If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Lawrence Fafard Montreal's Shaina Hayes has this near magical ability to make music that is deceptively engaging. When "Kindergarten Heart" starts up, you almost get lulled into the simplicity of the song. It's pretty a straightforward and lovely folk song, and if that's all it was, it would be one of our favorites of the year. But, as it goes on, the song builds and builds into a more complex and mesmerizing version of itself. "Kindergarten Heart" is still a folk song throughout, just a completely different version of the genre as it goes on. This is one of those songs that even if you're not sold on it immediately, you need to keep listening because you will be by the song's end. You can watch the video for "Kindergarten Heart" below. The album Kindergarten Heart is due out February 23 on Bonsound, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Shaina Hayes, check out the artist on Instagram and Bandcamp .

Photo by Leeor Wild Back in April we brought you Inuk artist Elisapie's reworking of Cyndi Lauper's iconic "Time After Time" in Inuktitut. She's released a new cover, and this time it's of Metallica's "The Unforgiven." Retitled " Isumagijunnaitaungituq  (The Unforgiven), " Elisapie's version is a slow and folk based version. The melody is unmistakable, but this is a true reworking of an iconic song. It's a slow take on the song that is filled with an unexpected foreboding. It's a truly unique version of a song we all know, and adds some depth and range to the classic track. Elisapie says about her choice of covering Metallica: “When I was 14 years old, I applied for a job at TNI, the first Inuit TV-radio broadcaster, and I was thrilled when I was chosen for the position! Everyone at the station dreamed big, and they put in a request for an interview with Metallica. The band was so loved in Salluit that we had to give it a sh...

Photo by Leeor Wild Inuk artist Elisapie has released a Inukitut adaptation of Cyndi Lauper's timeless "Time After Time." Her version is titled "Taimangalimaaq" and keeps the bare bones of Lauper's original intact while reinventing the song in her language. The melody is still there, and the song is still instantly recognizable even without it being sung in English. It's more of a traditional and deconstructed version that is absolutely stunning. It's always fascinating to hear a completely new take on a song you've heard countless times, and when it's done as brilliantly as Elisapie has, it's the kind of art you'll keep going back to. Elisapie says of her version of "Time After Time:" “I was able to get through my pre-teen years, thanks to my Aunt Alasie, as my mother had neither the knowledge nor the experience to give me a crash course on puberty, fashion or social relationships. In addition to entering a new chapter in m...