By now we’ve all heard a thousand and one covers of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.  The Man himself, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Shrek…take your pick.  The best have done it justice.  Let’s be honest:  the song is so perfect, it’s nearly impossible to screw it up.  Leave it then to Amanda Palmer to serve up one of the most affecting versions we’ve heard.  She prefaces her performance by explaining it was intended to be performed for her friend Anthony who was undergoing cancer treatment, but then explains that Anthony was unable to attend the performance because of his illness.  And then Palmer, herself afflicted with the flu, lays the song out in a gripping performance that hits all the right notes.  We know some who have lost loved ones in recent days.  May this broken hallelujah provide some comfort and consolation.

One of our favorite bands, Dawes, has completed its next studio album, Stories Don’t End, which will be released on April 9th.  Stream the first single off the album, From A Window Seat, below via the lyric video.  As you’ll hear, the song bodes well for the album, which follows their fantastic 2011 album Nothing is Wrong.  The album’s tracklist follows the video.

1. Just Beneath The Surface
2. From A Window Seat
3. Just My Luck
4. Someone Will
5. Most People
6. Something In Common
7. Hey Lover
8. Bear Witness
9. Stories Don’t End
10. From The Right Angle
11. Side Effects
12. Just Beneath The Surface (Reprise

Santa Barbaran Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and honorary-Santa Barbaran Tom Brosseau (a long-time visitor to town going back to the halcyon days of Buffalo Records in-stores) showed up to their Black Cab Session with some dude named John C. Reilly.  Regardless, watch below as the three wise ones sing another of their standard (thankfully) standard’s, Rosyanne, in honor of the Cabbie’s new-born child.  Subtle beauty is this trio’s calling card.  They play London’s St. Giles Church tonight at 7:30 pm.  Go there.

John Reilly & Friends – Rosyanne from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

While Adele has been off accepting suspect awards for a questionable one-off (Skyfall), Scotland’s Emeli Sandé has taken over the airwaves in her native UK following the release of debut album Our Version of Events.  We confess to being late to her game, but last night Sandé appeared with her band on the Jimmy Kimmel Show and demonstrated why she is dominating.  Could a part of the allure be attributable to the depth and substance in her well-wrought lyrics?  We can only hope.  Watch as they perform her heartwarming ode to her faithful one, Next To Me.

After, watch a superb unplugged version of the same song (while accompanied by Wayne Plummer on acoustic guitar) on Minneapolis’ The Current, followed by an acoustic-reggae rendering of the similarly warming Where I Sleep.  Finally, watch her rapturous performance of her soul-stirring Heaven for QTV.  There’s a new diva in town, and her name is Emeli Sandé.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkULAKSIAwU&feature=em-uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfg3YZWMSgo&feature=em-uploademail

Last night Jim James appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show on the eve of his release of his first solo album Regions of Light and Sounds of God.  Check out James, Questlove and The Roots performing A New Life off the new album.

LA’s Local Natives are out in support of their new, highly-acclaimed album Hummingbird.  For the next 24 hours only, you can watch 38 minutes of highlights (in HD) from their Music Hall of Williamsburg show in Brooklyn last Friday (courtesy of Bowery Presents).  Always with the Brooklyn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO1ehklQ1Xw

Last week saw Studio Q sharing Palma Violets’ performance of Best of Friends.  Today check out the young Brit band performing Tom The Drum, also off their impending debut album.  Talking ’bout their generation?  Or is it their 20th nervous breakdown?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElbT9lHqFwc&feature=em-uploademail

We confess we were never fans of The Carpenters.  Their ostensibly treacly songs always caused an insulin crash in our souls.  But after Karen Carpenter passed away (30 years ago to the day, from heart failure attributed to her anorexia), we couldn’t help but go back and reassess the saccharine.  And here and there, you could hear the pain in Karen’s voice.  So on this Monday, though it’s not raining outside (in California anyway), check out Karen Carpenter singing one of their mega-hits, Rainy Days and Mondays.  Sometimes it only rains within.

As mentioned yesterday, Frightened Rabbit will soon release its new album Pedestrian Verse that is riddled with eloquent anthems. If you haven’t heard it, you can stream it via the Guardian link embedded in yesterday’s post.  Or you can watch the band below as they performed one of the album’s centerpieces, State Hospital, on KEXP while in Seattle on tour last October.  After, check out Boxing Nights and Scottish Winds (neither of which are on the new album) from last year’s State Hospital EP.   Great stuff from this heady band.

State Hospital:

Boxing Night:

Scottish Winds: