CD review: Vitamin String Quartet, “Per_Versions”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Rock/classical
Vitamin String Quartet “Per_Versions” (Vitamin Records)
Cover act Vitamin String Quartet tunefully takes on songs from indie rock favorites such as Tom Waits, Portishead and Spoon on its latest album, the cleverly named “Per_Versions.”
A Los Angeles-based collective of musicians, Vitamin String Quartet pays tribute to bands such as Coldplay, AC/DC and Green Day by converting their pop and rock tracks into classical-style instrumentals with violins, viola and cello. Some of the musicians involved have additional rock ‘n’ roll experience, having played live with Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Rod Stewart and the Dixie Chicks.
Most of the songs on “Per_Versions,” released Tuesday, transfer more effectively than one might think to classical forms, making them ideal for indie rock fans who want to relax rather than rock to their favorite songs or, even better, share with sleepy babies. The quartet also released this week a tribute to Radiohead’s “In Rainbows.”
Even without lyrics, the string renditions highlight the amazing song-crafting skills of bands like The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene and Sigur Ros. The quartet of Anna Stafford, Kathleen Robertson, Tom Vos and John Krovoza effectively captures the hauntingly quirky rhythms of Animal Collective’s “Banshee Beat,” and the melancholy flow of Cat Power’s “The Greatest.”
Their version of Of Montreal’s “Everyday Feels Like Sunday” bursts with hopeful energy, while the string cover of The Decemberists’ “Yankee Bayonet (I’ll Be Home Then)” retains an achingly lovely sadness.
Unfortunately, the three original Vitamin String Quartet tracks on “Per_Versions” pale in comparison.
- BAM
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I like Supermassive Black Hole from Vitamin String Quartet Performs Music from Twilight