The things you find when looking.  Some say the sincerest form of flattery is in fact imitation.  If this is the fact, Jeff Mangum will not have to come out of hiding to accost this young Knoxvillian (I don’t know if that is what residents of Knoxville are called, but it sounds good though doesn’t it?).

This young Tennessee ukulele prodigy is Madeline Ava and she has quite a bit of material over on CLLCT, but this one sticks out (obviously).  While it is considered flattery to pay tribute, some also consider it bastardization of an original “masterpiece”.  I do myself consider the album by Neutral Milk Hotel a classic (Vinyl Record sitting by my side – check.) and I don’t mind it when artists cover something that is considered crucial to music in the last 20 years.  So I say “kudos” to Ms. Ava, you rock that ukulele girl!

Visit her on MySpace and her CLLCT page for more of the album and others.

~Smansmith