Crooked Fingers had released several albums and EPs under different labels until finally going independent in 2008. Despite lead singer Eric Bachmann's abilities as a songwriter, the band was never able to obtain mainstream success. Their single "Sleep All Summer," released in 2005 under Merge Records, had Bachmann sharing lead vocals with Australian Lara Meyerratken. Merge's 20 year anniversary album, released last year, brought The National and St. Vincent together to do their own interpretation and it sounds like a match made in indie heaven. Bryce Dessner's legenday resonant voice and Annie Clark's soft, sultry vocals sound lovely together; the two Brooklyn based artists were meant to share the stage. The song shares a keen resemblance to the original in tempo, instrumentals and dynamics; however, Clark and Dessner prove to be the better duo. Their voices combined are the auditory equivalent of chocolate covered strawberries.
When Christopher Owens emerged into hipster stardom last year he brought a lot of baggage with him. Maybe it was growing up in the Children of God cult and running away from home at a young age. Or maybe it was the obscene amount of drugs he took when fashioning last year's stellar "Album," which was an ode to breakups. Regardless, "Laura" the second single off the album, was so touching, so revealing, so utterly moving, you could not listen to it without feeling for him. On their most recent album "Crushes: The Covers, " Mates of States covered the song, alongside other acts like Death Cab For Cutie and Belle & Sebastian. It takes a lot of gutso to cover a song so emotionally raw and try not to fuck it up.
The duo succeeded in completely transforming it into a Mates of State song. They removed the Buddy Holly aspects: the guitars, the despair and the painful aching heard in Owens' voice. While any fan of husband-wife duo Mates Of State would love this song because their marriage of vocals sounds wonderful as always; it does not do the song justice. Maybe it's because Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are happily married and don't really know what it's like to be insanely lonely and fucked up on amphetamines. Or maybe it's because the desolate lyrics don't sync with the electro indie pop that is Mates of State. Either way, the song is indeed worth a listen, but if you haven't heard Girls yet, get on it, pronto.
I think it is safe to say that "My Girls" was the song of 2009. The futuristic sounds, the spacey electronica, the unique vocal union of Avey Tare and Panda Bear. Only 8 months after the song was released, friends of the group "Taken By Trees" released their own version of the song entitled "My Boys" on their sophomore LP "East Of Eden." "East Of Eden" is like taking a trip to the heartland of the Middle East; surrounded by tarbukas and djembes, flutes and horns as you stroll down a bazaar. Obviously, a complete absence of anything American. Victoria Bergsman makes "My Boys" her own: like "My Girls" it relies heavily on the voice but only her voice. What makes "My Girls" so outstandingly different is how every lyric Avery Tare throws into the pot, Panda Bear repeats it in his own style. Unlike "My Girls," "My Boys" is strictly instrumental, it does not even sound like it was edited on a computer (staying true to the exotic nature of the record). Bergsman removed the heavy repetition used in "My Girls" and really gives the song a more positive feel. Check out "Anna," which is also on "East of Eden." You will notice that it is in fact Panda Bear singing the backup vocals.
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