Cover bands are a tricky lot. The very definition of them leaves a small window for artistry. When performing songs from other artists you generally get a faithful cover, with music roughly matching the orignal, or a wild reimagining that begs for a new examination of the material. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a unique group in that they are quite good at doing both.
Performing songs as if they were originally intended to be punk songs in the first place seems tricky but Me First make it seem easy. I first heard them at a friend's house and their versions of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and My Boyfriend's Back made me sit up and pay attention. I'm not an ardent follower of punk music but Me First are an exception.
With their new EP, they cover bands from Australia. Or, at least, that's what I gather from the album cover and the choice of songs that include Olivia Newton John, Air Supply and INXS. Narrowing their focus to this small of an target is pretty gutsy, in my opinion. It works for the most part.
There's really nothing wrong with any of these songs. They sound just like classic Me First covers (minus a little energy for a few segments...if that makes sense) and if you were a fan of the originals, these sound great too. Go Down Under isn't amazing (as douchey as that makes me sound) but it's solid tunes that are fun to listen to. A snack-sized hit of punk energy is probably something Australia could use at the moment.
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