Medieval covers of current songs

A few years back I had the chance to visit another city and ride a ferris wheel with some dear friends.We talked there for a bit about the weird combo of cheery pop music combined with dire gothy lyrics as represented in Pumped up kicks. Today I heard a medieval version and it is just as weird. 

Listen to Medieval Covers of “Creep,” “Pumped Up Kicks,” “Bad Romance” & More by Hildegard von Blingin’

davina and the vagabonds

I took a photo of Davina last night at Jazz Kitchen. She is such an engaging performer and had a graceful way of gathering her presence to herself to share the stage with her band; then she’d take control with her larger-than-life personality after they’d had their moment.

 

The Elms Great American Midrange is a genuine 100% listenable album

I was delighted to listen to "The Great American Midrange" yesterday and realize not once had I been compelled to skip a track or two - how long has it been since *you* had an album worth listening to straight through? The songs are each carefully constructed, passionate, and easy to get immersed into. There's a lot of variety from track to track and even within a song, while not sacrificing a coherent narrative. A Midwesterner like me hears the themes of local life as I know it and that authenticity is moving.

The lyrics are poetic and clever. The songs range from the powerful ("Thunderhead" and "Strut"), the race-worthy "Back to Indiana" and the soul baring "The Little Ways." The coming-of-age story behind "Unless God Appears First," addresses regret and repentance in the tradition of the blues but with a modern, neo-apathetic twist. An untitled bonus track is a sweet and savory ending to the album.

Cool thing from a cool band

I saw on twitter that The Elms, a band from my husband's home town, have been working on a new album. I've been following their tweets for a while. They are, as I write this, streaming live from the studio as they work on it. There are two streams, one in the control room and one in the studio proper. This is one of the cooler things I've seen on the web in long time. Drop in and listen ... and watch! (And good luck with the album, guys!)