5 songs MKTO should cover at WUStock - Student Life

5 songs MKTO should cover at WUStock

When MKTO takes the stage Saturday, it will bring only one album’s worth of original material. As with many young bands, MKTO will likely perform a cover or two to round out its set. Here are my suggestions.

“B—- Better Have My Money” – Rihanna

As with “Know Yourself,” I don’t actually want to hear MKTO cover Rihanna’s new single, but I’ve been listening to it on a loop since it dropped last weekend because it’s everything I want from a pop song in 2015, so why not give it a couple of spins at WUStock? “B—- Better Have My Money” isn’t necessarily Rihanna’s best song, but it’s her most tactile, bumping and thumping and sneering in ways we’ve yet to see from her. Though it contrasts musically from her previous single, “FourFiveSeconds,” the narrative implications are clear: Mean Rihanna is here. MKTO would be wise to parlay “B—- Better Have My Money”’s imminent ubiquity into goodwill for the rest of its set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAvIn2fP2Og

“Wanted Dead or Alive” – Bon Jovi

Because it’s a hall-of-fame-level karaoke staple that requires minimal technical chops. The quality of a “Wanted Dead or Alive” cover is reliant only upon the enthusiasm exerted by the singer. If MKTO displays proper reverence for Bon Jovi’s masterpiece, it can’t fail.

A Kenny Loggins soundtrack medley

If you don’t love Kenny Loggins, you’re lying to yourself and bringing dishonor to your family and should stop killing everyone’s vibe already. Simply put, the man ran the soundtrack game in the ’80s, producing a slew of unassailable classics that retain their luster 30 years later. “Danger Zone,” “Footloose,” “I’m Alright,” “Nobody’s Fool.” You couldn’t deny Kenny Loggins from 1980 to 1988; you could only hope to contain him. I’d be willing to bet that MKTO worships at the altar of Loggins, given its predilection towards brightly colored power pop moves. Granted, it can’t touch Soundtrack Loggins’ indelible hooks, but any excuse for MKTO to not play its own songs is a good one.

“Know Yourself” – Drake

On one hand, I’m worried about anyone who’s not Drake tackling “Know Yourself,” the instant classic from his recent surprise mixtape, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” On the other, I’ve yet to properly experience “Know Yourself” in a sizable crowd and would like to stop living vicariously through fan-made YouTube videos of recent Drake concerts. The solution? MKTO takes a mid-set break, plugs in an iPod and lets the South 40 run through the six with its woes. Everyone wins because everyone loves Drake and because “Know Yourself” is well on its way to “improbable banger of the year.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh6Aj8lUzC8

“Disposable Heroes” – Metallica

There are two extremes between which covers fall: perfect harmony, in which the artist transforms the song and claims it as his own (see: Johnny Cash’s rendition of “Hurt”) and total disaster, in which the cover implodes from the first note and embarrasses all involved (see: Foster the People warbling through “Heart of Gold”). Now, I wish no harm on MKTO. Its brand of flavorless synth-pop isn’t my cup of tea, but the band seems pleasant enough. That being said, I know that were it to tackle Metallica’s “Disposable Heroes,” an eight-plus-minute colossus from the band’s landmark album, “Master of Puppets,” it would be a grotesque spectacle unlike any in WUStock history. Would MKTO be able to approximate James Hetfield’s gruff vocals and hulking riffs? How about Lars Ulrich’s breakneck percussion? Could they do so for over eight minutes? I doubt it, but I’d love to see them try.

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