Stu Reid Under The Covers: Strings Play Sigur Ros, Peter Gabriel Takes On Arcade Fire, and Ellie Goulding is Sweet

As promised, back again with Stu Reid Under The Covers, a look at our favorite covers of the here and now. Yesterday I talked about three tunes and today I've got three more.

The first tune comes from Peter Gabriel's cover album, Scratch My Back. I listened to the album a few times when it first came out, and I wasn't totally impressed by it. Yesterday I caught this track again on XMU and decided to give it a second look. It's Gabriel's take on Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage," and it's saccharine sweet and syrupy. Honestly, it's still not my favorite. But it is pretty interesting if you're in need of lush orchestration and a heavy dose of melodrama. And it does make me very excited for the second part of the project, where Arcade Fire covers Peter Gabriel.

The second tune is Ellie Goulding covering Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition." It's no secret that we love us some Ellie around here, and this tune is no different. It's a live cut, but good quality. And nice proof that Goulding can actually carry a tune in real life, unlike a lot of studio divas of today. Would love to catch her live.

Finally, an ambitious cover of Sigur Ros' "Hoppipolla" by a group called the Vitamin String Quartet. I saw it first on The World Forgot. It's a string arrangement of the Icelandic group's epic, and it's pretty beautiful. I wish they utilized the cello more - it's a bit shrill with the violins doing all the moving. But when all is said and done, it's a string quartet covering Sigur Ros, so of course it's awesome.

Peter Gabriel - My Body Is A Cage (Arcade Fire Cover) (YSI)

Ellie Goulding - Sweet Disposition (Temper Trap Cover) (YSI)

Vitamin String Quartet - Hoppipolla (Sigur Ros Cover) (YSI)