Every cover artist dreams that their version of a famous hit will become more popular than the original – as happened, for example, with Whitney Houston’s soulful rendition of Dolly Parton’s country song “I Will Always Love You.” However, every original song artist should dream of something else – that cover versions of their work will be recorded by performers or bands from Eastern Europe.
Why? Because it will undoubtedly be something new and unconventional. Sure, a British band can do a great cover of another British band – so what? But when something distinctly Eastern European is mixed into well-known Western rock hits or popular songs from musicals, films, or video games, it becomes interesting. This “something” is very pleasing to the ear, though difficult to describe in words. It’s better for you to experience it yourself – just take a listen.
MaroMaro
Although the production of original stylophones ceased in 1975, there are still enthusiasts worldwide who play this toy-like analog mini-keyboard operated with a stylus. For example, the Polish artist MaroMaro has recorded numerous stylophone covers for his YouTube channel – and judging by the millions of views, this signature primitive buzzing from the 1970s is still relevant. Besides popularizing the stylophone, MaroMaro enjoys portraying a genuine Polish rocker from the late 1980s, creating atmospheric VHS videos with guitar covers of Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and System of a Down. It all looks very funny but sounds fantastic.
Grandma’s Smuzi
What should fans of Rammstein do if they’ve listened to the songs “Sonne” and “Mein Herz Brennt” at least 100,000 times each? Or what about Metallica fans who lament that they will never again hear the divine “The Unforgiven” for the first time? The solution is Grandma’s Smuzi – a Ukrainian cover band from Odesa, created especially for those who want to rediscover world heavy metal hits. Perhaps if the legendary Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol’s “Azovstal” were not only metal warriors but also metal rockers, they would sound something like this:
Kristýna Krčmová
This Czech girl left her job as a school teacher to teach singing techniques, perform with a local band, and record cover versions of songs from Disney cartoons for her YouTube channel. It was difficult – initially, there was even a question of whether she could pay her rent after embarking on a solo musical journey. But the choice was quite simple: the responsibility of educating 30 children in a class, or the exciting transformation into princesses and other fairy tale characters. Interestingly, Kristýna not only sings well but also translates the lyrics into Czech and creates original arrangements for her covers.
Los Colorados
Ten years ago, this country band from Ternopil, working in the style of agricultural trash covers, became a sensation on American YouTube. In particular, their renditions of Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” and Rammstein’s “Du Hast” garnered 1.3 and 10 million views, respectively. Also, football fans from Germany may nostalgically recall how the relentless cover version of “I Like To Move It” performed by the Ukrainian “Colorado beetles” sounded in the transitions of “Euro 2012” broadcasts on ZDF.
Studio Accantus
It’s great when a person who loves musicals is lucky enough to be born somewhere near Broadway’s theatre district. But what about a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s works if their homeland is… Poland? Well, there are two options: either emigrate to the USA or try to develop the musical theatre culture in your own country. Bartek Kozielski chose the latter, founding Studio Accantus – once just a recording corner in his basement, now a powerful production heart of Polish-language musicals. Thanks to him, anyone can now find out, for example, how “Belle” would sound if the Notre Dame Cathedral were the Cathedral of Our Lady of Warsaw:
Hold My Borsch
This Odesa-based cover band is analogous to Grandma’s Smuzi but focuses on softer pop-rock and female vocals. Nevertheless, in terms of musical energy on the contemporary Ukrainian cover scene, Hold My Borsch is not far behind their heavy metal counterpart. Their covers will especially appeal to fans of aesthetic and symphonic rock in the style of “Evanescence” and “Nightwish.” When listening to how Hold My Borsch arranged and adapted their hits in Ukrainian, consider this – all this musical beauty was created in a city that has been living under the rocket terror of the Russian Federation for the third consecutive year.
Trio Mandili
YouTube is filled with rock and jazz covers – but what if the instrument for arranging covers is not a guitar or piano, but a panduri? Well, if you add three young Georgian girls with charming voices to this traditional Georgian three-stringed instrument, the answer is a definite yes. Of course, the best option here is to perform various folk songs, which Trio Mandili mostly does, singing not only in their native Georgian but also in Ukrainian, Polish, Italian (and sometimes even in Hindi). However, the trio, which once made a splash with their village promenade performance of the folk song “Apareka,” also includes classic pop hits in their repertoire, such as the Mexican bolero “Besame Mucho” or the official anthem of the Ukrainian capital “Yak tebe ne liubyty, Kyieve mii!”
Eileen
Olena Androsova from the Ukrainian city of Rivne once worked as a regular translator, then decided it was better to be a singing translator. Thus, she began recording her Ukrainian-language covers of famous songs from movies and video games – mostly in a fantasy style. Eileen’s versions of melodic soundtracks from the TV series “Game of Thrones,” the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, or the role-playing action game “The Witcher” often turn into stylish cosplay with a Scandinavian and East Slavic flair.
Tulia
In 2017, this Polish female folk ensemble gained fame by releasing a cover version of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” The girls then began to cover mostly Polish hits, gaining popularity at home and even representing Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. However, Tulia’s best work combines traditional Polish white singing with classic slow rock ballads – like their cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” which is the most popular video on their YouTube channel. It has already been viewed a staggering 17 million times.
Kamianyi Hist
The problem with most cover bands is that they usually don’t last long. Without their own repertoire, it is very difficult to stand out against musicians who play original music. Simply earning a living by performing other people’s songs at weddings and corporate events quickly becomes tiresome. But the legendary Kyiv band “Kamianyi Hist” is a different story. It has been going for a quarter of a century. Although the band has original albums, they gained popularity and respect primarily thanks to their anthology “Rock Classics in Ukrainian Style,” consisting of the albums “60/70” and “70/80,” dedicated to the corresponding musical eras. Listening to this, you realize that if not for the suffocating Soviet occupation throughout almost the entire 20th century, in the turbulent 1960s, the homeland of the global rock revolution could have easily been Ukraine.
Source: The Gaze
