Dead Can Dance

Here's a new track from Dead Can Dance.  Check out "Our Day Will Come" below and download it here.  50% of all proceeds go to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians).

Pulp

I mentioned the new "Help(2)" compilation a little while back when posting about the Damon Albarn/Grian Chatten/Kae Tempest collaboration included on the album.  Well, it's out in full now, includes an eclectic mix of artists, and raises money for War Child UK, an aid organization for children in war torn countries.  Listen to Pulp's contribution below, "Begging for Change," and order the record here from Beggars Banquet.

Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest

Way back in 1995, War Child UK put together the "Help" benefit album to raised funds to care for children in war zones.  It's awful that we still need to do this, but the charity is at again with the upcoming "Help(2)" out next month via Beggars Banquet.  The lineup on this thing is astounding: Beth Gibbons, Depeche Mode, Pulp, etc.  But today, check out "Flags" from Damon Albarn, Fontaines D.C.'s Grian Chatten, and Kae Tempest.  Listen below and pre-order the album here.  All proceeds go to War Child UK.

Anal Trump

You know things must being going great with out country when we get new music from San Diego's Anal Trump.  New EP "Fuckin' Bitch" clocks in at sleek minute and 14 seconds.  Check out the grindcore madness below and download it here from the band.  All proceeds go to benefit the Immigrant Defense Project and the National Immigration Law Center.

Goths for Palestine

Earlier this month, the second volume of "Goths for Palestine" was released, featuring another 31 tracks curated by Suzi Sabotage from goth-tinged artists all over the world.  The project benefits Anera, an organization that's been working to aid the people of Palestine since 1968.  It's a good cause, and both volumes of music are worth your time and money.  Get them here and listen to A Place to Bury Strangers' noisy contribution "Does It Grow in the Garden" below.

Nightshift

Glasgow post punk band Nightshift just dropped two new tracks today that you can download here and donate to Children Not Numbers, a non-profit group on the ground providing aid to children in Gaza.  Check out "Dice" and Firefly" below and be sure to donate here.

Kindness

If you're like me, you've watched what's happened to Palestine over the last 4 months with a mix of powerlessness, anger, and despair.  And that feeling of powerlessness just makes the anger and despair worse.  Here's one tiny thing you can do, and that's download the new benefit single from UK pop artist Kindness.  Listen to "فلسطين (Palestine)" below and download it here (also keep an eye out for any possible extra pressings of the cassette single).  All of the proceeds go to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net/get-involved).  Free Palestine!

Altin Gün

The Netherlands' funky, disco-tinged, world psych rock band Altin Gün are back at it again with a brand new album called "Âlem."  The album is only available on Bandcamp, and all of the proceeds go to the nature protection organization Earth Today.  Stream the whole thing below, shake your butt a little bit, and then purchase here for a good cause.

Molly Nilsson - Hey Moon

Way back in 2008, Berlin lo-fi synth pop artist Molly Nilsson recorded a wonderful little piece of melancholy pop called "Hey Moon."  She decided to re-release the track over the weekend with all the proceeds being donated to Black Lives Matter because of...um...reasons.  I commend her for it.  Listen below and order the new 7" here via Night School.

Palliate

Demo Fest was a cool thing that happened a week ago where over 200 artists recorded demos that were then subsequently released by the fest to raise money for Solidarity Across Borders.  A lot of cool stuff in there too.  Right now i'm digging on the lo-fi darkwave groove of Palliate, a band i can find next to no information on.  Check out "The Stage" below and get their 2-track demo here.

Grouper - Little Gray Cat

New music from Grouper is always a good thing.  And new music from Grouper that also serves as a benefit for shelter cats and dogs is even better.  Liz Harris's new song "Little Gray Cat" appears on the "Let It Come to You" benefit album that's raising funds for the Clatsop Animal Assistance in Oregon.  Check them out here, listen to the song below, and get the whole album here.

Lawrence Rothman

LA artist Lawrence Rothman recruited Marissa Nadler, Mary Lattimore, and the MUSYCA Childrens Choir for a stunning new track that benefits thehoneybeeconservancy.org.  Beautiful stuff.  Check it out below and get it here.

Iceage - Lockdown Blues

Danish punk band Iceage are currently at work on a new record, coronavirus delayed though it will probably be, but just dropped a new, and very timely, single today.  Check out "Lockdown Blues" below and get it here via Escho.  All proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Thou - In the Pines (AKA Where Did You Sleep Last Night?)

