The 2012 Summer Olympic Games kick off in London on July 27. In anticipation, we’ve hand-picked a few of our favorite celebratory, uplifting, and inspirational tracks in our dedicated playlist: Olympic Gold.
Highlights include a rousing motivational track by Dana Buoy aka Akron/Family percussionist Dana Janssen [his debut album Summer Bodies reflects "the genuinely happy work of a charmed life," The Fader]; a mellow ballad from Chicago singer-songwriter Young Man, whose second album, Vol. 1 contains “truly stellar introspection from a young adult on the verge of something big” [Consequence Of Sound]; and an anthem of perseverance from Right The Stars, an LA band compared to Scars On 45 and Mat Kearney.
Euro 2012: see you in 4 years. London Olympic Games: here we come!
Photo courtesy of London 2012.
After dabbling in YouTube for some time now, I can’t help but notice how many interesting renditions of notable songs have been performed by some of The Orchard’s artists.
Here are a few that have stuck out to me recently:
1. Artist: Right The Stars
Song: Somebody That I Used To Know
Original Performer: Gotye
Label: New Power Media
My take: This song is all over the place now: The Voice and Glee both covered it and artists all over are putting their own spin on it. This one keeps the eerie and echoey sound of the original, and I actually prefer this version because it’s slower and you have a chance to hear quality singing voices vocalizing — both female and male. You can appreciate the song more this way.
2. Artist: Chrome Division
Original Performer : ZZ Top
Song: Sharp Dressed Man
Label: Nuclear Blast
My take: Call me biased but I really like Nuclear Blast artists. They tend to be on the heavier side so this ultimately is a faster, louder version of the original. I’d say it’s just as good as the original — might even be a little bit better if I had to choose and the pace of the song is what would swing my vote.
3. Artist: The Chillout Sessions
Original Performer: Michael Jackson
Song: Thriller
Label: GLD Distribution
My take: Ok, we all know Thriller is amazing on its own and covering it is going to be a risky endeavor but this one’s pretty neat. It’s slow and jazzy — and the best part — you can still dance to it!
