Cover songs can go one of two ways. Stargroves’ cover of Stars’ “What the Snowman Learned About Love” goes the good way. This new collection of New York City musicians, led by singer/songwriter Teddy Watson, took on Stars’ folk/electronica song, and while keeping its innate structure, transformed the arrangement to include a large collection of instruments. This engaging amalgamation of sound makes Stargoves’ version a true tour de force, and, in my opinion, on par with the original – which I am including below this paragraph.
The cover also helps introduce the band, whose first Youtube video is this piece. The band was in the recording studio during the summer with producer Jeremy Sklarsky (Freelance Whales), and they plan on releasing some singles in the next few months. If this cover is any indication, this a band you are going to be hearing a lot more about. The music is skilled, passionate, and exciting. Here is the line-up that you see in the video:
Core Band:
Teddy Watson: banjo, guitar, vocals
Enrico De Trizio: keyboard, synth, accordion
Bryan Percivall: bass, backing vocals
Charlie Rauh: electric guitar, backing vocals
Oskar Häggdahl: drums
Extended Roster:
Jesse Stacken: toy piano
Concetta Abbate: violin, viola, mandolin
George Lykogiannis: harmonium
Sarah Goldstone: melodica
And the video:
First off, I respect any song that begins with an accordion, which is awesome. The song picks up with banjo, upright bass, viola, keys, drums, and an odd consortium of other instruments. The created sound is original and attractive. Watson’s voice is smooth, lullaby-esque, and pleasant to listen to. The talent just effuses from the video. A skillful cover, and a great indication of things to come for a band I am now quite excited to follow!
The Music Court 
It is nicely done.