Most awesome indie charity compilation ever due in February.

jill_valentine

http://blog.kexp.org/blog/

Today is Worlds AIDS Day, so what better time to rave about Dark Was The Night, the forthcoming compilation from the folks at the Red Hot Organization (who raise funds and awareness around HIV and AIDS). Available Feb. 17, 2009, from 4AD, this double-CD/triple-LP includes 31 exclusive tracks and was produced by Aaron & Bryce Dessner of The National. The release of Dark Was The Night (which takes its title from the famous blues tune, covered here by Kronos Quartet) marks the 20th anniversary of Red Hot, and is also their twentieth title in a series of stellar albums that started off in 1990 with the Cole Porter tribute Red Hot + Blue.

Take a look at the track list below. It’s like they custom-made the dang album with KEXP listeners in mind.

Disc One:
1. “Knotty Pine” by Dirty Projectors & David Byrne
2. “Cello Song” by The Books feat. Jose Gonzales
3. “Train Song” by Feist & Ben Gibbard
4. “Brackett, WI” by Bon Iver
5. “Deep Blue Sea” by Grizzly Bear
6. “So Far Around the Bend” by The National
7. “Tightrope” by Yeasayer
8. “Feeling Good” by My Brightest Diamond
9. “Dark Was the Night” by Kronos Quartet
10. “I Was Young When I Left Home” by Antony & Bryce Dessner
11. “Big Red Machine” by Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner
12. “Sleepless” by The Decemberists
13. “Die” by Iron and Wine
14. “Service Bell” by Grizzly Bear & Feist
15. “Blood” by Sufjan Stevens

Disc Two:
16. “Well-Alright” by Spoon
17. “Lenin” by Arcade Fire
18. “Mimizan” by Beirut
19. “El Caporal” by My Morning Jacket
20. “Inspiration Information” by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
21. “With A Girl Like You” by Dave Sitek
22. “Blood Pt. 2″ by Buck 65 Remix (feat. Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
23. “Hey, Snow White” by The New Pornographers
24. “Gentle Hour” by Yo La Tengo
25. “Another Saturday Night” by Stuart Murdoch
26. “Happiness” by Riceboy Sleeps
27. “Amazing Grace” by Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues
28. “The Giant of Illinois” by Andrew Bird
29. “Lua” by Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch
30. “When The Road Runs Out” by Blonde Redhead & Devastations
31. “Love vs. Porn” by Kevin Drew

Damn, is that a disc going to be worth owning. I did consider sneaking in "Everyone has AIDS!" from Team America, but decided that might be too tasteless even for me.

Cat Power is occasionally brilliant, when she's on form. I've just about forgiven Feist for being on literally every advertisement ever made, so I'm especially looking forward to the Feist + Grizzly Bear.

And I do love me some Beirut, especially because this is more or less proof that they're/ he's functional again.

Basically, these are all of the artists on my MP3 player in one, neat charity package.

Bubs101

Yeah that looks pretty good. The Feist Ben Gibbard duet will be interesting too

Fanny Cradock

Shame it's not out in time for Christmas. Looks good, though.

jill_valentine

I know, come February, I'm gonna be recession'ed right out of CD buying.

Frothing at the mouth for new Arcade Fire, so looking forward to this like a twitchy junkie.

Jim

That looks pretty awesome. I saw Stuart Murdoch and was hoping it would be Looper-esqe. Got the name wrong sadly

lordgoat

Ta for that Jill, it does look pretty sweet. Buck 65 and Sufjan can't wait!

jill_valentine

Buck 65 and Sufjan Stevens is quite a weird combination. Mind you, there's a lot about Sufjan Stevens that doesn't quite add up to me...

ShoulderChip

wow


wow


wow


i can not wait.

jill_valentine

I know! Either one of those discs would be worth owning. Together, they're like... I don't know, I'm too tired to put together an appropriately brilliant comparison. Great. They're really great.

