10 Eclectic Minnesota Album Picks from Hennepin County Library’s MNspin Collection

Via a June 7 e-newsletter from Friends of the Hennepin County Library

Music has always been a form of expression, of joy, protest, grief, love. It can also be a connector across time, distance, and experience. Music can quickly bridge differences and pull us together in times when understanding and empathy are needed most.

MNspin, Hennepin County Library’s online collection of Minnesota music, has introduced audiences to new artists for three years thanks to your generous support. Since its launch, the number of patrons using this FREE platform has grown exponentially, increasing exposure to diverse Minnesota artists and providing music lovers with a rich survey of the local music scene. So far in 2020, Hennepin County Library patrons have downloaded or streamed 17,576 songs, already surpassing the total number of listens in all of 2019!

With the vast variety of music available on MNspin, it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start, so we asked the MNspin team to put together some recommendations. From hip-hop to Americana, there’s something for every listener in the selections below. Take your music experience to a whole new level today with MNspin!

MRDR PxP by Mayda Infusing her brand of electro-pop with strong doses of R&B and Funk, Mayda creates a unique album showcasing great versatility that will get you up and dancing!                  Sprig of That by Sprig of That Combining the ballads of Americana with instrumental virtuosity against the contemplative rhythms of the tabla, this eclectic trio will bring you to Appalachia, Europe, and India in the most delightful way.               Land of Cloud-Tinted Water  by Katherine Bergman and the Minnesota Percussion Trio Bergman’s expansive soundscape transports you to some of the most pristine regions of our state.               Masquerade by The Gentlemen's Anti-Temperance League Imagine yourself in a Prohibition Era speakeasy or a Roaring 20's Parisian club. This outfit could easily be the band playing there, with elements of swing, jazz strings à la Django, and even cabaret.               My Mom Says I Have a Rich Inner Life by Lunch Duchess Describing this band as a "feminist Baroque grunge band" says it all. Tackling serious emotions with humor, irony, and self-deprecation, Lunch Duchess makes heartache kinda fun!               Mestifonía Mestifonía Harmoniously mixing a myriad of musical styles from across the Spanish speaking world, Mestifonía offers us vibrant and dynamic numbers led by plaintive vocals that will warm your heart!               Pipa Potluck: Lutes Around the World   by Gao Hong and Friends Gao Hong, a Chinese musical prodigy and master of the pipa/lute, gives us Pipa Potluck: a multicultural taste of original songs and collaborations played on pipa, banjo, fiddle, slack key guitar, and oud.               All the Beauty in this Whole Life by Brother Ali Brother Ali, a fixture of the famous Rhymesayer’s hip-hop label, creates an album with dual intent: to reflect beauty and expose the ugliness that blocks us from living lives of meaning.               Stripped Down  by Maurice Jacox From the 50-year mainstay of the Minneapolis music scene, Stripped Down showcases the quieter side of Maurice Jacox, with guitar, vibes, and sax.               Fear Not by PaviElle PaviElle’s Fear Not reflects ten years of deeply personal and autobiographical songwriting, wrapped into an album that’s a return to the days of smoke-filled clubs and artists like Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.

You can celebrate and uplift the amazing talent from across our state with fellow Hennepin County Library patrons and MnSpin listeners. Join the MNspin Facebook group to watch music videos, connect with local musicians, and read in-depth interviews with featured MNspin artists.