• A handful of thoughtful benefit-CD projects deserve the heads-up and wallets-out. The fourth volume of the Take Action! series is due this Tuesday, raising funds for the National Hopeline Network, a Virginia-based suicide-prevention organization. Highlights from the two-CD set include a public-service announcement from Andrew W.K., a cover of Split Enz's "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, and the "wrong version" of NOFX's "Concern of a GOP Neo-Phyte." Pedro the Lion, Lot Six, Detachment Kit, and Against Me donate other rare cuts.
• Also filling out two CDs is Vagrant Records' just released In Honor: A Compilation to Beat Cancer. Proceeds from the set will be split equally between the Syrentha Savio Endowment and The Sean McGrath Fund, named for the Saves the Day bassist who died of cancer this past June. Rare, live, and acoustic tracks are peppered about from Taking Back Sunday, Jawbreaker, The Bouncing Souls, Melee, and Paint It Black.
• The Americana palette is nicely served with Red House Records' benefit project 13 Ways to Live: From Texas with Compassion, funding the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. With songs written specifically for this project, the CD collects Austin, Texas-based artists Abra Moore, Alejandro Escovedo, Patty Griffin, Richard Buckner, Butch Hancock, and more.
Television Alert:
The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Pearl Jam on Thursday and Franz Ferdinand on Monday; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Interpol on Friday; Jimmy Kimmel Live gives it up for the Scissor Sisters this evening overnight; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Wilco this evening overnight, Supergrass on Friday overnight, Switchfoot on Monday overnight, and Good Charlotte on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show boasts Joss Stone this evening overnight, Crosby, Stills, & Nash on Thursday overnight, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on Friday overnight, Snow Patrol on Monday overnight, and Cake on Tuesday overnight; Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Nelly; and look for 60 Minutes this Sunday to feature Queen Latifah.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, October 5:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Kasey Anderson - Dead Roses (Resonant Noise) second album from this talented young singer-songwriter from Bellingham, Washington
Roy Ayers - Mahogany Vibe (Rapster) featuring Erykah Badu and Betty Wright
Jay Bennett - The Beloved Enemy (Undertow) second solo album from the Wilco member
Black Eyes - Cough (Dischord) deeper into the dub, with more sax and less bass
Breather Resist - Charmer (Jade Tree) featuring members of Black Cross and National Acrobat
Cake - Pressure Chief (Columbia) on tour with Northern State
Nikki Costa - can'tneverdidnothin (Virgin) with guest Prince
Kimya Dawson - Hidden Vagenda (K Records) new solo album from the Moldy Peaches antagonist
The Dead Texan - The Dead Texan (Kranky) mental flights of humming minimalism from Adam Wiltzie of Stars of the Lid
De La Soul - The Grind Date (AOI/Sanctuary)
Devo - Live in the Land of the Rising Sun: Japan 2003 (Music Video Distributors) DVD with 12 live tracks, commentary, and backstage footage
Disengage - Application for an Afterlife (Fractured Transmitter) with cover art by Derek Hess
Minnie Driver - Everything I've Got in My Pocket (Rounder) with members of Pete Yorn's band and The Wallflowers, these new original recordings - and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" - take her back to her roots as a London singer, before she hit it big on the silver screen in 1995 with A Circle of Friends
Fatboy Slim - Palookaville (Astralwerks) featuring a re-make of Steve Miller's "The Joker" and guests Bootsy Collins, Johnny Quality, Lateef of Blackalicious, and Damon Albarn of Blur
Fishbone - Critical Times: The Henhouse Sessions (Music Video Distributors) DVD documentary of the band's recording process in 2001
Good Charlotte - Chronicles of Life & Death (Epic)
Helmet - Size Matters (Interscope) the return of Page Hamilton, with former members of Anthrax and White Zombie
Robyn Hitchcock - Spooked (Yep Roc) highly anticipated new album from the man I believe to be the greatest living songwriter, British division
Kaki King - Legs to Make Us Longer (Red Ink/Epic) on the cover of October's Acoustic Guitar magazine
Korn - Greatest Hits: Volume 1 (Epic) featuring a cover of Cameo's "Word Up"
Lemon Jelly - 64-95 (XL Recordings)
Laibach - Anthems (Mute) with a second disc of rare re-mixes
Marillion - Marbles (Dead Ringer) all new
Martha's Trouble - Forget October (Aisling Records) fifth album of clever indie love-pop from this married Canadian duo
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - Live from Johnny's Bar Mitzvah (Fat Wreck)
Mono - Walking Cloud & Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered & The Sun Shined (Temporary Residence) Japanese visual-landscape rock produced by Steve Albini, in special origami packaging
The Marlboro Chorus - Youth Medium (Future Appletree) delightfully wry indie basement rock
Napoleon Dynamite - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) featuring 1980s classics from Yaz, Bow Wow Wow, Alphaville, and more
Q & Not U - Power (Dischord) sweaty art rock that funks hard
R.E.M. - Around the Sun (Warner Bros.) look for a special limited-edition package featuring 14 color posters
Raphael Saadiq - As Ray Ray (Pookie) new from the multi-instrumentalist of Tony! Toni! Tone! and Lucy Pearl
Silverhawk - Westward (Blue Eyed Crow) excellent new psychedelic Americana from brothers Sam and John Desmore
Spectrum - Refractions: Thru the Rhythms of Time 1989-1997 (Space Age) collection of tracks by Pete Kember of Spaceman 3 and Experimental Audio Research
Straight to Hell - original motion picture soundtrack (Ace/Big Beat) expanded CD issue with 16 tracks not on the original LP, this punk-spaghetti western from 1987 starred Joe Strummer of The Clash, Grace Jones, Dennis Hopper, and Elvis Costello
Trekkies 2 - original motion picture soundtrack (Reboot Music) featuring "Beam Me Up" by Fred Schneider of the B-52's
Twisted Sister - Still Hungry (Eagle Rock) 1984's Stay Hungry album newly re-recorded with seven bonus tracks
Utada - Exodus (Island) with guest Jon Theodore of Mars Volta
various artists - Making Tributes Is Real: The Ultimate Tribute To Radiohead (Tributizeo) with a special "roots of Radiohead" selection and cover interpretations from Silent Gray, Dragon Style, and The Numb Ones featuring Meegs Rascon of Coal Chamber
various artists - Tales From the Oxygen Den (Radical Turf) breakbeat electro-funk from Coin Operated, Blue Spectral Monkey, Quetzatl, and more
various artists - Tell the Truth (Artemis) tour highlights on this CD featuring Steve Earle, Jill Sobule, Billy Bragg, and Tom Morello's new group, the Nightwatchmen
VHS or Beta - "Night on Fire" (Astralwerks) new single featuring re-mixes by Tommie Sunshine and Carlos D
Victory at Sea - Memories Fade (Gern Blandsten) death-walk blues fronted by the wail of guitarist-vocalist Mona Elliott
Tom Waits - Real Gone (Anti/Epitaph) recorded in a Mississippi schoolhouse with Les Claypool of Primus, guitarist Marc Ribot, and Harry Cody of Shotgun Messiah
The Warmers - Wanted: More (Dischord) re-mixed lost demos from 1996