If you’re a Like A Version virgin…

…these clips are a good place to start with Triple J‘s favourite segment.

Like A Version has been going strong on Friday mornings at your favourite radio station for nigh on a decade now.

It’s where the coolest names in the biz get a chance to play a favourite cover on live radio, and it’s simultaneously recorded by the expert team that records sound and video stuffs at the Js.

Sometimes, the cover is mediocre at best. Sometimes, it is magic. Below are my favourite Like A Version moments.

Almost famous for five minutes

It’s come to my attention that while they cop a fair bit of negative press (haters gonna hate), ex-Idol contestants seem to have a habit of showing up on the indie music scene and kicking goals. It might initially be a burden to carry, a moniker which does more to hinder than to help their pursuit of musical integrity and respect in the pretentious industry. Nonetheless, a handful have managed to break through the reality television glass ceiling and leave their mark. Indeed, some of them have gone on to become darlings of that most exclusive and prestigious (or is that pretentious?) of decision-makers, Triple J.

I’ve heard rumours that Matt Corby was sent packing from the Triple J studios more than once by that King of Cool, Richard Kingsmill, before he was embraced and given the same chance as other unsigned artists by the station that has pioneered an enormously successful Unearthed campaign. Maybe it was in spite of, not because of, the station that ‘Brother’ rose to the surface and stood out above the pack to become one of the most memorable tunes of 2011. Ranking at #3 in the enormous musical democracy that is the Hottest 100, the song garnered national attention and a coveted spot on the J’s Hit List and is now receiving airplay on mainstream stations – following the path that Mumford & Sons and The Temper Trap have travelled from indie-buzz to mainstream-cool.

The latest talent-show to gain enormous popularity in this country is The Voice, which I confess openly to being completely addicted to. The panel is ridiculously attractive (I maintain that this is a huge part of its appeal), and is Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden, Keith Urban and Seal. From the get-go, Lakyn Heperi was touted as being the indie pretty boy that is most likely to end up getting indie cudos when he goes on to not win the title of The Voice. For his blind audition, he performed an acoustic version of MGMT‘s ‘Kids’ – and nailed it. It was a fresh take on a cool-cum-popular band’s hit single that showcased his unique vocals and guitar-playing chops. His face has ensured that he be voted through despite lacklustre subsequent performances (I exclude his compelling performance of Angus & Julia Stone‘s ‘Big Jet Plane’ from this), and he boasts the largest Twitter following of the contestants. The sooner he gets voted off the show, the less not-so-cool reality television ghosts he’ll need to shoo before he can achieve the same success as Corby. Watch this space.

Some ex-Idols that have proven they’re more than a pretty face are these lovelies:

Lisa Mitchell
Australian Idol 2006, finished 6th

And her incredibly lovely cover of Nick Cave‘s ‘Ship Song’ for Triple J’s Tribute Concert is worth the iTunes download…

Matt Corby
Australian Idol 2007, runner-up 

Covering The Black Keys ‘Lonely Boy’ for Triple J’s Like A Version:

Owl Eyes
Australian Idol 2008, finished 11th

The moniker of Brooke Addamo, Owl Eyes is known for her popular cover of Foster The People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ for Triple J’s Like A Version. This is one of her originals currently receiving lots of love on Triple J.

The art of soundtracking

In the absence of any inspiration for blog posts of late, I’ve decided to do another Top 5. There can never be enough Top 5’s on the blogosphere – can there? Nope, there can’t.

The soundtrack to a movie is equally as important as the direction. A scene played without music can lack passion, suspense, feeling. The same scene with the right score or song comes alive, and transports the viewer. Think of the fish tank scene in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet without Des’ree‘s ‘Kissing You’.  A movie I saw recently in which the soundtrack played just as important a role as the lead actor was Drive, with Ryan Gosling. The soundtrack wasn’t incidental, or background noise. It was a feature, and it was impressive.

Today on my daily walk around the hood I listened to Counting Crows ‘Colorblind’, and was reminded of how effectively this sombre piano tune was used in 90s classic Cruel Intentions. That got me thinking about good movie soundtracks, naturally. And so (naturally) I ended up here. Posting about the best of them.

Garden State

Responsible for my discovery of The Shins, this film definitely wins Best Indie Soundtrack. With Iron & Wine, Nick Drake and Coldplay on the bill, along with some even more obscure treasures, it’s an easy winner. Not only does the soundtrack play well as a stand-alone compilation, the songs are worked beautifully into the film. The best example of this is when Natalie Portman’s character introduces Zach Braff’s to ‘New Slang’ by the Shins, assuring him it would change his life. Special.

Cruel Intentions

The track listing of the soundtrack to this classic Gen Y drama reads like a who’s who of the music industry circa the late 90s. You need to take a deep breath before you consider this exhaustive list of great alt-rock from the decade that gave us grunge music and Hanson. The Verve, Blur, Fatboy Slim, Faithless, Placebo, Counting Crows and Marcy Playground. Epic. The Verve’s anthemic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ steals the final scene, and the rest of the cutting edge soundtrack adds truckloads of uber-cool-factor to this saucy film.

Almost Famous

Where Cruel Intentions is a Best of the 90s soundtrack, Almost Famous is Best of the 70s. The songs of Elton John, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens provide the soundtrack to the story of wannabe rock journalist William Miller, and his adventure across America with up-and-coming band Stillwater. The music is obviously integral to the telling of this story, and the bus scene where the band, their ‘band-aids’ and crew sing along to Elton’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ is an iconic scene. With some of the more obscure songs of the decade getting a guernsey, this is the retro soundtrack for the more discerning music-lover.  As its a film about the “industry of cool”, it’s as it should be.

The Twilight Series

OK, so technically this is 5 movies, not 1. I tried to pick only 1, but it’s really hard. Besides, when you look at them as a set, you find yourself with a whole stack of killer tunes and bands. Reportedly, Muse were Stephanie Meyer’s, aherm, muse when writing the Twilight books. Fittingly, they appear on the first 3 soundtracks. ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ is Muse at their best, and is used to full effect in the first film during the Cullen’s epic vampire baseball game. Other names to appear on the soundtracks of Twilight are Sia, Metric, Paramore, Iron & Wine, Florence & The Machine, The Black Keys and Beck. ‘Flightless Bird, American Mouth’ by Iron & Wine (off the first film’s soundtrack) literally moved me to tears the first time I heard it – and I played it on repeat for an hour. Sometimes a good cry is what the doctor ordered.

Empire Records

A film that takes place over the course of one day in an independent record store, Empire Records is clearly made by music lovers, for music lovers. The Cranberries, Evan Dando and The Cruel Sea are the biggest names on the official soundtrack – the rest are relatively obscure indie delights. AC/DC and Dire Straits appear in the film, but not on the soundtrack. Mazzy Star‘s ‘Bright As Yellow’ is a highlight, as is the moment when The Flying Lizards‘ ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ is played through the store’s PA as a joke because Lucas blew Joe’s money in Atlantic City. As I mentioned in a previous post, the scene in which ‘Romeo & Juliet’ by Dire Straits is playing is one of my favourite musical moments on film.