Jul 242017
 
applewood road cover

On their debut album, the three ladies of Applewood Road have perfected the art of the blend. Their intricate and layered harmonies drill into the quality of every note while simultaneously sounding effortless and breezy.

If you haven’t heard of these extraordinary musicians yet, you will soon. We’ve written about all three in their various solo endeavors in the past: Amy Speace, Emily Barker, and Amber Rubarth. Popular already in the UK, they are poised to take over the US with the upcoming release of their self titled album. In addition to their fantastic originals, the album includes a cover of R.E.M.‘s “Losing My Religion”. Continue reading »

Sep 012010
 

Song of the Day posts one cool cover every morning. Catch up on past installments here.

Yesterday we heard the Walkmen cover “Driver 8,” so we’ll keep the R.E.M. momentum going with arguably their most famous song and inarguably the most famously mandolin riff in popular music. Think how many high schoolers picked up the mandolin to learn this run. And think how many, upon learning it, realized they knew no other songs that featured the mandolin. Whoops.

One way to avoid this is to perform the song without a mandolin at all, as Amber Rubarth does. Her twee-folk lament needs just a gentle guitar melody and some high-pitched harmonies. We checked in with her to find out more; here’s what she said: Continue reading »