Top 10 Modern Covers

Enough of this depressing shit! I have for you a new Top 10 list and this time it's a Top 10 covers of top 40 songs! So these are current (well, maybe within the past 10 years) songs covered by other artists of varying level of fame. I picked these songs because the performer did something unique or put their signature on the song.

1) Royals by Walk off the Earth- You need to see the video for this song, it's really cool. (I don't want to spoil it for you). I could easily bulk up this list with several other covers by Walk off the Earth from Gotye to Eminem.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgD5p1XiVT0

2) Radioactive by Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix. Not gonna lie, I like this version much better! They harmonize well during the chorus of "radioactive, radioactive"
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE2GCa-_nyU

3) We Found Love by 2Cellos. How two cellos can recreate the computer generated sounds that are the main sound of this song is beyond me, but wow! Do they do it! They do a lot of other songs by popular artists such as Michael Jackson, Guns N Roses, Nirvana and so many more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Am_VZFps9o

4) Crazy in Love by The Puppini Sisters- Swing music and Beyonce. Whodathunk? These girls are the Andrews Sisters reincarnated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkAP3W5WGPY

5) Bad Romance by Halestorm- Now this is what a bad romance is supposed to sound like. Edgy, sexy, and dark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vmhnxVF1GU
 
6) Viva La Vida by Taylor Swift. During her Speak Now tour, she would cover an artist that was born in that city. I considered putting "Lose Yourself" by Eminem because it's the antithesis of Taylor, but she doesn't do the whole song. It's now up as an honorable mention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjHX1wdWvVk 
Honorable Mention: Lose Yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSHcdT6dzsY

7) Locked out of Heaven by Bastille. Slower, sung at a lower pitch, and in places it sounds like the soundtrack that's played right before some kind of epic battle scene. Bonus points because it has a violin. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but it sure is different from the original and that's why it's on here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLuKEyFmMcM

8) Thoughtless by Evanescence. If you don't like whiny, emo Evanescence, check out this head-banging, air guitar rocking Korn cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtC744jVWmE

9) What Hurts the Most by Cascada. If the Rascal Flatts version is a song that laments the loss of love, Cascada's version is a song that has come to grips with the pain and is moving on. It's a dance song, so it's upbeat and "modernized 80's" synthesizers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0YuEPJeGSI

10) If I Ain't Got You by Maroon 5. At the beginning of the song, it doesn't sound like Adam Levine and Maroon 5, but towards the end it sounds exactly like him. It's still a great version.
 http://youtu.be/OXvRjxkXvBI

I hope you like this list, and find a few new artists or at least songs to add to your playlist.

New Top 7 Underrated and Underappreciated

1) Streetlights by Ludo- I LOVE Ludo. I know that I already have a post about them, but they really are worth checking out. If I had to pick one song as my favorite, I would have to pick this one. It's a mostly acoustic song with an "stereotypical Italian" style guitar in the instrumental parts. The lyrics are not the typical Ludo lyrics with a peppering of nerdy references; it's a more straightforward romantic song. It does tell a little story like many other Ludo songs. It's about the moment before you confess your love to someone. There's the nervousness, the anticipation, the giddiness, the purity of the moment. The words create very vivid images that create a little movie in my head. I can see two youths standing on the sidewalk beneath a streetlight in the early summer dusk.

2) Michael Buble- I know I didn't list a song. Just about anything by this man is sexy, baby-making music. He has that Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr sound. A little jazzy, a little bluesy, with a generous helping of swing. He does a lot of the standard songs like "Feeling Good", "Fly Me to the Moon", "Georgia on my Mind" and "Me and Mrs. Jones". He also has originals which he writes for his girlfriends. "Home", "Lost", "Haven't Met You Yet" are such examples. He has a sexy voice that goes well with the body it's in. He is gorgeous. He has a classic look with a modern flair. No piercings, no bad haircuts, no guyliner either. He's my new husband, he just doesn't know it yet because he hasn't met me yet. <3

3) Over the Hills and Far Away by Nightwish- They are known as a symphonic metal band. I prefer Tarja to Anette even though Tarja is a diva. This song tells a story reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo and it is similar to a traditional English. song dating back to the 1700's. You can hear that influence in the music. However, this is a cover of Gary Moore. I've never heard the Gary Moore version so I don't know how they compare. Check it out and let me know.

4) Symphony by Sarah Brightman- She originated the role of Christine Daae. Do not tell me anyone is better than her because that role was written specifically for her. It's no wonder either because with a voice like the one she has...it's like an angel. Her voice glides over the notes and resonates leaving you mystified as opposed to sad, because the lyrics are sad. It sounds like a song an ice skater would use in her program.

6) Memories by Within Temptation- A band I have recently been introduced to from the Netherlands. They are classified as symphonic metal, gothic metal, and symphonic rock. If you like Evanescence but want something more alternative, something a little bit fresher and not as played out, you will probably like this band. Sharon den Adel's voice is more operatic and more in the soprano range, somewhere between Amy Lee and Sarah Brightman. 'Memories' is one of those songs who words pierce your soul especially when you use your memories to keep someone who's gone close by.

7) Somebody that I used to Know (Look up "Six Hands One Guitar")- Actually, I saw this version before I heard the one by Goyte and I still like it better. As an unrelated side note, Goyte in that video looks like this friend of mine, but when I've looked up other pictures of him, the similarity fades away. Back on topic, I don't know how a group of people decide one day "hey let's all six of us play a song on one guitar" but it's hypnotizing to watch because they all know their parts and play as one.

Goodbye Love soundtrack

For the past few months I have slowly picked songs as a kind of goodbye soundtrack to my ex. I never pick the same songs for different guys, and I try and match the lyrics and mood to the circumstances. The songs range in styles from pop to musicals to country and ballads. They are in no particular order. Usually I include a little information about the songs, why I chose them etc. but I'm not going to do that this time. I can't really bring myself to open up here. Perhaps at a later time, I'll post the poems I wrote in the course of our 3 1/2 year relationship. No promises however.

Already Gone- Kelly Clarkson
Already Gone- Sugarland
Breathe- Taylor Swift ft Colbie Caillat
Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie
How To Save A Life- The Fray
Forgive Me- Evanescence
Goodbye My Lover- James Blunt
More Than A Feeling- Boston
What I Did For Love- A Chorus Line
Unfaithful- Rhianna
I Told You So- Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis

A couple of these songs I actually didn't like when they came out, or quickly got tired of them soon after they came out due to excessive radio play. But now they have such meaning to me that I had to include them on the list.