Tributary

One of my favorite things is the oft-maligned tribute record. Done right, it can be a great listen for fans of the artist in question, instantly accessible and shining new light on overheard standards and overlooked gems alike.

A few tributes of interest to iff are due out soon. Living legend Kramer has a new label, Second Shimmy (really a second-coming of his storied Shimmy Disc label, a name sold years ago to the Knitting Factory). The first release out of the gate is I Killed The Monster: 21 Artists Performing the Songs of Daniel Johnston, out October 10. Coming just a few years after the estimable The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered, which featured Beck, Teenage Fanclub with Jad Fair, Calvin Johnson, Clem Snide and M. Ward among others, Killed is a decidely non-redundant and lower-fi affair, with antifolk standard-bearers Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, and Major Matt Mason, along with Kramer himself (both with and without Jad Fair) performing much-beloved Johnston catalogue, presumably with much love and care. The first sounds of the record can be found on Kramer's MySpace, where you can listen to his rendition of "Bloody Rainbow", a true Johnston song chock full of unrequited love and innocently creepy imagery.

Coming a week later is Do it Again: A Tribute to Pet Sounds, with a roster indie folk fans daydream of. Thanks to AngryApe for providing more info than the death-to-flash Houston Party website, including the tracklist:

01. Oldham Brothers - Wouldn't It Be Nice
02. Vic Chesnutt - You Still Believe In Me
03. Nobody And The Mystic Chords Of Memory With Farmer Dave - That's Not Me
04. Centro-Matic - Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
05. Micah P. Hinson - I'm Waiting for the Day
06. Raygun - Let's Go Away For A While
07. Dayna Kurtz - Sloop John B
08. Daniel Johnston - God Only Knows
09. Mazarin - I Know There's An Answer
10. Jody Wildgoose - Here Today
11. Patrick Wolf - I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
12. Architecture In Helsinki - Pet Sounds
13. The Wedding Present - Caroline No

Yikes, zoinks all around. Daniel Johnston doing "God Only Knows"? What have we done to deserve this?