Punk artists tend to make it their life’s ambition to stick it to the man, and to stick out in general. When they decide to take on the pop music that defines mainstream, as in Punk Goes Pop 3 (the latest installment in Fearless Records’ Punk Goes Pop series) the result is an interesting contradiction.
They hate (or purport to hate) the homogenized, auto-tuned singles pop artists regularly churn out. Yet by taking the time to learn, play and record these songs, they pay these artists the highest compliment one musical artists can pay another–a cover.
Consequently, the songs in these albums tend to fall into two categories. In the first, the reverent punk bands, whom we’ll call the “Appreciators,” follow the original song pretty closely, incorporating rock techniques where they make sense or enhance the sound of the song. These artists also tend to bill themselves as pop/rock or electronica bands.
The cover of “Airplanes” by The Ready Set is the perfect example of a song from this category. An electronica band, The Ready Set are melodically-oriented anyway. Hence, their singing and instrumentals coordinate to inspire a vibe similar to that of B.o.B.’s original version of the song. Also, B.o.B. himself has been known to cross over into the alternative genre (read: featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore in the original “Airplaines”).
In the second category, the less-than-enchanted bands, or the “Haters,” duplicate the song in a way that is obviously meant to mock it and exploit the pop artist’s original intent. These bands usually come from the hardcore/metalcore side of punk.
Asking Alexandria’s cover of “Right Now (Na Na Na)” demonstrates the quintessential Haters’ rendition of a pop song. Were it not for the familiarity of the lyrics, the band’s harsh take on this Akon single would make it difficult to identify. Thrashing guitars take the place of club beats and “Right now, na na” becomes “Right now, RAWR RAWR” as the band works their trademark basal screams and hardcore nature into the song’s original architecture.
The biggest disappointment on the album was Family Force 5’s cover of La Roux’s “Bulletproof.” This pairing should have been the consummate cover relationship, as both bands tend to circle in the crunkcore/electronica music cloud. The reality was a just-passable cover that technically carried the mechanics, yet dulled the brilliance of the original song. It seemed as though the Family were tip-toeing around; it would have been more satisfying had they gone farther and expressed more of their hardcore side.
The last track, “My Love” as covered by We Came As Romans, was an intense, pleasant, and surprising gem of a closer. These guys go for the irony appeal, periodically juxtaposing sappy lyrics (“I could see us on the countryside/ Sittin’ on the grass layin’ side by side”) with guttural screaming. The technically complex switches between roaring and mock-pop singing within the chorus renders this song the most tastefully executed cover from the Haters crowd. The drum hits and powerful guitar chords in concert with the song’s original synthpop sounds infuse “My Love” with a valiance it could not have achieved otherwise, finishing out the album on a powerful note.
The consensus: Punk Goes Pop 3 continues the tradition of rebellious punk artists indirectly showing mainstream pop artists respect in the only way they know how: like punks and is definitely worth a listen.
3 out of 5 stars.