Black Flags Over Brooklyn was heavy metal festival held earlier this year in Brooklyn.  The event was billed as an anti-fascist and anti-racist gathering for like-minded, progressive metal heads.  I wish i could have gone.  Anyway, continuing their string of being awesome, the folks behind the fest have now put together a benefit album called "Riffs for Reproductive Justice," featuring a whole slew of different artists offering up their finest metal, hardcore punk, and dark folk songs to raise money for abortion access.  Read their statement:

'Riffs for Reproductive Justice' is a new compilation of metal, hardcore, punk, and dark folk songs from a wide range of artists who have united to raise money for an extremely important cause: abortion access.

Abortion clinics across the country are being forced to close, robbing people of the ability to access crucial healthcare services. A theocratic fascist regime is working overtime to control the bodies of those who have uteruses, to force us into unwanted pregnancies, to wrest away our human rights. We cannot stand by and let this happen. All of us—people of every gender, with every kind of body—need to fight back against this horrifying attack on bodily autonomy, by any means necessary.

This compilation is just one small effort made by a few dozen people who care, who are intimately affected by this, and who love other people who are afraid of what the future will bring. There are so many other brave individuals and groups who have been putting in work around this issue for decades, and my hope here is to raise a significant amount of funds from within the metal, punk, and overall music fan communities to allow them to continue that necessary work.

100% of proceeds from this compilation will be donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAH: abortionfunds.org) and the Yellowhammer Fund (yellowhammerfund.org). Donation receipts will be posted in a Dropbox folder which will be shared with the bands and with anyone who requests access.

Say it loud, with distortion, with fucking feeling:
ABORTION IS HEALTH CARE.
HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT.
WE WON’T GO BACK.

This is a really important cause, and all of your dollars will help.  Plus, the compilation has some excellent artists on it, from Violet Cold to Emma Ruth Rundle to Ails, as well as the first track that caught my ear, a blistering and massive cover of Leadbelly's "In the Pines" by Louisiana sludge metal band Thou.  It basically counts as another Nirvana cover too.  Check it out below and get the whole thing here.  Do it!

Radiohead - MINIDISCS [HACKED]

So apparently, some asshole hacked Thom Yorke's computer and absconded with hours and hours of "OK Computer" era Radiohead sessions and then demanded a ransom or he'd release them.  The band pretty much told him to fuck off and then released all of the sessions themselves today.  Now, for the next 18 days, you can download all 18 hacked minidiscs (about 18 hours worth of music) for 18 pounds, all of the proceeds going to Extinction Rebellion.  In a lot of ways, this is probably just for the diehard fans, though it is really interesting to hear the germ of a song idea slowly evolve into its final form, and the funds go to a great cause.  Get it all here, and stream the whole thing below.  What, are you busy for the next 18 hours or something?

Marijuana Deathsquads - The World Beyond

I caught a performance from Minneapolis noise band Marijuana Deathsquads many years ago at SXSW as part of showcase of Minneapolis artists that culminated in a performance from Gayngs, a kind of Minneapolis supergroup that featured essentially every single performer that was there that night.  They were great.  They were noisy.  They totally dropped off my radar after that, but now have a new benefit single out for the One Tree Planted organization.  Check out their weird and murky cover of Swamp Dogg's "The World Beyond," and get it here from Joyful Noise.  All of the proceeds go to the charity.

Superchunk with Damian Abraham

My son has been sick for days, his fever going up and down like a damn rollercoaster.  And i'm worried, but stuck at work, and posting mindlessly about music.  Anyway, Superchunk have a couple new songs out benefiting 350.org.  "Our Work Is Done" features a vocal assist from new label mate, Fucked Up's Damian Abraham, and "Total Eclipse" is a Klaus Nomi cover of all things.  Both are great.  Listen below and then go get them here via Merge, and help raise money to fight climate change.

Major Murphy - Strangers

Hey folks, i got to see Michigan 3-piece Major Murphy perform at SXSW earlier this year, and they were great.  And now the band has released a cover of The Kinks' "Strangers," will all the proceeds benefiting the Fianza Fund, an organization that supports and aids migrants who have been detained at the southern US border.  Listen below, get the song here, and visit the organization here.

Future Astronauts Vessels VI

Hey guys, with any and everything else you might be doing today, maybe do something positive too by getting the ambient compilation album "Vessels VI" from Future Astronauts.  All of the proceeds go towards raising awareness to mental health and suicide prevention.  Do it.  You'll feel better about yourself.  I'll feel better about you too.  In the meantime, stream it below, then get it here.

Hiss Golden Messenger

There are, as i write this, important marches going on all over the country today.  Here's hoping that these wonderful kids can make real change.  Anyway, Hiss Golden Messenger has released a new single, "Passing Clouds," and he's donating all of the proceeds to Everytown, a non-profit organization working to end gun violence.  Download it, or order the "Hiss Golden Messenger Meets Spacebomb" here.

And learn more about the work that Everytown does here.