Anonymous Choir: Anonymous Choir sings Leonard Cohen

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The Minneapolis choir that sings your favorite pop tunes is now exploring the songbook of the man who brought you “Hallelujah” and the theme song for the latest season of True Detective. Anonymous Choir released their latest set of covers, Anonymous Choir sings Leonard Cohen, on Sunday. It seems right to release anything with "choir" in the name on Sunday, doesn’t it? Their release date should be applauded, and so should their cover of “Bird On a Wire.” Don’t expect to hear “Hallelujah,” either: this choir has class.

Culture: Culture Hip-Hop Vol. 1

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Rogue Citizen and Free Range Music Cooperative have collaborated to create an ongoing art and music series known simply as Culture. Their first installment is a big one. Culture Hip-Hop Vol. 1 features a range of artists. Some you may recognize only if you’ve had your ear to the ground in the Twin Cities hip-hop scene, but others are prominent: Greg Grease, Guante, and Crescent Moon, to name a few. You should also be paying attention to David Maxwell and Chance York on this compilation. This is only the beginning, so keep both your eyes and ears peeled. It will be exciting to see what Culture has coming next. You can catch Culture’s open house at the Amsterdam on Sunday at 2 p.m. There will also be a workshop at McNally Smith on Nov. 21—open to students and young adults—as well as a showcase at the Minnesota Historical Center on Dec. 1.

Blue Ruin: Pursuit Special EP

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Smooth punk jams (what?) are what Blue Ruin knows best. Throw in a dash of soul with that classic Minneapolis indie jangle, saturate everything with reverb, and you've got it. The four-piece said they were getting a little antsy and decided to make an EP in under a month. With help from Ali Jafaar at Ecstattic Studio (also the label they're on) they got it done, and the release show at the Hexagon on Thursday will solidify their quick work. No tracks have made it online as of yet; check out their second EP, S/T, in the meantime.

Sarah Porwoll-Lee: History Is Going to Change

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Sarah Porwoll-Lee will be at Honey on Saturday to release History Is Going To Change. The seven-track release features compositions from five different composers, including MPR’s Dan Nass. At the subterranean Northeast venue, you can catch up on what the classical world has been cooking recently. There are some more electronic compositions that accompany the more traditional instrumentation as well.

Aaron Bolton is a senior at the University of Minnesota. Currently he is the music reporter at Radio K. He hopes to continue a career in music journalism.