First, the good news: Dark Was the Night is a charity compilation that features 31 “exclusive” tracks from an all-star cast of indie artists. Produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National and John Carlin, the founder of the Red Hot Organization, the two-disc set aims to raise money for HIV and AIDs awareness. For only £11.00 ($15.67), you can log onto the 4AD website today, buy a hard copy of the compilation, and satiate your need for good music and goodwill all at once.
The bad news: taken as a whole, the set is pretty lopsided. While there aren’t many straight-up flops here, the gamut runs from well-crafted, nuanced pieces to half-assed, MOR covers and b-sides.
The first half of disc one starts off with an excellent collaboration between the Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, followed by a solid cover of Nick Drake’s “Cello Song” by the Books and Jose Gonzalez. As the side progresses, though, the quality slowly begins to slip. The Decemberists’ “Sleepless” is a principal offender here, failing to do much in its eight-minute runtime, while Sufjan Steven’s “You Are the Blood” tries to accomplish far too much, cramming orchestral folk, Enjoy Your Rabbit-era electronics and jazz piano into one 10-minute indulgence.
Similarly mixed results persist on the second CD, with the best material emerging mid-disc. Sharon Jones & The Dap-King’s “Inspiration Information,” offers a welcome, soul-infused contrast to the rest of the collection; Buck 65’s remix of “You Are the Blood” nearly salvages the original manifestation on disc one; Riceboy Sleeps’ “Happiness” makes sitting through an 8.5 minute song almost effortless. Unfortunately, washy efforts from Spoon, the Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead and Kevin Drew drag on the bookends of the CD.
At its best, Dark Was the Night can be thought of as a relatively consistent, occasionally elegant affair. At its worst, the songs can feel a bit homogenous, and even excessive.
If the proceeds didn’t go to charity, I would recommend just browsing through iTunes for what sounds right. However, if your curiosity outweighs your wallet, you may as well spring for the whole set. Otherwise, just cut out the middleman and donate directly to charity.
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