Emily Wells releases free remix LP, playing two Bay Area shows this weekend

Emily Wells released her newest album, Mama, back in April, and it’s safe to say it made a solid impression. So much so, in fact, that 13 bands—including Lemonade, Ed Rodriguez of Deerhoof, The Blow, and Dan the Automator—felt compelled to render their own versions of one of the 13 tracks on Mama. And voila: Mama Remixed was born.

Fans of weirdo pop along the lines of Joanna Newsom, Grimes or Zola Jesus will find plenty to like on both Mama and Mama Remixed. Better yet, anyone who’s ever wondered what it would sound like if Joanna Newsom recorded a bunch of songs written by Zola Jesus and produced by Grimes will have all their questions answered in one fell swoop. Emily Wells takes classical instrumentation, processes it through a folk singer’s lens, and then applies dark hip hop production…or something. I don’t know what you call it, honestly, except really, really intriguing and catchy music.

But don’t just take my word for it. Stream Mama Remixed below, or download it for free here.

Wells is wrapping up a tour with Dark Dark Dark, but before they pack it in, the tour is rolling through the Bay Area. There are two dates to choose from: tonight at the New Parish in Oakland and tomorrow night at the Bottom of the Hill in SF. Emily’s live show is something to behold, so do yourself a favor and get over to one (or both) of her two gigs this weekend. Get full details on both shows, as well as more music from Wells, after the jump.

If you need more convincing, check out “Becomes the Color” a tune she’s contributed to the soundtrack for Stoker, the new film from Korean director Chan-wook Park, who did Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. (The list of contributors also includes Philip Glass, just to put that in perspective.)