Seraphina Lotkhamnga on April 18th, 2012

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[Here’s a couple of cool covers to get you over the hump this week…]

LP, “Halo (Beyonce cover)” — Just to be clear, this is LP not El-P. Hip-hop would only be so lucky to have a voice like this, and not many can pull off that Bob Dylan look as well as she does. A songwriter for big stars like Rihanna, Christina Aguilera and more behind the scenes, but a rock tornado of distinct powerhouse vocals of her own on stage, LP’s got a live EP/DVD “Into the Wild – Live at EastWest Studios” coming out April 24. Although the song’s been covered a million times, her rendition of Beyoncé’s “Halo” is enough reason to throw down your cash. Oh, did we mention it’s a live recording too? You can also watch it here.

Ane Brun, “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Arcade Fire cover)” — You’d think Norwegian songstress Ane Brun would be too lost in that beautifully cinematic world inside her own head to have time for other music. On the contrary, those ethereal swirls inside her stories can wonderfully transform songs by others. In this case, she’s put those elegant touches on Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” for an intimate dance between her vocals and guitar. Also, check out “Worship” from her highly-regarded 2011 album “It All Starts With One.”

Sad Baby Wolf, “Everything Is (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)” — Since James Mercer and his new backing band played Coachella this weekend, the original members of the Shins are getting things revved up on their own, too.  Marty Crandall teams up with former Shins guitarist Neal Langford again to front Sad Baby Wolf along with Jason Ward and Crandall’s brother Maury. They’ll be dropping their debut record in Spring 2012, but here’s their cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s first single to get you started.

Photo by Kevin Bronson, LP performing at SXSW 2012