Now Hear This

Red Hot Org., the international HIV and AIDS charity dedicated to raising money and awareness through popular culture, turns 20 this year. To celebrate the folks responsible for such amazing compilations as No Alternative, Red Hot and Blue and many more have turned the reigns over to The National’s brothers Dessner for compilatin #20, Dark Was The Night. Out on 4AD on February 16th, these 31 exclusive tracks from an impressive array of artists include some fascinating collaborations: Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch, Antony & Bryce Dessner and Feist & Ben Gibbard. Check out three of my favorite tracks:

And I’m also digging this track you can keep for yourself:

Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne

Check out this mind numbing track list:

THIS DISC
1 Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2 Cello Song (Nick Drake cover) – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan cover) – Feist + Ben Gibbard
4 Brackett, WI – Bon Iver
5 Deep Blue Sea – Grizzly Bear
6 So Far Around the Bend – The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
7 Tightrope – Yeasayer
8 Feeling Good (Nina Simone hit) – My Brightest Diamond
9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson cover) – Kronos Quartet
10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan cover) – Antony + Bryce Dessner
11 Big Red Machine – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12 Sleepless – The Decemberists
13 Stolen Houses (Die) – Iron and Wine
14 Service Bell – Grizzly Bear + Feist
15 You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens

THAT DISC
1 Well-Alright – Spoon
2 Lenin (a Funeral outtake) – Arcade Fire
3 Mimizan – Beirut
4 El Caporal – My Morning Jacket
5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis cover) – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs cover) – Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio
7 Blood Pt 2 (Castanets cover) – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer cover) – The New Pornographers
9 Gentle Hour (Snapper cover) – Yo La Tengo
10 Another Saturday – Stuart Murdoch
11 Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps
12 Amazing Grace – Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family cover) – Andrew Bird
14 Lua – Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch
15 When the Road Runs Out – Blonde Redhead + Devastations
16 Love vs. Porn – Kevin Drew