You know, we try. Hard. But sometimes we just completely miss the boat.  Take, for example, Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches and their 2013 debut album, The Bones of What You Believe.  In the past month, we’ve seen their album regularly showing up (often at the top) on the Best Albums of 2013 lists, and we’ve finally taken the time to listen in and watch, and now fully agree with this critical wave.  And so we’ve been digging in and discovering all that we had been missing in the band.  We’ll have more to report soon in case you are not fully familiar with this fine outfit.

We’re finally acknowledging our Chvrches dereliction today because Billboard today released a video of Chvrches’ live cover of Janelle Monáe’s Tightrope at Billboard’s Women In Music luncheon held in December (I know Sufjan, the prepositions!).  At the luncheon, Monáe and Pink were given awards (Monáe was justly given the “Rising Star” award).  And each artist had one of their song’s covered by other female artists.  Tegan And Sara performed a Pink song (whatevs) and Chvrches covered  Monáe.  Chvrches’ performance of Monáe‘s song took us aback, and particularly after the heartfelt introduction by lead-singer Lauren Mayberry in which she fondly recalls speaking with Monáe the night before.  You can hear Mayberry’s nerves a bit in the performance (who can blame her given the astoundingly-talented Monáe’s presence?), but it’s a completely captivating cool-groove rendition.  And you have to love Monáe‘s gracious standing and dancing during the performance.  Too cool.  Check it out below.

Oh, and while we’re at it, following the Chvrches cover, do yourselves a favor and watch Monáe‘s incendiary performance of the song on the Letterman Show in 2010.  One of the best late night performances of all time and one of our Best Songs of 2010.