Ukuleles: Automatic Happiness!

This interview (and streaming track) popped up on my Google News yesterday. (Yes, I have an alert for "ukulele." It's kind of delightful, I won't lie.) Sharon Van Etten has a very Cat Power-esque voice, though with a stronger delivery, to my ear. She talks about collaborating with Zach Condon, the wunderkind behind Beirut, and learning the ukulele for a song she wrote about dealing with social anxiety, "We Are Fine." (Her path to learning a new instrument sounds like Amanda Palmer's to me.) Relevant excerpts below!

( It's not a normal thing. It's very much like inventing chords ... )