April "26th" - Letter "V" = Vitamin String Quartet

The Vitamin String Quartet are a group of musicians who use mostly string instruments to create covers of well known bands and artists.  They're from Los Angeles and cover pop, rock, techno, country, rap, indie, and R&B. I, of course, like most of the covers they do of alternative, indie, and rock bands more than the pop or country variety, but even those songs sound better under the guise of "classical" music.  I actually think some of their covers are more beautiful than the originals.  Not everything is a success though.  Some songs just don't adapt well into violins, violas, or cellos. 

I found the Vitamin String Quartet probably from my sister (I owe so much to her, don't I?).  I think she gifted me a few songs.  Since then, I have been adding to my collection, but I do find it hard to look through the albums on iTunes because they're too many to find what you're looking for.  You can check out their wiki page to see what they've released so far. Sometimes I get lucky and hear about a new VSQ album coming out that I'm interested in. 

Their string covers are the antidote for "boring" classical music, if you're not a classical fan, but want to feel like you're listening to something more elevated than just pop or rock.  The strings add a touch of elegance, and it becomes palatable to those who may be opposed.  I actually intersperse some VSQ songs with actual classical and opera in playlists and the effect is good.

I love when they cover full albums or one group.  These are usually more interesting to me than compilations by themes.  Some of my favorite have been covers of Arcade Fire's Funeral, Twilight soundtrack (first movie), Interpol, The Cure, Radiohead's In Rainbows, or 30 Seconds to Mars.  

Click to hear some of my favorite VSQ cover songs...
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