There is one great truth in music, and it is this: the acoustic version of any song is only good in direct proportion to the amount of harmonized singing and orchestration that accompanies it. I'm sure you've read this before; it's practically etched in stone.
With this in mind you can assess for yourself whether you should listen to The Dodos' May session at Daytrotter, which features the 100 musician (though not all at once) strong Magik Magik Orchestra. Meric Long and Logan Kroeber's usually sweet harmonies are taken to almost ethereal levels with the addition of four female voices, turning the chant-a-long "Fools" into something much lighter, nearly sublime.
Also worth checking out on Daytrotter, but not nearly as orchestral, is recent Music Pick Sarah Jaffe. Who could have guessed that the accordion, used to great effect here on "Two Intangibles Can't Be Had," was the missing ingredient from her repertoire? Where the original makes great use of sparse cello and harmonies, this version becomes a New Orleans dirge -- an entirely sadder affair, and you begin to wonder if the accordion isn't the saddest instrument ever made. Barring the monkey, of course.
Read more: Music
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