Random acts of music

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I am not, generally, a fan of Maroon 5 (If you don't know the band, you may have come across Adam Levine, the lead singer, who was a coach on The Voice). However, I am a big fan of Walk Off the Earth and their cover of "Girls Like You", the latest single from Maroon 5, is terrific. Maroon 5 have even endorsed it. And, yes, that thing they are playing really is a custom made mash up of a guitar, a ukelele, and a harp. WOTE are prone to doing weird, cool things like that.


Maroon 5 original for comparison. They got a nice slate of female stars to appear in the video (at least the ones I know). I'm not generally a rap fan but Cardi B's rap in here actually got me interested in her.


And the woman and child with Levine when he fades out near the end are his wife and daughter. I suspected so when I first saw the video and confirmed it later.
 
As I was watching the WOTE version, I was a bit surprised at Sarah doing the rap. Usually Gianni (the guy in the middle) does raps in WOTE songs. However, when I scouted up the original and saw that Cardi B did the original rap, that kind of explained it.
 
Damn, this is a great ABBA cover. Beats any of the versions from the musicals, that's for sure. The two girls, the Merrell Twins, are new to me but I plan to check them out. Superfruit, the guys, are much better known, being the side project of Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi of Pentatonix.

 
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And a fun video from Kurt Hugo Schneider, also a rare case of Kurt singing (he usually produces and plays keyboards). Shirley Setia is another new face and voice to me but I like her handling of this material (she sings rings around Kurt, who really is not that strong a singer).

 
I primarily listen to radio in the car. Driving along and hear an artist and think wow that was good. Should post it on the thread.

Then, I get home and forget.

I am sorry I don't contribute . I appreciate this thread. Please keep them coming
 
Swedish folk-country act First Aid Kit aren't the first name that comes to mind when you think "Kate Bush" but in this video, they handle her classic hit "Running Up That Hill" beautifully.

 
I will confess that I am unfamiliar with the original of this cover, but I don't think it matters. This is a terrific performance by one of my favorite musical love stories. Sarah and Gianni are 2/5 of the great pop band Walk Off the Earth. They are also a (still unwed AFAIK) romantic couple raising 3 young children (one for each WOTE album, basically).

 
Another great contemporary Canadian band is alt-rock group Metric and this past week they dropped two videos from their upcoming album.


 
And one of my favorite pieces of modern choral music, "Baba Yetu" by Christopher Tin. While it debuted as the theme for computer game Civilization IV, it stands on its own as a stunningly beautiful anthem. The words are the Lord's Prayer in Swahili.

Here, Christopher Tin himself conducts a live performance in Wales. Drill through to YouTube for full credits.


(Yes, I post this piece in various versions with irritating regularity. It's just that good IMHO)
 
And that performance is taken from this concert, a complete live performance of Tin's Grammy-winning album Calling All Dawns.

 
oops, I meant to put these last posts in the "new music" thread, or "artists" thread. sorry. They are political, so maybe not totally off base.
 
"Why Worry" was originally written by the great UK singer-guitarist-songwriter Mark Knopfler for US vocal group The Everly Brothers, and was later recorded by Knopfler himself with his band Dire Straits. The version below is from 1986 and features Knopfler and country guitar legend Chet Atkins on guitar, Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers on keys, and the Everlys singing. IOW, a one-off supergroup.


It's a beautiful song and looks to be one of Knopfler's enduring contributions to popular music, with a number of covers floating around now.
 
Wow, Kate Bush turns 60 today. No need to say more. I have raved about her aplenty on WC and WC2.

 
Weird fact that I had never heard before: Kate shares her birthday with none other than Emily Bronte, the author of Wuthering Heights, who was born 200 years ago today. What makes it weird is that Kate's first hit song was "Wuthering Heights", inspired by Emily's novel (Kate did know about their birthdays coinciding, so it's maybe not as weird as it seems at first blush).
 
Swedish music present meets Swedish music past.


Yes, that's First Aid Kit covering an ABBA hit.
 
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