist of interpretation. Keeping the essence of the original but mixing it with their own style and a decent measure of punk, From the Screen to Your Stereo 1 & 2 succeeds where others fail because the songs aren't disorted beyond recognition but are polished enough to make them stand out from the previous versions. Extra points awarded to the second installment which threw collaborations into the mix too with guest vocals from Chris Carrabba, Lisa Loeb, Patrick Stump and Adam Lazzara.
...And so, the winner of the first Vs Series title goes to the punk cover. Sealing the deal in extra time are Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - a band who's existence is solely the punk cover, littering their work with splashes of Ramones riffs and Misfits intros. Noteworthy is also an amazing cover by Paramore at Radio One's Live Lounge of Kings of Leon's hugely overplayed Use Somebody. Hayley Williams and co stripping down the song to a simplistic acoustic version and melting us with the delicate perfection in her voice.
Who do you think should have won this Vs Series title? What cover versions would you like to hear? Leave your comments below.
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