Formed in 2012 after a chance meeting at a festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, Eklipse are comprised of four German artists: violinists Miss E. and Scarlett, cellist Helena, and the aptly named Viola on that eponymous instrument. They issued their debut LP, A Night in Strings, in 2013. The collection included covers of alternative favorites from Linkin Park and Depeche Mode, pop hits from Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, and classics from David Bowie and Kate Bush. They went on tour with Nightwish, receiving additional support from bands outside the classical sphere like Kamelot and the Mission. They expanded their reach on their follow-up, Electric Air, incorporating Adele, Massive Attack, Muse, Empire of the Sun, the Clash, the Eurythmics, Florence + the Machine, and even Sia and David Guetta's dance smash "Titanium." For their third effort, Liberte, Egalite, Sensualite, Eklipse drew inspiration from France. The EP presented a range of French favorites, from Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and the 1965 France Gall/Serge Gainsbourg hit "Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son" to Les Rita Mitsouko's '80s single "Marcia Baila" and the 2001 Noir Desir/Manu Chao song "Le Vent Nous Portera." In late 2016, the quartet unveiled their version of the classic "Carol of the Bells." ~ Neil Z. Yeung