Lorde/M.I.A. Mashup

Just wanted to briefly draw your attention to this killer mashup of "Royals" by Lorde and "Paper Airplanes by M.I.A. Not only does the mashup sound great, but it makes sense from a conceptual standpoint. Check it out.

'XO' : Haim [Cover]

Beyoncé overwhelms me sometimes. If this is the case for you too, you might dig this version of "XO" that sister-trio du jour Haim did for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. The cover is fairly faithful, but Haim keeps it a bit more simple. Check it out.

Review : 'Nashville' : 'Guilty Street'

This is not the week to make Rayna mad. She might fire you. Here's what happened on the newest episode of ABC's Nashville.

You'd think pancakes with Luke would put Rayna in a better mood, but it's going to take more than delicious buttermilk breakfast items to soothe her soul. First, she's pissed at Tandy because her sister/CFO dropped the ball and Highway 65 Records is bouncing checks all over town. GET IT TOGETHER TANDY, Rayna says. Then he walks in on Scarlett and Liam invading each other's personal space at the piano. She first has a mom-esque convo with Scarlett and then fires Liam. What a day. Rayna complains to Luke. He offers to spot her some cash. She's like... no… I couldn't... get us... tangled… and he's like no, really…and she's definitely thinking about it.

Luke, basically.

The Bluebird Brigade could hardly be less interesting. Gunnar got them a gig at Mercy Lounge. Avery bails on rehearsal. Gunnar makes a crack about him having a rick girlfriend, and I walk out of the room when Zoe says, "Can we at least get through one gig without having a huge band fight and breaking up?" What a gross line. It's like it was written for some educational video on teamwork that's trying to be edgy.

The gig goes well. But what you, the viewer, need to understand if you're not from here, is that Nashville audiences are almost NEVER that excited about anything, especially a band no one has heard. They fold their arms and nod to the beat. Hopefully.

Layla's career is just about fried. Jeff is basically going to drop her. Will feels responsible for getting her ally Brent fired. He also feels bad because she's blaming herself for their bedroom troubles. So much guilt for Will.

Speaking of guilt, Deacon and Lady Lawyer Friend spend the night apart when he goes on the road. He gets tempted by a girl he used to know. She gets tempted by an emotionally vulnerable Teddy who has just discovered that Peggy was never pregnant. Deacon walks away from the situation and calls LLF, who is in the backseat of her car with Teddy not playing travel Scrabble.

Anyhoodle, Juliette is fielding offers from smaller labels post NYT piece. While at dinner, she and Avery have a short convo about who is going to pay. Avery's been feeling emasculated lately. Evil Bossman Jeff sends over an EXPENSIVE bottle of champaign and Juliette shakes it up and lets it explode on his table. He does end up making Juliette an offer to come back to Edgehill. She gets an imprint and a producing deal for Avery. Avery doesn't want it. He tells her Jeff is never going to respect her. And so when Juliette goes and asks Rayna if she can join Highway 65, it's like the biggest non surprise ever.

And of course the previews for next week make it look like the union will not last. DRAMA.

Stray Observations: 
+ Luke being weirded out by the giant portraits of Rayna's kids in the bedroom.
+ Big Machine got name checked three times. $$$
+ I want to know what favor the booker at Mercy Lounge owed Gunnar. Like, does Gunnar have a picture of him in culottes?

'Beneath the Brine' : The Family Crest

Things have been busy in these parts. Nashville recap to come later tonight, but in the meantime, take "Beneath the Brine" by The Family Crest for a spin. It's delightful– theatrical, orchestral, epic and absolutely worth your time.