Voters’ Rights Benefit Album With Songs by R.E.M., Hayley Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, Dropping Friday for Just 24 Hours

Jem Aswad
·4 min read

For today only — Friday, Sept. 4 — a compilation album with previously unreleased songs by R.E.M., Jamila Woods, Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, The National’s Matt Berninger, Rostam, Flume, Death Cab for Cutie, and many more will be available, exclusively from Bandcamp.

100% of the proceeds from the album, which is titled “Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy,” will go to Fair Fight, a voters rights organization that promotes fair elections around the country through voter education, election reform, and combating voter suppression.

The comp features unreleased songs, covers, remixes, live versions and demos from artists across many genres (see the tracklist below). From an unearthed Beverly Glenn-Copeland song from 1977, to Hayley Willams covering UK kraut-hypnostists Broadcast, to a collaboration in progress between Ben Gibbard and Tycho, and a slew of additional songs from My Morning Jacket, Flume with Eprom, Jay Som, and more, “Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy” is an ear-pleasing way to promote voting rights and election reform this fall.

The album was executive produced by author Dave Eggers, along with artist managers Jordan Kurland and Darius Zelkha (Brilliant Corners Artist Management), Christian Stavros (Little Operation Management), and Barsuk Records label head Josh Rosenfeld. This is the fourth fund-raising project around a presidential election spearheaded by Eggers and Kurland; their other initiatives have included the projects “30 Songs, 30 Days,” (2016), “90 Days, 90 Reasons” (2012) and “The Future Dictionary of America” (2004).

Says Eggers, “It’s going to come down to bringing out and protecting the vote this fall, so the work Fair Fight does is crucial. 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.”

Kurland adds, “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.”

The compilation’s cover art was created by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey. A limited edition signed poster of the artwork will also be sold on Friday via Bandcamp, with net proceeds going to to the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, Color of Change.

Track list:

  1. Hayley Williams – Colour Me In (Broadcast Cover)

  2. Tycho x Ben Gibbard – Only Love Will Save This Place (Demo Version)

  3. R.E.M. – Begin The Begin (Live in Hampton, VA 1989)

  4. Matt Berninger – In Between Days (The Cure Cover)

  5. Grouplove – Hardware Store

  6. Rostam – Half-Light (Acoustic)

  7. Soccer Mommy – Girl Next Door (Saving Jane Cover)

  8. Flume x Eprom – Nor. 7

  9. 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 x Todd Edwards – 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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