Ievan Polkka: greatest song of our generation?

Ievan Polkka, aka Leekspin, is a Finnish folk song performed by the a capella group Loituma. The song is partly sung in traditional Finnish, but the most popular :27 second clip, looped in the meme Leekspin, is freestyle scat-like gibberish singing, which varied at each performance. Here's a video of it:



Ya gotta admit, it's damn catchy! Perhaps too much so. After watching the video repeatedly in a 24-hour period I noticed myself humming it to myself in public places. (I recommend it especially for long lines at the DOL.)

Loituma - Ievan Polkka.mp3
Ievan Polkka Techno Remix.mp3 (one of many, I am sure, and one of the more ridiculous one. probably not what the creators had in mind when they wrote it.)

For the curious, here's a link to the lyrics--in both Finnish and English!

...aaaaand I'm Finnished. ::rim shot::

Calling all Neutral Milk Hotel Fans living in Nashville

Anybody going to this tomorrow? Despite my distaste for a capella, I'm willing to make an exception for the beauty of this event. After all, the power of In the Aeroplane is something more strongly felt, than sung. Plus free pudding. Almost makes me wish I lived in Tennessee.

Two more cover's of Grizzly Bear's "The Knife"

Continuing with my totally YouTube-ular posts:
Beirut's Zach Condon tries his hand at the awesome song.


The Carleton Singing Knights sing one of my favorite songs in one of my least favorite genres. I don't know how I should feel about this a capella rendition.

A vox, a vox on you!

In between long bouts of thrashing to Gwar and Bad Brains, one needs a cleansing sorbet between courses of heavier fare. There's something to be said about making beautiful music with naught but one's voice. A capella can be a genre in and of itself or just a style embraced to achieve a particular effect in songwriting. Here's some favorite a capella tunes.

I should note "favorite" is a relative term, seeing as my fellow blogger here Jess hates--hates!--a capella, save for my first pick here. Smith's voice was never his greatest musical asset, if for no other reason than it existed in the long shadow created by his masterful songwriting. But stripped down to it's elements, this shockingly personal-sounding effect gives credit where it's due.
Elliott Smith - I Didn't Understand (Buy XO)

What better tribute can you imagine than amazingly polished a capella versions of some 90's "adult contemporary" tunes?
Tufts Beelzebubs - Semi-Charmed Life (Third Eye Blind cover) (Buy Pandæmonium)
The Buffoons - Wicked Game (Chris Isaac cover) (Buy Singles)

Is it considered a cover if you wrote the song?
Ben Folds - Brick (Buy Whatever and Ever Amen)

This ethereal soundscape relies on breathy whispers to carry the ambiance of floating. Soft, smoky, dark and inescapable, this is the soundtrack to a dream.
Tori Amos - The Pool (Buy Winter #1 EP)

Admit it, you LOVED "Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego?" The group that brought us the theme song also brings us a slightly more unnerving but no less amusing tune about the other thing everyone loves, zombies.
Rockapella - Zombie Jamboree (Buy Rockapella Vol. 2: From N.Y.)

If you only nab one song here today, this should be it. This group has been performing together since the 1960's and are known for their unbelievable renditions of classical pieces, jazz and movie soundtracks. With different members emulating different instruments of the orchestra, this impeccably staccato performance will blow your mind.
The Swingle Singers - Flight of the Bumblebee (Buy Live in Japan)

Finally, here's a video of the Carleton Singing Knights doing Sufjan Stevens' "Chicago".