Song Of The Day 1/26/2013: Petra Haden - "Psycho Main Theme"

If I hear Petra Haden is involved in anything I usually chase it down. Even if it's in the middle of the freeway or at the top of K2. That probably speaks to the quality of my free time more than anything else. A few years ago she released Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out, which was her multi-tracked, a cappella rendition of The Who's '60s classic. Pete Townshend loved it. She also did a version of the Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" that found an audience on a Toyota commercial a few years back. She just released Petra Goes to the Movies, renditions of some of her favorite film themes. They aren't all obvious choices either: Rebel Without a Cause, Superman, 8½, Baghdad Cafe, My Bodyguard(!), The Social Network -- very inspired choices. Like with the Who tribute, Petra breaks down the building blocks of composition to perhaps their most basic starting point: the composers' first humming of the parts to themselves,. Some might find this approach kind of precious but I'm fanatical about it. Her version of the theme to Psycho is probably going to get the most attention. I love the whole thing.