Suburban Legends are a band from Orange County, California, who cover quite a few genres; they are probably best described as a ska pop-punk band. To anyone who knows of them this Disney covers EP Dream Aren’t Real But These Songs Are comes as no surprise, Suburban Legends are regulars at Disney theme parks and have already released covers of ‘Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ from The Lion King and ‘Under The Sea’ from The Little Mermaid.
This record opens with a surprising choice, ‘A Dream Is A Wish’ from Cinderella. The original is a very slow track, and we were doubtful how well this would translate to Suburban Legends’ fast ska beat. As it turns out, very well. Their rendition starts in a manner very close to the original before the brass instruments kick in bringing in the up-tempo rhythm associated with the band.
The second song, ‘Duck Tales’, was a more obvious choice. They have left it very close to the original with the pace being quite fast anyway. It has just been given a bigger sound with the rock guitars and ska trumpet sounds. This is a great fun track which, like any good ska song, you can’t sit still to.
Next they return to The Little Mermaid, this time covering ‘Kiss The Girl’. Their big sound suits the nature of this song, with the multiple vocal lines that join at the end of the song. Having already successfully done one song originally performed by Sebastian the crab it was a safe bet that this one going to be one of the best tracks on the album.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ slows the tempo a little, opening with an acoustic guitar and keeping it as an undertone throughout the song to try and keep some of the tracks original romance.
The next track starts with a much darker sound than we are used to from Suburban Legends. ‘Colors of the Wind’ opens with a very drum and bass led section before the main song kicks in with the upbeat brass sound again. This song is perhaps the furthest removed from the original, with the tempo and rhythm of the vocals having been changed more so than the other tracks.
The final track is a great way to close with a fast version of ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ from Toy Story. This is another song that lends itself well to Suburban Legends’ style. The introduction is very brass led before it speeds up into the vocal. The bridge then slows down again, reflecting the mood of the original before one last tempo increase to leave everyone listening on a high.
This is a great way to enjoy some of your favourite Disney tracks with a great, fun, upbeat twist. While the genre change may initially seem unsuited to some of the tracks, Suburban Legends manage to pull it off with style.
