*Spoon - "Well-Alright" - This is a pretty fun tune, uptempo and simple, almost uncharacteristic of Spoon. If I didn't know better, someone could have probably convinced me that this was actually the Strokes. Do the Strokes still exist? Did they give up music and just resort to looking cool as a career move? Anyway...B+.
*Arcade Fire - "Lenin" - good stuff, though the mood here is much more relieved than I would normally expect from the Arcade Fire. It's not the greatest AF song but the quality is still good; maybe there just isn't as much of a sweeping crescendo as Win Butler has led me to expect. B
*Beirut - "Mimizan" - love the accordion. This sounds like Flying Club Cup-Beirut, which is not a bad thing. The song is brief but has a nice build, and the sweeping vocals are well suited for the song. A
*My Morning Jacket - "El Caporal" - this is the gentle, easy side of MMJ, which is not what I prefer, but this song is still kind of fun. It's borderline doo-wop, a very old-time feel, and a nicely understated sax presence. I wish I could give this song a higher grade, but it's solid, not spectacular. B-
*Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "Inspiration Information" - an appropriate followup to the previous track, as this is more relaxed than some of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' tunes. Not bad stuff, I just prefer the songs with a little more edge. B-
*David Sitek - "With A Girl Like You" - what immediately seems like cheese is redeemed by a wicked horn line. This song is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but damned if it isn't fun to listen to. There's a nice progression here, too, and the horns take center stage at the end long enough to whet my appetite. I could listen to this one two or three times in a row, easy. A
*Blood Pt 2 - "Buck 65 Remix" (feat. Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti) - nice segue! This is a rhythm-driven rap tune, a nice change of pace on the album. The mood here is darker, borderline sinister, but I appreciate the variety. Plus, the song is relatively brief, especially in comparison to Sufjan dorking up the place for 10+ minutes at the end of disc 1. B
*The New Pornographers - "Hey Snow White" - a slow burn as opposed to the NP's more traditional frantic style. This song is only guilty of giving away everything a little too soon but it still works up a decent groove - love the progression here, and the chorus that just won't quit. To be fair, I'm a sucker for basically anything A.C. Newman does. Love this song. A
*Yo La Tengo - "Gentle Hour" - Good stuff, and another tempo/style change that contrasts well. This is more the hazy, cloudy YLT; this song feels like taking a nap on a gray afternoon. Nice piano here, and the vocals are restrained enough to let the piano be the star. A-
*Stuart Murdoch - "Another Saturday" - an old-fashioned tune here, something that wouldn't sound out of place in a church service. Is this from the Nick Cave-scored The Proposition? It's a little cloying but pretty nonetheless. Subtle instrumentation here is a nice touch. B+
*Riceboy Sleeps - "Happiness" - a serene, ambient tune. It's all synth and strings here, something celestial that wouldn't sound out of place on a Tangerine Dream album. Definitely a changeup from everything else on this disc, but just beautiful. Not something to sing along to, though. Perhaps the best indication of the song's quality is that it is 8+ minutes in length and always seems to be less than half that. A
*Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues - "Amazing Grace" - oh HELL YES. The mother of all old-time spiritual hymns, covered with as much heart as a thirty-something white lady can muster. Love the instrumentation, too. Maybe if Chan Marshall sang at church I would have a harder time not going. A
*Andrew Bird - "The Giant of Illinois" - Lovely string intro, seamless transition to guitar lead, vocals so full of yearning that it hurts. Wow. There are other artists on the composition that I prefer to Bird, but given all the tracks, I'd be pressed hard to place many of them above this one. Somehow, Bird manages to upstage Marshall here, just a little. A
*Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch - "Lua" - I have to mark this one down, as Conor is covering one of his own tunes. It's still nice and meanders enough, but this isn't one of my favorites. Maybe this song just seems to settle for its opening hook too easily; by the time the song ends, it has pretty much worn out its welcome. It's an okay tune, there just aren't enough ideas to make up for a relatively milquetoast mood. B
*Blonde Redhead + Devastations - "When The Road Runs Out" - kind of interesting to hear BR do something so laid-back. The end result is that the song was somewhat less creepy than a typical BR track, but still not quite sure what to do with itself. B
*Kevin Drew - "Love vs. Porn" - Maybe a little too Broken Social Scene-ish for my taste but still a nice way to wind down the album. B+
And there you have it. Some peaks reach higher than others, but not any real valleys to speak of. Please don't let my general anti-Sufjan bias keep you from this compilation; the two discs contain some great songs. (This is to say nothing of the important charity aspect of the album as well.
Just for reference, in case you are interested in obtaining this compilation yourself:
Enjoy.
In Other News:
I spent too much time blogging this week.
If you live within driving distance of me, go outside, spring finally showed up.
