The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner curated this one, and its contributor list reads like the contents of your iPod, including Arcade Fire, Beirut, Beach House, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Antony, MMJ, Feist, Ben Gibbard, Spoon, Sufjan, Yeasayer, Yo La Tengo, the National, and a massive etc. All tracks are exclusives, and proceeds benefit the Red Hot Organization, “an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.” Dark Was The Night is out 2/17 on double CD (or triple LP) via 4AD.

Comments (21)
  1. Pablo  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    Yeah, how dare the compilation have bands people like and have heard of! How dare Stereogum assume its readers like the bands they post on! The nerve!

  2. good god, i thought it was a red hot chili peppers cover album for a second

  3. zayin_451  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    This is by far the best line up I’ve ever seen on a compilation album before. The Dessners obviously have got friends.

    The 10 minute long Sufjan song would be enough to make this thing marketable, but there isn’t an artist on this list that I don’t already own an album of. Except, who the heck is “Riceboy Sleeps”?

  4. it's me here  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    MNM is obviously over reacting. These are not my favorite bands either but I’m not bitching.

    It’s a great line-up and the key info here being “exclusive new tracks”.

  5. penis  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    people that complain about the lineups for an AIDS benefit album are assholes. Plain and simple.

  6. ditto on the “not my ipod” front. but seriously this might be more interesting as a RHCP tribute.

  7. tom  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    AIDS jokes? classy. red hot raises money for research and to provide medicine for those that cant afford it. i think it’s amazing that all these artists donated songs to this. and anyway, they had to choose artists that sell lots of records to make this actually work as far as raising money. what rchp songs do you hear dirty projectors or dave sitek or jonsi or grizzly bear or beach house covering?

  8. Bat Macumba  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    Emily, your list sounds to me like the average yuppie blogger list more than this one. Although both lists are pretty good. Needless to say I will buy this and I am sure it will be awesome!

  9. pat  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    oh my god… check out the URL for the link:

    http://4ad.com/news/dark-was-the-nig/

    ???

  10. i can see the troop of dark knights coming. seriously, this record will be one of my must have. i hate AIDS. but i love these people.

  11. A Ben Gibbard/Feist Collab?? OH MAH GAWD! I been waitin’ for this so long! And yes I get to fight AIDS too!

  12. trotskey  |   Posted on Jan 15th, 2009 0

    Emily you are just soooo cool, aren’t you? Maybe you should read NME instead of bitching on here you punk rock wannabe.

  13. matthew  |   Posted on Dec 3rd, 2008 0

    you choke

  14. Jim-Bob  |   Posted on Dec 4th, 2008 0

    Of course, it would also mostly suck if it had those bands on it, but nevertheless (with the obvious exception of Ra Ra Riot).

  15. So I guess Arcade Fire and The National are now in the “Too many people know about them so they are no longer relevant to my constant need to feel like I know music that the majority of the population has yet to discover” category?

  16. WallabyJoe  |   Posted on Dec 5th, 2008 0

    If it had those bands on it, it would basically only be relevant from like June-November 2008 and then we would have to put a bunch of weird, obscure blog bands on it NEXT year, like The Electric Water Buffalo Conspiracy or Huffmuffin or The Sexpots or Hey Marvin Let’s Dance.

    (I heard the new Sexpots single is going to be remixed by DJ Boogaboo and it will be so obscure, no one will ever even hear it. How’s THAT for charity-worthy!)

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