The 20th Red Hot compilation
Dark Was the Night also arrives during the AIDS charity's 20th anniversary. Curated by
the National's
Bryce and
Aaron Dessner and
John Carlin, this double-disc set plays like a who's who of late 2000s indie rock, especially of the mellow and/or folky variety:
Bon Iver's
Justin Vernon,
Iron & Wine,
Sufjan Stevens,
Feist,
Ben Gibbard, and
Jose Gonzalez all contribute tracks. Though
Carlin and the Dessners didn't specify a particular theme for the project outside of updating traditional themes,
Dark Was the Night's first disc is remarkably cohesive.
Bon Iver's "Brackett, WI,"
the Decemberists' "Sleepless,"
the National's "So Far Around the Bend," and
Iron & Wine's "Stolen Houses (Die)" are quintessential examples of what these artists are all about. Many of the brightest moments have a spooky, strangely antique feel, particularly the
Kronos Quartet's update of
Blind Willie Johnson's title track, which keeps the ruminative soulfulness and grit of the original while transporting it to a very different setting.
Antony Hegarty and
Bryce Dessner's take on
Bob Dylan's "I Left Home When I Was Young" is similarly lonely and haunting, but the real standouts is
My Brightest Diamond's ambitious cover of "Feelin' Good," which nods to
Nina Simone's classic version while staying true to Shana Worden's chilly yet intimate musical vision. Likewise,
Feist's collaboration with
Grizzly Bear on "Service Bell" brings out an unearthly, almost unrecognizable side to her voice.
Dark Was the Night's second disc is more disjointed, but arguably a more interesting listen --
Spoon's brash "Well-Alright,"
the Arcade Fire's anthemic "Lenin," and
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings' slinky cover of
Shuggie Otis' "Inspiration Information" have little in common other than that they're all well-crafted. Skipping from indie hip-hop ("Blood, Pt 2,"
Buck 65's remix of
Sufjan Stevens' cover of
Castanets' "You are the Blood" featuring rapper
Serengeti) to filmic Americana (
Andrew Bird's take on
the Handsome Family's "The Giant of Illinois") to roots rock (
My Morning Jacket's "El Caporal"), there's little rhyme or reason but lots of entertainment. Other highlights include the Dirty Projects' and
David Byrne's "Knotty Pine,"
Stuart Murdoch's simple and beautiful "Another Saturday," and
Blonde Redhead and
Devastations' dreamy, unsettling "When the Road Runs Out." Though some of the tracks contributed by
Dark Was the Night's artists are a touch too predictable, it's uncharitable to nitpick too much when the collection offers so much music for such a good cause. ~ Heather Phares