For those of you who do not know already, Dark Was the Night is a benefit album put together by Bryce and Aaron Dressner (of The National fame) to raise money for AIDS awareness in Brazil through the organization Red Hot. The double-album features nearly every popular indie artist in the business, from Andrew Bird, Sufjan Stevens, and Beirut to David Byrne, José González, and The Arcade Fire. Not only does each artist contribute new material, but said new material is mind-numbingly good. Like, some of the best music they’ve ever released good. You may understand, then, why I have preemptively declared it the greatest album that 2009 has to offer. The album has everything: beautiful ballads from crooners Cat Power, Feist, and Grizzly Bear, ambient melodies from The Books, José González, and Bon Iver, and upbeat sing-alongs from The Arcade Fire, Spoon, and The New Pornographers. It truly is impossible for me to choose a favorite song, as I have fallen in love with each and every one for different reasons (except “Inspiration Information”. Sorry Sharon Jones, I’ll never understand you). Some of the most surprisingly quality tracks, however, are contributed by musicians who decided to go solo for the album. Stuart Murdoch (of Belle & Sebastian) contributes one of the most vulnerable and sweet songs I’ve heard in a while with “Another Saturday”. The aforementioned Bryce and Aaron Dressner take a break from playing with my favorite band to record the standout track, “I Was Young When I Left Home”. I can say with a straight face that this may be my favorite album since I began blogging, and that I was afraid to write this post for fear that I could never do such a flawless album justice. Hype much? Yeah, but believe me when I say that it is totally and 100% deserved. The album dropped February 16th, so pick up a copy and give your ears a late Christmas present.
Love,
Zack
