Category: Frazey Ford


SoundCloud Saturday: Streaming coverfolk from
Frazey Ford, Brian Vander Ark, Bon Iver & The Chieftains, and more!

January 21st, 2012 — 02:48 pm

Winter has finally arrived in mid-New England, dropping just enough snow on the ground to keep us inside while the kids head out for sledding and snowplay. And so we spend a mellow Saturday at home by the pellet stove, coffee in hand and slippers on our feet, letting soft music serve as the soundtrack for our lives. Why not listen in with us?


The Chieftains ft. Bon Iver: Down In The Willow Garden (trad.)


The list of featured collaborators on upcoming 50th anniversary Chieftains album Voice Of Ages makes it the most anticipated album of the year for hipster folkies. Bon Iver turns his familiar shush and whisper to Irish murder balladry to get us started; you can also hear an amazing Irish-influenced original from The Civil Wars at The Chieftains’ Facebook page. Look forward to the Punch Brothers, Low Anthem, Carolina Chocolate Drops and more to come as the mid-February release date approaches.


Frazey Ford: Lovers In A Dangerous Time (orig. Bruce Cockburn)


The recent solo output from Be Good Tanyas founder Frazey Ford is fast finding itself among my most-listened-to tracklists. Here, she totally transforms a Cockburn classic into slow, syrupy Americana blues; if you like what you hear, head over to the Cover Lay Down Facebook page and scroll down for a YouTube Dylan cover posted earlier this month


Message To Bears: Wolves (orig. Phosphorescent)


I’ve already posted this over at Facebook, too, making it a repost, of sorts. And it’s nothing new, though it was Slowcoustic’s recent feature which brought it to my attention. But the stillness and quiet here are an apt reflection of the quiet snow outside, and the beauty of the whitewash world. Stream the new album from Message To Bears for more delicate indiefolk soundscapes from composer and multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander.


Brian Vander Ark: Children’s Crusade (orig. Sting)


Brian Vander Ark: Maybe I’m Amazed (orig. Paul McCartney)


Singer-songwriter Brian Vander Ark is far better known as the frontman of The Verve Pipe; unsurprisingly, his 2011 solo album Magazine is highly produced, albeit good stuff if you like radiopop. But his solo acoustic take on one of my favorite obscure Sting songs, released yesterday via his Twitter account, is soulful and polished, a perfect example of the unplugged subgenre at its best, and an apt opening act in his new commitment to social media as a driving force behind his solo career. Combine it with his live version of Paul McCartney classic Maybe I’m Amazed, and you’ve got a harbinger of some great work to come.


Jessica Leanne Middleton: Bring Me Down (orig. Miranda Lambert)


Jessica Leanne Middleton: More Like Her (orig. Miranda Lambert)


Lest we forget that SoundCloud isn’t just a vehicle for the pros, budding Texas-based “singing siren” Jessica Leanne Middleton brings us a pair of beautiful, intimate, aching Miranda Lambert covers that would sound equally at home on folk radio or an in-studio County Music Channel session. Here’s hoping someone picks her up and gives her the full Mindy Smith treatment sometime soon.


Maya Laner: Why Don’t They Let Us Fall In Love (orig. The Ronettes)


Raining Jane: Love Is a Battlefield (orig. Pat Benatar)


Finally, Cover Me already posted this pair of tunes, but I can’t resist passing them along anyway. Berkeley-based Maya Laner’s layered uke-driven take on mid-century classic is cute and dreamy, pushing us to pursue more from her acoustic folkrock band Local Hero; Raining Jane belies their LA roots, combining Celtic elements with folkpop greatness for a solid, enjoyable take on a well-known Pat Benatar wailer.

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