Think you know Owl City’s “Fireflies”? I promise you’ve never heard it quite like this. Local talents Bailey Pickles and Hugo Hui have teamed up with the Sydney Conservatorium Choir for a magical version of the synth-pop smash. With its lush orchestral arrangements and harmonies from the choir, it sounds like it belongs on an epic movie soundtrack.
“Our goal was to take the magic of ‘Fireflies’ and expand it into something that feels like the soundtrack to a dream,” Bailey said. “Collaborating with the Sydney Conservatorium Choir was an incredible opportunity to push our vision to the next level.”
“’Fireflies’ is a celebration of everything we love about music, nostalgia, creativity, and the power to transport listeners to another world,” Hugo added. “We’re so grateful to the Sydney Conservatorium Choir for helping us bring this vision to life.”
This is the latest single lifted from Bailey and Hugo’s highly anticipated EP, which features four cinematic covers and two original pieces.
Tim Minchin’s well-recognised for his hilarious tunes and musical theatre contributions, but many people don’t realise he’s just an incredible songwriter, period. So I’m glad that fellow Western Australian Helen Shanahan is shining a light on one of his more serious, brilliant songs with her cover of “The Aeroplane.” Her voice has the perfect storyteller quality for this incredible track.
“The song resonates deeply with me, especially now, with my second baby due just weeks after its release,” Helen explained. “The lyrics, ‘any fuel or any fire will do / I will fly to you,’ carry a special meaning for me.”
Take a moment to properly listen to this one. Trust me, you don’t want to miss a lyric. It’s really something special.
A friend introduced me to Perry Keyes’ “The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw” a few years back. My friends introduce me to a lot of songs, and most of them I probably forget before too long. But this song was different. It was so good that I wondered why we don’t all know it, the way we know “Khe Sanh” and “The Horses”. It’s so good that when you hear it, you wonder why it’s not more well-known. It feels familiar from the first play. Once you do hear it, it’s not easily forgotten. I’m hopeful that a few more people will fall in love with it now that The Whitlams have put their stamp on it.
It’s no accident that this cover has more of a country sound than we’re used to from The Whitlams. It came from an idea hatched by frontman Tim Freedman as he drove between regional stops on his 2021 solo tour. While travelling from Gunnedah to Mudgee, via Black Stump Way, he discovered country radio playing his band’s latest single, “Man About a Dog.”
“I must admit it was a surprise to be played on Kix Country and Triple A Murri Country, but it was very cool,” he said. And it got him thinking. In Mudgee, he called Matt Fell, who produced his solo effort Australian Idle, and said “Put together your dream band. I think I want to make a country album.”
And so, The Whitlams got together with the new Black Stump Band, featuring Rod McCormack (on banjo, papoose, and acoustic guitar), Ollie Thorpe (pedal steel and electric guitar), and Matt Fell on bass. And they made that country album, The Black Stump Sessions, featuring this song.
Sydney photojournalist and director Johnny Barker made the gorgeous black and white video. It features archival footage of Tim’s father, Barrie Freedman, tipping Souths to win that historic rugby league grand final, with captain John Sattler finishing the game despite breaking his jaw. Talk about grit and determination!
The Whitlams, Black Stump Band will play shows all around the eastern states to launch the single later this year.
22 April 2022 – Longyard Hotel, Tamworth
24 April 2022 – Victoria Hotel, Bathurst
28 July 2022 – The Metropolitan Hotel, Mackay
29 Jul 2022 – Mansfield Hotel, Townsville
30 Jul 2022 – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
3 August 2022 – Gunnedah Town Hall, Gunnedah
4 August 2022 – Orange Civic Theatre, Orange
5 August 2022 – Royal Hotel, Queanbeyan
6 August 2022 – Bowral Bowling Club, Bowral
7 August 2022 – Tallagandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo
12 August 2022 – Westernport Hotel, San Remo
13 August 2022 – Queenscliff Town Hall, Queenscliff
14 August 2022 – Burrinja Theatre, Upwey
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
The Foo Fighters’ concert in Geelong last night seemed like a turning point in the pandemic. It was the first time an international artist visited our shores and played a full-scale gig since this shitshow began. Friends in New South Wales and Queensland crossed the border and plenty of my Victorian buddies got themselves along. From all the photos and streams I saw, it was a triumph. The set celebrated the hits, concluding with my favourite: “Everlong.” If you missed the gig or just want a little more Foo Fighters music in your life, check out this fab new cover from Sydney artist Grace Amos.
Now I’m going to warn you, this is very different from the Fooies original. But I’ve always believed if you can’t bring something new to a song, why cover it in the first place? The gentle piano treatment really brings out those incredible lyrics. Grace is also in fine voice here. It might be a dramatic departure, but I love it.