From what I hear, the Arcade Fire one could possibly be a tweaked version of a recording made around about Funeral.

jill_valentine

Got my eardrums around an early version of the Arcade Fire one.

Completely not what I was expecting from the lyrics. Very T-Rex, weirdly, which isn't something I'd have ever associated with Arcade Fire.

jill_valentine

They're streaming one track after another for this on the myspace. Go there, go there now.

http://www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight

Bubs101

Has anybody else got this yet? The Sufjan track is absolutely phenomenal

Michellenman

Where's it on sale do you know? Also, how much?

lordgoat

It's def in Tower. For i think 12 quid.

jill_valentine

The Sufjan track is absolutely phenomenal, yes. Highlight of a fantastic collection. Feist + Grizzly Bear is nearly as good.

First disc is the strongest by far, I think.

Fanny Cradock

Yeah, love the Sufjan Stevens track. I'm also partial to a bit Yo La Tengo. Bought 2 of these albums - well worth the purchase.

Actually, I'm off to listen to it now!

Dennis the Stone

It's good in parts alright; the first part is miles better in my opinion

Kid V

The Sufjan Stevens track is fantastic. So is the other version by Buck 65. Feist and Grizzly Bear collaboration is prob my highlight and its very nice to hear something new from Arcade Fire

fillmore jive

It's a good ould compo but the highlight has to be without a doubt 'Gentle hour' by Yo La Tengo. I have most of their stuff but this quite possibly the best song by them, despite it being a cover. Looking at the last fm stats, a lotta people seem to think the same as well.

jill_valentine

Yo La Tengo's one is nice, but it doesn't really engage me, to be honest.

Fanny Cradock

Nobody asked you.

Boooh!

:mad:

jill_valentine

Snicker.

It's nice, but it's certainly not the highlight of the thing, is all... It's nowhere near as stunning as Sufjan's or Feist's.

lordgoat

Buck 65 for me and i love the david byrne colaboration too.

Miguel_Sanchez

I had The National track stuck in my head all day yesterday. Also really like Yo La Tengo's one and the Riceboy Sleeps track is excellent.

Overall very pleased with the album. Plus a great charity.

ronanoc

It's great. Like most people here, I much prefer the first disc. Highlights for me are Feist & Ben Gibbard, The National and Anthony and Bryce Dessner.

I also like the Bon Iver track, but the Arcade Fire contribution is a bit of a let-down.

jill_valentine

ronanoc wrote: »

I also like the Bon Iver track, but the Arcade Fire contribution is a bit of a let-down.

Yeah, it's fun for a bit but, meh.

It's a very old track that they rejected for Funeral, they just had it handy when Dark Was The Night asked.

Fanny Cradock

Same can be said of the New Pornographers contribution.

jill_valentine

I'm convinced somebody in the BBC has a bet on to use every single song on this thing, I'd say I've heard half of them on ads for BBC productions.

The Pontiac

This looks great. I never even knew this existed tbh. Cat Power, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, Iron and Wine, plus many more of my favourites. I can't wait to hear Andrew Bird's take on 'The Giant of Illinois' - a great track by the great Handsome Family. I just ordered a copy.

ShoulderChip

<Ollie> wrote: »

This looks great. I never even knew this existed tbh. Cat Power, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, Iron and Wine, plus many more of my favourites. I can't wait to hear Andrew Bird's take on 'The Giant of Illinois' - a great track by the great Handsome Family. I just ordered a copy.

How novel - someone paying for music, I thought that art was dead.

The Pontiac

ShoulderChip wrote: »

How novel - someone paying for music, I thought that art was dead.

Well, it is for charity and all. It would kind of defeat the whole purpose of the album's release by not paying for it. €12 + free delivery on play seems a very reasonable price anyway.

I still pay for a lot of my music anyway. I just couldn't be arsed downloading free music from lesser known, non-loaded artists like The Handsome, Mick Flannery, Jolie Holland etc. - trying to buy them as direct as possible makes a difference too eg. live shows, home page etc.