Indigo Girls Go All Symphonic and Shit

On Live With the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra (out June 29 on Rounder), the Indigo Girls rework familiar folk tunes from throughout their career into lush and loud epics.

“Power of Two,” a harmony showpiece from 1994’s Swamp Ophelia, loses none of its charm with orchestral accompaniment. Nor does 1992’s “Virginia Woolf,” 1999’s “Compromise” and other old favorites recorded live for this 22-song collection.

The album captures bandmates Amy Ray and Emily Saliers’ prowess when working with an orchestra. Per press materials, the band had over 50 such live appearances under its belt between 2012-2016 (including with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), so the perfect marriage of old classics and new favorites with a 64-piece symphony was no happy accident.

In all, it’s the old songs you love and a few newer ones you might’ve missed, presented in a manner that’d sound at home on a John Williams film score or at the familiar confines of Eddie’s Attic.