Not Alone
Finally, a charity record that breaks the mould of tired old rehashes branded with a caring, sharing label. Not Alone, a majestic five-CD boxed set compiled by avant garde luminary David Tibet and Jnana Records’ Mark Logan, is not only sending its proceeds to Médecins Sans Frontières; it’s also a record of the state of the song in today’s independently minded musicians. Available via Jnana’s website for a paltry $24.99, this is a set that offers one-offs from the likes of Marc Almond, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, rediscovered folkies Shirley Collins and Vashti Bunyan as well as Antony, this time without his Johnsons.
With 75 tracks at its disposal, Not Alone makes no bones about its musical bandwidth. Electronic experimental duo Matmos grab psalteries and bagpipes for their wordless ‘A Song For The Appeal’ and Devendra Banhart a simple guitar for ‘A Sight To Behold’. Listeners who tune in for Almond’s exquisite rendition of Charles Aznavour’s ‘Our Love My Love’ or Antony’s persuasively lovely ‘A Hole In My Soul’ without a knowledge of these singers’ deep experimental roots may be surprised by the throbbings from, say, noise ritualists Coil or the deeply minimalist Charlemagne Palestine. But the beauty of Not Alone is its expansiveness: few compilations could, or would, have the room to roam from the sublime to the frankly odd – and in the latter category, a cover of the Osmonds’ 1970s hit, ‘Crazy Horses’ from Sundial hits the target.
- Product information
- by Various Artists
- Publisher
- Durtro Jnana
- Product number
- 1963CD 5CD
- Star rating
- Product link
- www.jnanarecords.com/newsf.html
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
