I’ve spent the past few days with my digital promo copy of Dark Was the Night, the 31-song benefit compilation curated/produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National that is due out on 4AD on Feb. 17.

The compilation is an extraordinary feat just from a logistical standpoint. The roster of musicians they’ve gathered for this is astounding: The New Pornographers, Feist, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Ben Gibbard, Sufjan Stevens and on and on. (See the tracklisting here.)

But one of my favorite tracks so far comes from Yeasayer, a band that, quite honestly, raised my level of indifference amid all the buzz. Yet, based on my iTunes library’s play count, I’ve listened to Tightrope far more than the compilation’s other tracks (except for the National’s So Far Around the Bend).

What attracts me to Tightrope more than anything on All Hour Cymbals I haven’t quite figured out yet. (OK, I love 2080, but who didn’t?) It’s a song the band has been playing live for the past year, and the studio version – with its infectious world-inspired rhythms – is outstanding.

Here’s a video of Yeasayer performing the song for Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current in October. … Crap. I probably need to revisit All Hour Cymbals, huh?

DJ Z-Trip updated his site with some news, including his brush with a bomb threat (and DJing shortly thereafter), his posting of a new Obama mix (saving that for another post) and this new video for the N.A.S.A. track Money on which Z provides some cuts.

This particular track features Z-Trip, Chuck D., David Byrne, Seu George and Ras Congo (did I forget anybody?). Shepard Fairy and Syd Garon (director of DJ Q-Bert’s Wave Twisters) created the video.

By the look of it, the N.A.S.A. album, The Spirit of Apollo, has guest spots from just about anyone you can imagine (Chali 2na! There’s a shocker.) In all honesty, I know little about N.A.S.A., but Z-Trip’s involvement usually means I’ll give it a chance.

Stereogum also posted a new N.A.S.A. track.

I’ve had A.C. Newman’s forthcoming album, Get Guilty (out Jan. 20), on repeat the past couple weeks — not only because I’m writing a review of it but also because it’s really, really good (I hope to be more eloquent with my vocabulary in the review).

Pitchfork’s Forkcast caught up with Newman and his band for a video of Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer for something called the “DUMBO Session.” (That’s short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Cute.)

While you ponder if Newman ever will write a bad song (he won’t), check the stick work on the drums. More drummers should make use of the rim on the snare drum – a totally underrated piece of functional hardware on a kit.

How the hell did I miss this? The Midnight Organ Fight was only my favorite album of 2008.

Thanks to the Crumbler kids for pointing us in the direction of this animated gem.

Related:
Frightened Rabbit: live, acoustic album!
Frightened Rabbit: Keep Yourself Warm (live in Phx)
azcentral.com: Frightened Rabbit preview
Frightened Rabbit sort of covers Fake Empire

I’ve had my hands on this alternate version of I Might Have Guessed for a little while now – hey, these are the perks of treating Birdmonster to classy, 24-hour Mexican food after shows – but now that RCRD LBL has unleashed it, I suppose it’s OK to post.

In its original incarnation, I Might Have Guessed closes out From the Mountain to the Sea in acoustic bliss, a bit of a mandolin-laced cool-down period.

On the “Mean Version,” Birdmonster plugs in, adds drums and shows some teeth. It seems like a simple yet rarely executed concept: amplifying an acoustic song. Turning a ballad into a beast. The guys keep the mandolin here, but the driving drums ramp up the tempo and muscle. But just so we’re clear, nobody would ever accuse those Birdmonster boys of being mean.

• Birdmonster | I Might Have Guessed (Mean Version)

Related:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: Justin Tenuto (Birdmonster)
Birdmonster video: The Iditarod

Also, Birdmonster recently released a video for Born to Be Your Man: