Arc Iris reimagines Joni Mitchell's "Blue"

After reading a rave review on AllMusic, I checked out "Icon of Ego" by Arc Iris, a young indie-pop band (with a classical background and proggy overtones) from New England. I really enjoyed what I heard and started sifting through their previous releases, one of which is "Foggy Lullaby" a cover/re-imagining of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" complete with Joni interview samples woven in and out of familiar material and a lot of unexpected takes on those classics. Unlike Camper Van Beethoven's piss-take on "Tusk" this seems to be a real labor of love for Arc Iris, who apparently toured last year with this show.

Pretty cool that a young band in the indie/hipster world would take the time to create their own arrangements of "Blue" and then tour with it. I can't imagine there was a huge audience for that, but kudos to them for following their muse.

Given the love of Joni on this site, it's worth hearing. Reactions will surely be polarized, but their intent and sincerity is hard to dismiss.

And check out their new album "Icon of Ego" which reminds me of my favorite St. Vincent moments. Really impressive material.

 

A band I was in played on the same bill as Arc Iris a few years ago. I thought they were really great; strong musicianship and interesting/challenging arrangements.