What’s this? It’s a pop song BATTLE! Two artists squaring off over the same song. Our song: the chart thumping phenom “See You Again”. In one corner we’ve got Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana, aka Destiny Hope Cyrus), she’s the composer of our contended song. In the other corner we’ve got The Mae Shi, a spazzed-out bunch of no wave revivalists from Los Angeles. How did we get here, and where are we going?

Well. Marc Hogan over at Pitchfork pointed the online world in the direction of The Mae Shi’s cover version of the song in question; and, after checking out both versions of the song, I can’t decide which I like better. It’s a real problem. And let’s be clear here: I do actually like the song in question. Therefore, I’ve decided to put the two versions in a cage together and make ‘em duke it out. Two enter, one exits. Cage match!

First up is Miley Cyrus: the composer. I might not even know who she is if not for the kick-ass Hannah Montana musical toothbrush some friends gave me for my birthday. Instead, my teeth and I know 68% of the words to “The Best Of Both Worlds”. And what’s Miley’s song “See You Again” (our song of battle) if not the best of both worlds; the world of cutesy Hannah Montana, AND the world of her “grown up” alter-ego Miley Cyrus?

This is it: it charges out of the gate with a… Casio drum roll and Corey Hart vocals. It reeks of ringtone. Sounds like the music that might play in the background of a warning video put together to lure children away from lives of scandalous behavior and pregnancy pacts. But it builds and betters itself! And, as soon as the second line we’re already being told that our singer has “a heart that will never be tamed” - by verse two we find out that she’s feeling “deep connections” and pondering reincarnation. Alright. It’s the duty of every pop princess to blossom into a sex-charged flaunty young woman; and those Vanity Fair pictures shouldn’t have been shocking, her fans could’ve seen it coming with Britney-lite teasers like this one… brilliant Britney-lite teaser songs meant for the tonally catatonic (at times: me). Pop gems like this don’t come around very often, unless you shop for them in malls. But seriously, it’s catchy. And head-boppy.

Aside: what’s up with that twangy Duane Eddy guitar lick/Easter egg at the very end of the song? That shit is HOT.

Listen: “See You Again” by Miley Cyrus

Buy the Miley Cyrus album Hannah Montana 2 / Meet Miley Cyrus on Amazon.

Annnnnd now….. in this corner…. The Mae Shi! The contender(s)! One of those bands I’d give a standard “yeah I’ve heard of them, but I haven’t heard them” answer, when asked. Guess I “missed out on four records and 250 shows of busted electronics, spazzier-than-fuck drums, crazy-ass boogie guitar, distorted caveman bass and throat-destroying vocals” like they claim in their bio. Yeah well, I’m missing out no longer… much thanks in large part to the amazing songwriting of one Destiny Hope Cyrus, I might add. Better send that girl a subscription to the Clear High Heel of the Month Club as a thank you gift, Misters Mae Shi. She’ll be needing them sooner or later, and you owe her for the song.

But how does The Mae Shi’s version of “See You Again” compare to the original? Well, it’s got a ripping kickstart beginning that’s sadly absent in the original version. Also in this version are heavy doses of synthesizers with copious pitch bending, faux-theremin action, and panning blip-outs galore. The drum beat is organic and grounded and a large measure better than the original… nice. But something is missing. The cover is entirely too faithful, relying on extended arpeggiating to elongate the track by two minutes and provide the only real ‘interesting twist’ on what Cyrus initially penned. Frankly I end up lamenting the absence of Miley quite a lot by the 1:35 mark. And then especially so during the break down that begins the third chorus: “THE LAST TIME I FREAKED OUT, I JUST KEPT LOOKING DOWN. I ST-ST-STUTTERED WHEN YOU ASKED ME WHAT I”M THINKIN’ BOUT.”

Listen: “See You Again” by The Mae Shi

Buy The Mae Shi album Hlllyh on Amazon.

VERDICT: Nice try pretenders contender(s). Your version may indeed push more feet on the floor but I’ll take Miley’s original version of “See You Again” when I want to get my Wal-Mart stop and shop tweeny-pop on. Which, you may now realize, is frighteningly more often than one might think.

*photo credits: cage match pic from HERE, Miley Cyrus pic from HERE, Mae Shi pic from HERE.