Angel Olsen, Jamila Woods, Phoebe Bridgers, R.E.M., the National’s Matt Berninger, Weyes Blood, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, and many more have contributed songs to a new compilation available exclusively on Bandcamp for 24 hours. Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy is a 40-track compilation whose proceeds from go to Fair Fight—a voter rights organization that promotes fair elections through voter education, election reform, and combating voter suppression. The compilation arrives as part of Bandcamp’s ongoing Bandcamp Friday initiative. Find the full tracklist, as well as Shepard Fairey’s cover art, below.
Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy includes covers, live versions, unreleased demos, remixes, and never-before-heard new songs from dozens of artists. Hayley Williams, for example, covers Broadcast; Matt Berninger covers the Cure; Weyes Blood takes on a Joni Mitchell number, and more.
The new compilation was executive produced by author Dave Eggers, along with Jordan Kurland, Darius Zelkha, Christian Stavros, and Barsuk Records label head Josh Rosenfeld. “It’s going to come down to bringing out and protecting the vote this fall, so the work Fair Fight does is crucial,” Eggers said in a press release. “Jordan and I figured a painless way to raise some money would be to ask musicians to donate unreleased tracks, people pay a few bucks for them, and maybe we can edge toward a functioning democracy again.”
Jordan Kurland added, “As in our previous election-based projects, Dave and I were looking for a relatively simple platform for artists to get involved in the political process. Seeing how impactful Bandcamp Fridays have become, we felt this was the perfect way to create urgency by releasing new music from a collection of amazing artists for a very short window of time.”
In addition to the compilation, Bandcamp will sell a limited edition signed poster of Shepard Fairey’s cover art. Net proceeds from sales will go to Color of Change, the country’s largest online racial justice organization.
Read “Can Pop Stars Be Political Organizers?” on the Pitch.
Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy:
01 Hayley Williams: “Colour Me In” (Broadcast cover)
02 Tycho / Benjamin Gibbard: “Only Love Will Save This Place (Demo Version)”
03 R.E.M.: “Begin the Begin (Live in Hampton, VA 1989)”
04 Matt Berninger: “In Between Days” (The Cure cover)
05 Grouplove: “Hardware Store”
06 Rostam: “Half-Light (Acoustic)”
07 Soccer Mommy: “Girl Next Door” (Saving Jane cover)
08 Flume / Eprom: “Nor. 7”
09 Clipping: “Chapter 319 (Jonathan’s Full Stop Remix)”
10 My Morning Jacket: “Bring the Power Back Home”
11 Sudan Archives: “War”
12 Helado Negro: “Us Meeting Them”
13 Death Cab for Cutie: “The New Year (Live in Seattle, WA 2020)”
14 Jeff Tweedy: “Whisper”
15 Sharon Van Etten: “malibu, driving down the one (demo)”
16 Weyes Blood: “River” (Joni Mitchell cover)
17 Thurston Moore: “L’Ephemere”
18 The Decemberists: “Death-Defying (Hoodoo Gurus Cover, Live in Australia 2016)”
19 Tegan and Sara: “God Help Yourself (Demo)”
20 Best Coast: “Our Deal (Live in Studio 2020)”
21 Poolside / Todd Edward: “Getting There From Here (Instrumental)”
22 Jamila Woods: “HEAVN (Slot-A Remix)”
23 Robin Pecknold: “Hammond Song” (The Roches cover)
24 Beverly Glenn-Copeland: “Dream On (1977 Studio Recording)”
25 Devendra Banhart: “Taking a Page (Demo)”
26 Phoebe Bridgers: “Chinese Satellite (Voice Memo)”
27 Real Estate: “People’s Parties” (Joni Mitchell cover)
28 Sylvan Esso: “Ferris Wheel (Live In-Studio)”
29 Josh Ritter: “Someday (In Progress)”
30 Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers: “Vancouver Divorce” (Gord Downie cover)
31 Alex G: “Skull Eyes” (True Widow cover)
32 Frankie Cosmos: “Another Piece”
33 King Tuff: “Evergreen (Demo)”
34 Superchunk: “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing” (Minutemen cover)
35 Jay Som: “Time Off Work”
36 Angel Olsen: “All Mirrors (Johnny Jewel Chamber Remix)”
37 Gilligan Moss: “Ultraparadíso (Campfire Edit)”
38 Bhi Bhiman: “Takin’ It Easy”
39 Courtney Barnett: “Sunday Roast (Live in Estes Park, CO 2020)”
40 Preservation Hall Jazz Band: “One Hundred Fires (Live in Seattle, WA 2019)”
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