A free digital album featuring fifteen-plus albums will be released in an effort to turn the House of Representatives blue in the forthcoming midterm elections. The album, titled Songs for Swing Left, has a star-studded lineup, some of those being Inara George, who recently released the Spanish version of her song “Release Me, Andrew Bird and Kurt Vile, who was recently announced for the upcoming McDowell mountain Music Festival. The album is meant to be a heavy political call to action, with downloads connecting listeners to other Swing Left volunteers in their area along with giving them the opportunity to perform high-impact tasks, all in an effort to “flip the House blue.” The artists that were a part of making the album will all be promoting the album as well as pushing people to get out and volunteer at their local Swing District.
Each artist made their own statements on the tracks they recorded which allowed listeners a chance to hear what their thoughts on the matter were. Andrew Bird stated “We all know how important this November’s midterm elections are and how important it will be to vote. So this year, besides heading to the polls yourself, I’m asking you to help get your friends and neighbors to the polls as well.” Reuben Cox, the man behind the recording of the album, stated that this album was “a fun, positive and creative way to push back against the disappointment and anxiety engendered by the current political climate.” Cox, who has spearheaded collaborations between artists and political movements in the past, attended a gathering to learn about Swing Left and was inspired by the organizations plans to take back the House. Cox recorded the tracks in Los Angeles at his guitar shop. He would be helped by Mike Viola, who mixed and mastered the tracks. The album can be streamed or downloaded here.
01 Andrew Bird with Adam Levy – Archipelago
02 Bedouine – Summer Cold
03 Kat Khaleel – Parachute
04 Blake Mills – Half Asleep
05 Jim James – Over and Over
06 Lo Moon – Camouflage
07 Meshell Ndegeocello – American Rhapsody
08 Mike Viola – Silent
09 Odessa – Full Circle
10 Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes – Living in the Future
11 Tim Heidecker – Tobin and the Judge
12 Warpaint – The Stall
13 Sean and Sara Watkins with Benmont Tench – Take Up Your Spade
14 William Tyler – Call Me When I’m Breathing Again
15 Tom Chapin – My Town is a Salad Bowl
16 Tony Bennett – A Special Message For You From Tony Bennett
17 Kurt Vile – Bassackwards
18 Inara George – No Other
19 Ian Rubbish – Don’t Be Stupid!
20 A. Savage – Buffalo Calf Road
21 Dylan Gardner – Start Again
22 Benjamin Booker – Witness
23 Rodrigo Amarante – Heads or Tails
24 Cass McCombs and The Chapin Sisters – Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)
25 Jackson Browne – Far From The Arms Of Hunger
26 Jenny O. – Intuition
27 Tim Heidecker – Wilbur Ross
28 Christian Lee Hutson – I’ve Been Hiding
29 Matt Berninger and Blake Mills – Piss Factory
30 King Tuff – Psycho Star
31 Harrison Whitford – The Ones We Love
32 Sam Weber – Sunset America
33 Jonathan Meiburg – The Star Spangled Banner
Photo Cred: Sharon Alagna
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