speed of dark

Most compilation albums I have purchased turn out to be a hodge-podge of discordant styles attempting to please all tastes and pleasing no one in the process. In contrast, the creators of The Cake Sale had the vision and confidence in their music to produce an album remarkable for its compatibility in tone while still allowing the individual contributors to shine.

Recorded in Dublin in 2006, the bones of The Cake Sale's tracks were laid down by Bell X1 duo Brian Crosby and Paul Noonan along with Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour and drummer Graham Hopkins. All songs were previously unreleased and recorded specifically for the Cake Sale project with all publishing royalties being donated by their writers.

Vocals were provided by Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Glen Hansard (The Frames/The Swell Season), Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Lisa Hannigan (former Damien Rice collaborator), and token Yank Josh Ritter among others. The song "All The Way Down" written by Glen Hansard and subsequently appearing on the soundtrack of indie movie hit ONCE , here features vocals by Gemma Hayes.

The funds raised from The Cake Sale have been distributed equally between Oxfam Ireland's Make Trade Fair campaign and its overseas development work. The Make Trade Fair campaign is about working with the public and other organizations to demand trade justice so that trade can be part of the solution to world poverty, not part of the problem. The Cake Sale project has also been supporting Oxfam's livelihood projects in places like Malawi, and its emergency work in conflict countries such as Darfur as well as work with HIV & AIDS.

Although the album is available for download whole and by individual song, do yourself the favor of ordering the physical CD, a lovely package with additional photos and a booklet of info about the project, the artists, and the album. And if you are Christmas shopping for someone who appreciates beautiful contemporary music, especially anyone who is already a fan of any one of these artists, this is a wonderful gift that will be remembered all year while honoring the Christmas spirit by helping others less fortunate. You will see this album again among my Best of 2007.

Nina Persson: Black-Winged Bird
Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan: Some Surprise

MySpace | Official Website
Buy at Yep Roc Records, iTunes, eMusic, and Amazon.com