What are you listening to right now?

Quote by AnnaMayZing

So many have covered this song, some incredibly well, but... None have yet improved on the original. Jennifer Rush, The Power of Love.

Yeah, I actually heard Air Supply's cover first for some reason and already liked the song but she packs quite a voice. Wish she hadn't been a one hit wonder (though I'm sure she has more out there if I look).

I have, for some time now, been rather ashamed of how many Canadians I am discovering through my interactions with European metal fans. I realize it is not really my fault. Our system is almost biased against metal but, dang, surely there must be markets for them somewhere here. After all, the Junos do have a Metal/Hard Music category (which went to death metal band Cryptopsy this year). Anyhow, one of those Canadians who really needs to be better known at home is Devin Townsend. Singer-guitarist-songwriter-producer and damn good at all of them. Rather like the UK's Steven Wilson, though his style of music is heavier than Wilson's.

From a 2012 concert DVD, the Devin Townsend Project in action. Quite a live showman, too, I will add.

The blonde female singer, by the way, is Dutch vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen who has probably been mentioned in these parts before. Her work with Devin is just one part of a long, multifaceted career.

Quote by Mendalla

Yeah, I actually heard Air Supply's cover first for some reason and already liked the song but she packs quite a voice. Wish she hadn't been a one hit wonder (though I'm sure she has more out there if I look).

I have, for some time now, been rather ashamed of how many Canadians I am discovering through my interactions with European metal fans. I realize it is not really my fault. Our system is almost biased against metal but, dang, surely there must be markets for them somewhere here.

Jennifer Rush has released several albums over the years. The most recent being 2010, I believe. Although she has an incredible voice, none of the songs she recorded have anything like the impact of The Power of Love.

In the UK, if all we listened to was mainstream radio, we would never hear anything of Metal. It is not even particularly prevalent on the rock stations. I was introduced to Nightwish by a Belgian friend, which led to some wonderful discoveries by browsing YouTube.

Wintersun has kind of become the farm team for Nightwish, with drummer Kai Hahto and bassist Jukka Koskinen both moving from Wintersun to Nightwish in the past decade. Another member is now in American thrash band Megadeth.

But the band, led by vocalist Jari Maenpaa, has done some interesting work over the years, even if their output has been sporadic. In 2012 they put out Time I, originally the first part of an album to be called Time. 12 years later, they are finally releasing Time II. They actually put out another whole album in between. To be fair, Time I itself took six years (2006-2012) to get out.

From 2018 in Toronto, the title track of Time I.

The bearded giant on our left for the first half is Jukka. By 2018 Kai was in Nightwish so I'm not sure who is on drums.

A good cover should both capture the essence of the original and also bring something of the cover artist to it. I think this acoustic cover of "Noise" by Nightwish nails it. While singer Melanie Mau is not up to Floor Jansen's powerhouse belts and operatic singing from the original, the band knows that and instead takes the song in a direction suited to her own quite excellent voice.

The Slate Culture Gabfest podcast

Seems strange to think that a year ago I had somehow never heard of Laufey (pronounced Lay-vey). It was my trip to her homeland of Iceland last summer that introduced me to the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (cello, guitar, piano). Since then, she's put out her second studio album, Bewitched, and well, it bewitched me. Now she's got an expanded "Goddess Edition" of that album coming in three weeks. This song is the "Goddess" part of that, a powerful heartrending ballad that is one of her best, IMHO. It is one of the four new songs added for this release.

All Over Town - The Kooks

The incredibly talented Eivør Pálsdóttir, Live in Tórshavn (2019)

Loves me some Eivor.

New cover from Violet Orlandi, my favourite rock alto.

And Violet again. She credits this to Whitesnake but their version is actually a cover of a 1974 song written by Michael Price and Dan Walsh and recorded by Bobby Bland. And it has been covered myriad times in myriad genres. Violet and her band get bluesy for this one, and I think her voice is fantastic for this sound.

Wow!! I did not expect this from the bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines!

The Journey to the Hanamachi - Memoirs of a Geisha

Are You Listening? - Dolores O'Riordan

Haven't listened to Ghost in a while so had Meliora, my favourite Ghost album, on in the car.

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

The Shadows - Wonderful Land

Quote by AnnaMayZing

The Shadows - Wonderful Land

I love this style of instrumental rock and The Shadows are the best. Amazing guitar work. The Ventures are pretty good at it, too.

A young Dick Clark introduces them here in a performance from 1960.

And what the heck, probably The Ventures' most famous track and a spotlight tune for their drummer.

The Greatest - Cat Power

Quote by Mendalla

And what the heck, probably The Ventures' most famous track and a spotlight tune for their drummer.

I love Wipeout. I bought the Surfaris version way back when it came on a piece of black plastic 7 inches in diameter.

This version by a young Sina Döring and her dad is just as good in my humble opinion.

To build A Home - Cinematic Orchestra

Unfinished Symphony - The Verve

Artificial Nocturne - Metric