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Rating: * * *
You'd expect a double album featuring some of North American music's brightest and most interesting acts to be something special. Well, Dark Was the Night is not essential by any means but among these 31 exclusive tracks there are some collectable gems - like Grizzly Bear's whimsical sea shanty Deep Blue Sea, Sufjan Stevens' brooding and glitchy You Are the Blood, and Cat Power doing a moochy, if a little lazy, version of Amazing Grace.
This album is the 20th in the Red Hot series and marks the 20th anniversary of the charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and Aids.
The album, curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from Brooklyn post-punk revivalists The National, is made up of new and exclusive tracks either in the form of covers, collaborations, or original material. The brothers tend toward folk, country, and gypsy music, with the likes of Iron and Wine, Beirut, and Andrew Bird dominating but there are also offerings from David Byrne, Kronos Quartet, and hip-hop outlaw Buck 65.
Modern day soul diva Sharon Jones, and her band the Dap-Kings, doing Inspiration Information might seem the most out of place but the Dessners fit it in nicely between the rootsy blues rock of My Morning Jacket's El Caporal and Dave Sitek's delightfully dreary take on the Troggs With A Girl Like You.
Other highlight's include Yo La Tango's understated, verging on droney, Gentle Hour; Antony Hegarty (from Antony and the Johnsons) teaming up with Bryce Dessner for a cover of Dylan's I Was Young When I left Home; and Kronos Quartet's typical fractured and unhinged approach to title track Dark Was the Night (a song originally by Texan gospel blues singer Blind Willie Johnson).
One of the troubles, as with any compilation, is getting a good flow on and when you're dealing with such a wide range of artists it makes it even harder. Some songs sound like cast-offs as they never really get going, like the disappointing Bon Iver offering Brackett, WI, which is too understated for it's own good.
But for fans of the Yo La Tangos and Iron and Wines of this world there are some treasures to be found and it's all for a good cause.
Scott Kara
