Wood & Wire

Wood & Wire

Walk Off the Earth’s festival-sized alt-pop was built on a foundation of folky cover versions that made them viral sensations in the early 2010s. So, for this Burlington, Ontario, crew, an entire album of acoustic reinterpretations is less a detour than a full-circle return to their roots. More than just a showcase of their favorite songs, Wood & Wire is ultimately a loving portrait of the creative and romantic bond between singers Gianni Nicassio and Sarah Blackwood, who embrace CSNY’s “Our House” as a celebration of their own domestic bliss and transform Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” from a kitschy love song into a sincere renewal of vows. (And in that sense, the tender reading of their own 2019 ride-or-die anthem “I’ll Be There” fits right in ). But even in a stripped-down setting, this group still soars: Their campfire-ready rendition of a-ha’s “Take On Me” may lack the original’s synth-pop pulse, but it heightens the spine-tingling sensation of that ascending chorus. Our Favorite Track: A version of “Enter Sandman” that effectively answers the question “What if Metallica just took the original’s acoustic intro and rode it to the nearest coffeehouse?”