The Red Hot 2-disc Compilation of ‘Dark Was the Night’ has thirty-one tracks. Thirty-one. That’s a typical classroom population, more than a few handfuls, and pushing usual audio overdose. And yet, somehow, all thirty-one songs are good; some of them great, and even more importantly, they all correspond atmospherically with one another. ‘Dark Was the Night’ features everyone on the indie cred list; Keven Drew, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, and Yo La Tengo to name a few. Of course, the quality of the songs can be attributed to the independent talent of each artist, but also should be noted that twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National handled the production of ‘Dark Was the Night’. Too often these albums manage to acquire a talented mishmash of artists and have them throw together tracks produced without a coherent overall thought… or at least, miss the tone of that musical concept completely.rnrn
rnrnThis album comes from something moving, not towards sadness, but struggling. The Red Hot Organization is an international charity dedicated to the awareness of HIV and AIDS, so it makes sense that as a whole, the album feels steeped in a sense of longing. But it remains an optimistic collection of music, as the collaboration itself signals an effort to cooperate. The multiple duets and combined forces on multiple tracks (for example: Conor Oberst & Gillian Welsh, Cat Power & Dirty Delta, Justin Vernon & Aaron Dessner, Feist & Ben Gibbard) seems as natural as anything, joining forces to create something poignant and helpful. Unlike other charity albums, the reason to own this collection is not just for the benefit of contributing; it’s for the pleasure of hearing all of these fantastic musicians contribute themselves… Give it a listen below… And click on the album cover to buy!
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