While I am maybe the most uneducated writer on this site in terms of music and current artists I nonetheless know what I like and am occasionally able to find a couple rando one-offs here and there that friends have not heard of and really enjoy. While most I know are able to max out that 16GB iPhone with 15Gs worth of tunes, I barely top 600 songs in total. I really don’t download entire albums or the latest Guetta the second it comes out, rather wait till a particular song moves me during a new TV show it’s featured on, or hear and Shazaam at friends’ parties. As such, the songs I keep and care about are few and far between so when I say I like something, you can trust I quite mean it.

Today’s three pics are chill and semi-indie (one more “commercial”), but are way too good not to pass along. First up is my favourite of the lot: “Shelter” by the inked up and sexy otter Ben Nichols. Featured on the recent BRILLIANT film “Take Shelter” (I’ll be posting about that one by the end of the week), this plays perfectly at the credits and instantly soothes and macabres (I’m turning it into a verb) at the same time. Second is a cover of Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” by the folkish Audra Mae: it’s a oldie turned new and cute and hipstery in all the right ways. Finally, is the recent emotional roller-coaster song and scene from the “It Gets Better” episode of Glee where Daren Criss redoes “Cough Syrup” originally by Young the Giant. They’re all worth a listen and definitely a download so try em out!

Ben Nichols – “Shelter”

I wanted to start with my star choice to hopefully set some credence early so you’ll try the other two ;) This is from a recent indie suspence flick called “Take Shelter” and was made for the movie as much as I can tell. Perfectly lined up with the terrifying but revelatory ending, this song is sad but sweet and will capture your attention right away. Ben Nichols of Lucero fame is a tatted up cutie I’d love to meet, especially after hearing such a great song like this one.

Audra Mae – “Here I Go Again”

One of my fave things for music is when songs get covered in completely different ways than the original. Done masterfully by the likes of Obadiah with his version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya”, I also love when a man’s song is re-sung by a woman and vice versa and that’s what we have here. Played on a episode of “The Good Wife”, this one will get you goin’ good: I use it to pump me along on long walks. As you listen to the first minute you’ll likely not even recognize the song but once the chorus kicks in you’ll smile and realize it’s just an awesome approach to to a great classic.

Glee – “Cough Syrup”

Though Tyrell already covered the “Suicide” episode of Glee and praised the moment capture above, (sorry the sinc up in this vid isn’t the greatest) I felt the need to prominently offer up this song to those who wanted to hear it or to those who might not watch the show. While non-gleeks might find the scene a bit dramatic if you don’t understand the back story it’s still beautifully placed along side a really sincere and relevant capturing of a topical issue to gay kids these days. Morals and lessons aside, the song is another sad, somber one that still comes across as sweet and soothing. Holy consonance batman! Darren Criss is the cute performer and his expression in this video is just as great as the cover itself. Give it a whirl!

Well, those are my recommends for this week. Sorry I couldn’t offer more videos but the first two haven’t created any official releases for them… maybe I’ll start a letter writing campaign ;) I hope you at least heard one you hadn’t already DL’ed and I really hope at least one affects you as much as it did me. Let me know!

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