Evolver

Respected New Zealand songwriter/musician Matthew Bannister (Sneaky Feelings, The Dribbling Darts of Love, The Weather) has released his own take on The Beatles' muchadored (and for good reason too) album Revolver. And he has reworked it beautifully.

One of the best, if not the best, album of all time, according to many, The Beatles' Revolver, issued in 1966, showcases the Fabs at the height of their powers, riding the rush of Beatlemania into the swoon of 1967's Summer of Love. While some Beatles albums like Sgt Pepper sustain a mood better, Revolver is unparalleled in terms of sheer songwriting and producing creativity, from avant-garde weirdness to kiddies sing-alongs. But that's the secret of their success - something for everyone. Matthew Bannister has been a Beatles fan since he was knee-high to a record player, starting with his parents' copy of Sgt Pepper which they "bought to play at parties" in the late 60s. The Beatles are the alpha and omega of his musical universe, as you can hear in the music of Sneaky Feelings, the Dribbling Darts of Love, The Weather - all the bands he's been involved since his early days in Dunedin. "I don't think there would be a Dunedin Sound without the Beatles," he says. "Everyone was into the 60s and writing perfect pop songs."

And now you can hear it on Evolver, his reinterpretation of the Beatles' greatest album, soon to be released on Auckland's Powertool Records. The Evolver project started in 2011 after an abortive attempt to re-create the albums with a bunch of Wintec music students. "I started demoing the songs myself, changing things here and there," reinterpreting the songs either in terms of other Beatles songs, their influences, or other artists whom they have influenced. Hence Tomorrow Never Knows has an early 90s Madchester indie dance feel, Yellow Submarine is cod reggae, She Said She Said becomes a folk-rock waltz, For No One an upbeat country number and so on.

Home-recorded, the album has a lo-tech feel, but this also allowed risks to be taken and divergent paths explored. "I took the melody and lyric as given, but everything else was up for grabs. So I changed the musical style and often the chord structures and harmonies, but not the actual tune, which is sacred, to me at least."

It's interesting how much the musical landscape has changed in the last few years, especially regarding copyright. It used to be okay to cover a song as long as you credited the author and publisher - these days you're supposed to apply for a licence just to perform a song. Buskers beware. It also means that the album will not be available for digital download - you'll have to buy a physical copy, just like the old days. And although re-interpretations of classic albums are fairly common now, this is the first time one artist has covered a whole Beatles album in a way that both remains true to the spirit of the original while also adding a new twist (and shout).