Dark (Was the K)night

(Dark Knight is not Dark Was the Night....but it is the best movie ever made. RIP HL and congrats on that award)

Say what you will about compilation albums sold for "a good cause" (what would you say? Saving Darfur is soooooo last year? That kind of makes you sound like a douchebag, man), but Dark Was the Night, released this month, is pretty great. Thirty-two tracks and hardly a miss among them, this album includes previously unreleased songs by The National, Beirut, The Books, Ben Gibbard, Iron and Wine, Dirty Projectors and others. It is quite the little gem. And it's for a good cause; it will "benefit the Red Hot Organization – an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture." And these songs are actually good too, not just the standard compilation "it didn't make it onto the album cuz it kinda sucked, but sure just take it for your charity" songs.

While you should dish out the bucks to buy the whole album (do that here), here's a little taste:

Lenin by Arcade Fire

Mimizan by Beirut

Brackett, WI by Bon Iver

Love vs. Porn by Kevin Drew

So Far Around the Bend by The National (This is my favorite band. Ever.)

Well-Alright by Spoon (I LOVE when Spoon gets funky and this song is so fucking funky it's actually a little bit unbelievable)