As Dark as The Light Inside a Coffin on a Moonless Night: This Disc

Charity albums have been going on for quite a while, but since Dark Was The Night came out this last February, a new spin has been put on them. This release by Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS turned into a who’s who of independent music. Dark Was The Night blends a potpourri of contrasting styles and sounds. With heavy hitters like The Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver, Feist, Grizzly Bear, The Decemebrists, and Sufjan Stevens all gracing the stage, Dark Was the Night provides so many contrasting types of indie music that even the casual listener can’t really miss and that’s just on the first CD, entitled “This Disc” while the second goes by “That Disc”.

Live Dark Was the Night Poster- May 3

With The Dirty Projectors starting the album off with “Knotty Pine”, a collaboration with David Byrne. A clean acoustic guitar line chimes throughout the first track of the album and helps lead directly into “Cello Song” a rendition by the Books. I’d never heard of The Books until listening to this song and while it (the song and the entire album) took some time to grow on me, it has finally latched its claws on full force. The following track, “Train Song” perfectly complements the slow nature of the preceding song as it rolls with an acoustic guitar and Leslie Feist’s delicate, airy refrain inhabits the track. As “Train Song” concludes, Bon Iver’s “Brackett, WI” begins with a low-key bass line and features an eerie organ makes its debut halfway through the track keeping with the toned down atmosphere that continues throughout the album. Following the theme, Grizzly Bear checks in with “Deep Blue Sea”, and while it’s no “While You Wait For The Others”, it’s still a solid showing.

Jumping forward a couple of tracks to Yeasayers’ “Tightrope”, a guitar laced song with repetitious chimes (which are apparently a ring of keys?) in the background that winds up my favorite track off the album. With the Middle-Eastern inspired vocals and half-steps up and down within them, this track stands out most in my eyes. “Feeling Good” by My Brightest Diamond is unique as it brings a Billie Holliday sounding ballad that emphasizes the reason for the compilation all together.

While “Tightrope” is my favorite track off the album, “You Are The Blood” by Sufjan Stevens puts the end cap on the album with this instrument clad anthem that runs a solid 10 minutes long. Starting off with a mish-mash of glitch sounds that are hard to endure (even for me), the song quickly morphs from electronic goo into a vocal centered track with long decay, all while including brief interludes of the glitch music featured in the opening. Also forgotten in the beginning, yet emphasized near the 70% of the song, is the aptitude of Sufjan on all the instruments featured in the track. Horns, guitars, pianos and drum machines all play into the grand finale of the first disc of Dark Was The Night.

I’ll have a look at the other disc of the album tomorrow. While this disc gets more critical acclaim, I personally am a fan of the second disc more-so.

Signed,

DJResponsibility