It's been nearly two full years since we first heard about a star-studded tribute compilation in honour of the late, great pop experimenter Arthur Russell. At long last, the full details for the project have emerged.
Now called Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell, the title of the compilation isn't the only thing that has changed. The release also has a slightly different guest list.
That said, it's even more star-studded than before. The comp sees artists like Jose Gonzalez, Robyn, Hot Chip, Sufjan Stevens, Richard Reed Parry, Colin Stetson, Sarah Neufeld, Devendra Banhart, Phosphorescent, Blood Orange, Scissor Sisters, Cults, Glen Hansard and many, many more taking on the artist's iconic work.
Sufjan Stevens, who covered Russell's "A Little Lost," shared the following statement:
I like "A Little Lost" because it's all about kissing. I love kissing. If I could kiss all day, I would. I can't stop thinking about kissing. I like kissing more than sex because there's no end to it. You can kiss forever. You can kiss yourself into oblivion. You can kiss all over the body. You can kiss yourself to sleep. And when you wake up, you can't stop thinking about kissing. Dammit, I can't get anything done because I'm so busy thinking about kissing. Kissing is madness! But it's absolute paradise, if you can find a good kisser.
Arthur's music is all over the place, but most of it seems to be about embracing darkness (loneliness) and ambiguity (confusion) with the biggest bear hug in the world. Catharsis! He didn't give a shit about fads or fashion even as he was influenced by popular music, club music, and all that shitty art music at the Kitchen. He kind of cobbled it all together to create his own diverse musical language, He was funny as shit (a wordsmith, a master of the innuendo), but also dead serious (and blunt) about the deepness of his feelings, unafraid to express affection in his songs, without pandering or cliche. Arthur was real as shit. You can't fake realness.
Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell will be available on October 21 via Yep Roc. The album will benefit the Red Hot organization, which raises funds for the fight against AIDS.
Check out the full tracklisting below, along with a behind the scenes video of Hot Chip working on their cover of "Go Bang," a song from Russell's Dinosaur L project [via Pitchfork].
Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell:
1. Jose Gonzalez "This Is How We Walk On The Moon"
2. Lonnie Holley "Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun (Interlude)"
3. Robyn "Tell You"
4. Hot Chip "Go Bang"
5. Sufjan Stevens "A Little Lost"
6. Lonnie Holley "In The Light Of The Miracle (Interlude)"
7. Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, Sam Amidon, Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld "Keeping Up"
8. Liam Finn, Ernie Brooks & Peter Zummo "This Love Is Crying"
9. Rubblebucket & Nitemoves "Eli"
10. The Revival Hour "Hiding Your Present from You"
11. Sam Amidon "Lucky Cloud"
12. Devendra Banhart "Losing My Taste For The Night Life"
13. Phosphorescent "You Can Make Me Feel Bad"
14. Blood Orange "Is It All Over My Face & Tower Of Meaning"
15. Scissor Sisters "That's Us/Wild Combination"
16. VEGA INTL. "Arm Around You"
17. Oh Mercy "Planted A Thought"
18. Lonnie Holley "Hop On Down (Interlude)"
19. Cults "Being It"
20. Richard Reed Parry "Just A Blip"
21. Glen Hansard "I Couldn't Say It To Your Face"
22. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down "Nobody Wants A Lonely Heart"
23. The Autumn Defense "Oh Fernanda Why"
24. Alexis Taylor "Our Last Night Together"
25. Lonnie Holley "The Deer In The Forest (Interlude)"
26. Redding Hunter "Close My Eyes"
Now called Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell, the title of the compilation isn't the only thing that has changed. The release also has a slightly different guest list.
That said, it's even more star-studded than before. The comp sees artists like Jose Gonzalez, Robyn, Hot Chip, Sufjan Stevens, Richard Reed Parry, Colin Stetson, Sarah Neufeld, Devendra Banhart, Phosphorescent, Blood Orange, Scissor Sisters, Cults, Glen Hansard and many, many more taking on the artist's iconic work.
Sufjan Stevens, who covered Russell's "A Little Lost," shared the following statement:
I like "A Little Lost" because it's all about kissing. I love kissing. If I could kiss all day, I would. I can't stop thinking about kissing. I like kissing more than sex because there's no end to it. You can kiss forever. You can kiss yourself into oblivion. You can kiss all over the body. You can kiss yourself to sleep. And when you wake up, you can't stop thinking about kissing. Dammit, I can't get anything done because I'm so busy thinking about kissing. Kissing is madness! But it's absolute paradise, if you can find a good kisser.
Arthur's music is all over the place, but most of it seems to be about embracing darkness (loneliness) and ambiguity (confusion) with the biggest bear hug in the world. Catharsis! He didn't give a shit about fads or fashion even as he was influenced by popular music, club music, and all that shitty art music at the Kitchen. He kind of cobbled it all together to create his own diverse musical language, He was funny as shit (a wordsmith, a master of the innuendo), but also dead serious (and blunt) about the deepness of his feelings, unafraid to express affection in his songs, without pandering or cliche. Arthur was real as shit. You can't fake realness.
Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell will be available on October 21 via Yep Roc. The album will benefit the Red Hot organization, which raises funds for the fight against AIDS.
Check out the full tracklisting below, along with a behind the scenes video of Hot Chip working on their cover of "Go Bang," a song from Russell's Dinosaur L project [via Pitchfork].
Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell:
1. Jose Gonzalez "This Is How We Walk On The Moon"
2. Lonnie Holley "Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun (Interlude)"
3. Robyn "Tell You"
4. Hot Chip "Go Bang"
5. Sufjan Stevens "A Little Lost"
6. Lonnie Holley "In The Light Of The Miracle (Interlude)"
7. Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, Sam Amidon, Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld "Keeping Up"
8. Liam Finn, Ernie Brooks & Peter Zummo "This Love Is Crying"
9. Rubblebucket & Nitemoves "Eli"
10. The Revival Hour "Hiding Your Present from You"
11. Sam Amidon "Lucky Cloud"
12. Devendra Banhart "Losing My Taste For The Night Life"
13. Phosphorescent "You Can Make Me Feel Bad"
14. Blood Orange "Is It All Over My Face & Tower Of Meaning"
15. Scissor Sisters "That's Us/Wild Combination"
16. VEGA INTL. "Arm Around You"
17. Oh Mercy "Planted A Thought"
18. Lonnie Holley "Hop On Down (Interlude)"
19. Cults "Being It"
20. Richard Reed Parry "Just A Blip"
21. Glen Hansard "I Couldn't Say It To Your Face"
22. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down "Nobody Wants A Lonely Heart"
23. The Autumn Defense "Oh Fernanda Why"
24. Alexis Taylor "Our Last Night Together"
25. Lonnie Holley "The Deer In The Forest (Interlude)"
26. Redding Hunter "Close My Eyes"