“Something about Everlong has always caught my eye,” Grace said. “It’s so beautiful, and so well known that I was confused as to why I couldn’t find a cover of it that really showcases the lyrics. I feel that I’ve really achieved this, particularly with the mix of piano and strings in the instrumental.”
While her next show might not be as big as the Foo Fighters gig, ValleyWays is sure to be a good time. With The Rubens, Middle Kids, Skeggs, Slowly Slowly, and heaps more on the bill, you don’t want to miss this. It hits Onslow Oval in Camden on September 10.
Ali Barter has wowed music lovers with the tracks from her sophomore album Hello, I’m Doing My Best, but she’s also capable of releasing a stunning cover. She recently released her take on Julia Michaels’ “Issues,” and it’s really something special.
It’s a beautiful, delicate reworking that doesn’t stray so far from the original that it’ll alienate listeners. You’ll find it on Spotify, but I think there’s something magical about watching it take shape at Prime Recording in Nashville.
Ali is spending more and more time Stateside as her star rises. She’s got a couple of local gigs lined up next year before she returns to the US for South by Southwest.
3 January 2020 – Espy Gershwin Room, St Kilda
5 January 2020 – Summer Sundays, Ballarat
13-22 March 2020 – South by Southwest, Austin
Cover versions are a tricky business. When you take a song beloved by many, it’s often judged more harshly than any original. And when you take on an iconic Aussie band like Silverchair, the knives are likely to come out. As a born and bred Novocastrian, I might be a harsher critic than most. I haven’t like everything I’ve heard from Spawn (Again): A Tribute to Silverchair, but Hands Like Houses has risen to the occasion with a cover of “Ana’s Song (Open Fire).”
This is probably my favourite Silverchair song, and the Canberra band brings just the right mix of pathos and aggression to it.
“It’s impossible to be an Australian band and not have some recognition and appreciation for the huge role Silverchair has played in Aussie music, and the pathway it created for rock in particular,” Hands Like Houses frontman Trenton Woodley explained. “Daniel Johns has such a strong songwriting style, so when were were asked if we were interested in this compilation, it was an intimidating but exciting prospect to try and bring in our own take on their music, while still retaining and respecting what made them such massive hits. We’re stoked on how it came out and hope it, along with the rest of the compilation, does justice to the significance of Silverchair’s role in Australian music history!”
Spawn (Again): A Tribute To Silverchair hits stores on November 17. Hands Like Houses will remind Australia of its own original talents with an acoustic tour next year. It’s something we don’t often see from bands that rock as hard as Hands Like Houses, so if you’re a fan you’ll want tickets to these shows.
18 January 2018 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
19 January 2018 – The Basement, Sydney
20 January 2018 – The Foundry, Brisbane
21 January 2018 – Capital Brewing Co, Canberra
Image used with permission from Unified Music Group
When I was a teen, all the girls in my peer group seemed to be obsessed by Bjork. I never quite got it. Her music seemed so weird to me, lacking in melody and focus. It really takes an amazing artist to make me appreciate music that had passed me by, but Ben Abraham has done just that with his incredible cover of “Hyperballad.”
I was so surprised when I heard the first of these covers. I loved it. Ben’s treatment really brought out the lyrics, and there’s a lighter, more delicate touch than I remember in the original. I decided I’d post my favourite of the two version I received, but as I listened to the second I realised I just couldn’t choose. They’re both so beautiful and special in their own right.
So tell me readers, can you pick? Do you prefer the version with Luke Howard or Tim Shiel?
I always love an interesting cover version. It’s so exciting when an artist can make me look at a song differently and reveal parts of the lyrics I hadn’t tapped in to before. So in that spirit, check out Billy Fox’s take on John Farnham’s 80s classic, “Pressure Down.”
“I originally did an arrangement of it at live shows with no plans to release it, until fans kept asking how they could get their hands on it,” explained the Sydney-based songwriter. “So I rearranged it in my studio and sent my arrangement to Sesta (The Funkoars) who added some more drums and other sounds to it”.
I know this stripped back cover isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but I think this unique cover really works. Love it or hate it, I’d love to know what you think!
Patrick James is one of my favourite Aussie singer-songwriters, so when I saw he’d covered The Church’s Under the Milky Way I just had to share it with you.
It’s a tender respectful rendition that should please music purists and encourage more people to check out the talented Aussie.
What do you think of Patrick’s take on The Church? Image used with permission from Title Track
Melbourne band Storm the Sky like to rock, hard. Their usual stuff is much too heavy for my tastes, but I love the new side of themselves they’re showcasing with their unexpected cover of The 1975’s “Robbers.” There’s a little edge there, but it’s balanced out beautifully by their tender take.
I don’t expect to hear many numbers like this on their debut album Permanence, but if you love it when Storm the Sky cranks the volume the album’s out on January 16.
