Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis, beloved 80's star of The Wizard and Troop Beverly Hills, and ultra cool leading lady for indie favorite Rilo Kiley, will be releasing her new solo record, minus the Watson Twins (since they've released their own now) on September 23rd.

The album is entitled "Acid Tongue" and from all reviews I've read and what I have heard from it, it will prove to be just as good, if not better, than her first solo album "Rabbit Fur Coat". Like "Rabbit Fur Coat", her new album gets its name from a track off the record. You can hear that title track here on the XPN blog...hotlinked below.

• Acid Tongue

The Chapin Sisters

The Chapin Sisters are sisters Abigail, Jessica and Lily. They are a Los Angeles-based folk trio that sing beautiful melancholy music that reminds me very much of the many folk-country classics.

I first discovered them when on one of my many recent searches for great cover songs. It seems that Britney Spears' "Toxic" has become the new "it" song to cover. Admittedly, it is one of the few songs by her I think deserves to be covered though, and the covers I have heard have all been so great that you almost wish Britney hadn't gotten her hands on it first! Perhaps my favorite version is The Chapin Sisters version, which you can download on their MySpace page. You can also hear a cover of Madonna's "Borderline" which is equally beautiful.

Their website offered a few tracks of their own and I must say they are just as beautiful. Their new album is entitled the "Lake Bottom LP" and was released this year.

• Bird Song

Dawn Landes' cover of "Young Folks"

Last night my friend Joe W. was kind enough to send me a link to a beautiful bluegrass rendition of Peter, Bjorn & John's great song "Young Folks" done by Dawn Landes.

Dawn is a Kentuckian living in New York City who is a recording engineer by day, but moonlights as a singer-songwriter, supporting such acts as Hem, Feist and Andrew Bird.

Her rendition of "Young Folks" feels perfect, as if the song was designed to be played as such. If you haven't heard the original, you really should check it out, but this bluegrass cover of it, complete with accordion and older gentleman chiming in on the chorus, is brilliant.



And if you've not heard the original, you can watch the video for it here.