It’s no secret that tribute albums and charity compilations can be hit-or-miss affairs at best. In the case of the latter, all you can really do is be happy that you’re supporting a good cause, and hope that the music is more hit than miss. Two important charity albums have recently appeared, and when I say important, I don’t just mean for the causes they’re helping, but also for the virtual who’s who of contemporary indie artists that has contributed tracks to them. If you could somehow assemble all of the buzz that these artists have collected, you could light the universe. In other words, to the naked eye, it’s a music blogger’s dream.
The Red Hot Organization has been using pop culture to fight the good fight against AIDS since 1989. They have released 14 albums together with related television shows and media events, and have raised $7 million to date. Their most recent project is called Dark Was the Night (4AD Records). It’s an enormous 30-song effort that has been curated by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National. In addition to a track from the National, contributors include Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Feist, and a host of others.
Let me say right up front that apparently Bon Iver can do no wrong. From Justin Vernon’s nearly perfect debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, to his recently released Blood Bank EP, and now, this album’s best track “Brackett, WI,” there have been few, if any, missteps. Vernon is also involved here in an intriguing collaboration with Aaron Dessner called “Big Red Machine.”
Sufjan Stevens’ contribution, “You Are the Blood,” reminds me that it’s been too long since we’ve had new music from him. Antony and Bryce Dessner duet on a beautiful version of the traditional “I Was Young When I Left Home.” Yes, Feist is here, combining with Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie on “Train Song,” and with Grizzly Bear on “Service Bell.” (more…)
There are some bands whose godlike characteristics fade a bit in a live setting. Merely seeing that they’re human is enough. They have arms and legs and eyes and ears and a nose, just like you, they’re holding the instruments you’ve seen hundreds of times, and maybe even know how to play. They’re simply standing on a higher platform than you are, they simply chose to do something different with their time than you did. But then there are bands, like TV on the Radio, whose majestic proportions balloon in concert. The fact that they’re just like you infuriating. Why can’t I do that? Why didn’t I think of that? How in the hell did they get so damn good? But seeing TV on the Radio at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Wednesday wasn’t just about how amazing TV on the Radio is, it was about how exhilarating music can be in general.
Playing to a not just hometown but home-borough crowd, TV on the Radio took the stage to “Young Liars,” from the same-named EP that many would argue put them on the map. It was a nod to their career roots that meshed perfectly with a three-night nod to their physical roots. They coursed through songs from every era of their existence (OK Calculator excepting), unafraid to change them in ways necessary for the strongest possible performance, like zipping through “Wrong Way” at a blistering speed, or stripping down “Dirtywhirl” in a way that made the knee-weakeningly sexy tune even hotter (and not just because the Masonic Temple’s small indoor space quickly turned into a sweat factory).
Speaking of changing in ways for the strongest possible performance, the band has added personnel. Founding members Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone and David Sitek are now joined by long-time album contributors Jaleel Bunton and Gerard Smith, who apparently made the leap to full-time members for Dear Science. They also brought on Antibalas for the brass back-up of trumpet, trombone and two saxophones, and Katrina Ford, also a frequent contributor to their albums (although she seemed to do more dancing than singing at the show, but it may have been that her vocals were just hard to hear). Though TV on the Radio concerts were anything but lackluster as its original three-piece, the fuller ensemble is naturally more conducive to showing off each element of their construction. (more…)
It’s no secret that tribute albums and charity compilations can be hit-or-miss affairs at best. In the case of the latter, all you can really do is be happy that you’re supporting a good cause, and hope that the music is more hit than miss. Two important charity albums have recently appeared, and when I say important, I don’t just mean for the causes they’re helping, but also for the virtual who’s who of contemporary indie artists that has contributed tracks to them. If you could somehow assemble all of the buzz that these artists have collected, you could light the universe. In other words, to the naked eye, it’s a music blogger’s dream.
