Aleah Fitzwater

Aleah Fitzwater is a rogue classical musician from Bedford, MI (a rural town between the cities of Detroit and Toledo). At a young age, she found herself taken by woodwind instruments- particularly, the flute. She continued her musical exploration at the University of Toledo where she received a bachelor's in instrumental music education. She currently works as a freelance music writer and recording artist and also runs two Etsy shops. When she’s not working, she’s probably playing with her Yorkie (Presto) or rearranging a song for a ridiculously large flute choir. Follow her at https://aleahfitzwater.com for more blog content, or https://www.instagram.com/aleahflute to hear classical spins on popular songs.

Mar 202024
 
mitski coyote my little brother

“Coyote, My Little Brother” is often attributed to Pete Seeger, and while the American folk artist did popularize the song, it was actually written by Peter La Farge in 1963. Though it’s no wonder why Seeger’s version is more popular; his vocal delivery was more deep and reliable than that of the original artist. From the composition’s near-yodel jump to the falsetto high note down to the rich country-ish lows, this was certainly an unexpected choice for the artist Mitski to undertake on her latest Spotify single.

In Mitski’s hands, the environmentalist ballad is haunting yet placid, gentle but rich, and definitely indie-folk. She kept the instrumentation bare-bones, just like La Farge and Seeger’s versions, adding just two instruments. Mitski recorded the song with a double bassist (Jeni Magana) and a guitarist (Patrick Hyland). The sage words “Don’t poison the sky, don’t poison the sky…” never sounded so hauntingly sweet.

Mar 142024
 
dayseeker my immortal

Evanescence’s piano-laden ballad “My Immortal” took the world by storm in 2003, and the band Dayseeker has just flipped it on its head.

Dayseeker, a 4-piece post-hardcore/rock band from Orange County, California, is known for its quintessential dreamy, heavy sound: melodic, but not without that grit us alt-lovers crave. And recently the band created a compelling cover that began (surprisingly) with the piano line on an acoustic guitar. As the tune goes on, it’s like a slow burn, a lily budding- that then opened. Rory Rodriguez was the real star in this cover, which was practically a vocal showcase. From raw lows to clear falsetto jumps, “My Immortal” is a vocal challenge that he aced.  Continue reading »

Mar 062024
 
deco teenage dirtbag

Deco is a group from London with a passion for creating ’80s synth-pop fusion. And recently their music has caught fire for a mashup, which was released on February 26th. The cover is a version of Wheatus’ pop-punk song “Teenage Dirtbag”—except done in the style of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. 

Have we all been Rick-Rolled? Yes. Is it a great cover? Absolutely.

The beginning of this “Teenage Dirtbag” cover has the exact same texture and melody as “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Now it sounds like Noelle is a prom queen from the ’80s. The band has only shared a clip of their mashup/cover on social media. While this isn’t an official/full release yet, the band’s fans are begging for one with comments like “Um is this getting released?” and “I’m not even gonna lie, this song would probably be on my Spotify Wrapped.”

This isn’t the band’s first rodeo when it comes to going viral. They’ve previously released other unconventional covers, like a Bowie-style “Murder on the Dancefloor” and an 80’s version of Coldplay’s “Yellow.”

You can watch the Rick-Astley style video clip (avec 1980’s style dance moves!) and cover down below.

Mar 052024
 
nick cave new look

Nick Cave may have started in the Birthday Party—”the most violent live band in the world”—but his latest release a bit more toned down: an old-timey style cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose.” It comes from producer Jack Antonoff’s The New Look soundtrack, which has showcased period-appropriate versions of popular oldies by famous musicians and groups such as The 1975 (“Now is the Hour”), Lana Del Rey (“Blue Skies”), and more.

The show focuses on designers Coco Chanel and Christian Dior inside of Nazi-occupied Paris, France. Cave’s deep baritone voice was gritty and rich in the heartfelt version of the French song. This nostalgic cover is floating on a jazzy cafe-style piano with a steady quarter-note beat. About halfway through, Cave’s voice seems to fade into the distance, and orchestra-feeling saxes, and chimes/bells come in.

Cave takes his time on some unexpected syllables and even adds a spoken word section in the middle. Between the instrumentation, production, and weary/melancholy, the delivery makes it feel like it is coming from World War II.

Check out many more covers of and by Nick Cave here.

Mar 052024
 
enhyphen what makes you beautiful

Fans went wild when the 7-piece K-Pop band Enhyphen recently released a cover of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” The original was upbeat and had clear, belted harmonies and a forward-moving rhythm, and this version is spot-on.

The members of Enhyphen have voices that combine to have a certain synergy to them- comparative to that of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. The group even posed similarly to 1D in some promotional photos. Continue reading »

Mar 042024
 
lives lost let me down slowly

Lives Lost is a group from Hershey, PA. Their tasteful yet heavy cover of Alec Benjamin’s hit “Let Me Down Slowly” begins acoustic, but quickly turns into a more intense song after just a single phrase. The band added new harmonies with tasteful vocal distortion and layers and layers of wailing guitars. Then, when the words “Let me down” hit the intensity increases yet again. Continue reading »