The record is entitled ‘National Trust: The Album‘ and is available as a free download from Nationaltrust.org.uk now.

The album features tranquil sounds recorded at various locations run by the Trust. Sounds include waves lapping on the shore, clocks ticking and ducks flapping in water.

“I hope this album is a ‘holiday for the ears’,” Cocker said. “It’s not really meant to be listened to intently, like a piece of music, but more as something to have on in the background to aid relaxation or contemplation.”
/via NME

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the chorus and their ambitious instructor, Gregg Breinberg (or Mr. B) I highly recommend a trip over to the PS22 Blog.  You’ll find all sorts of great stories and videos of performances and rehearsals of some pretty unusual material for 5th graders. I’m talking Björk, Nick Drake, Jay-Z and Nina Simone!

The first video I saw of theirs last year got me kind of choked up because it’s one of my favorite songs ever, “Pictures of You” by The Cure.  It was filmed on the last day of the school year and the lyrics had many of the kids holding back tears.  Although Mr. B’s gesturing while leading the kids may be a little over the top, their performances are better for it. 

The kids have been lucky enough to meet heroes like Beyoncé Knowles, Lady Gaga and Mr. B’s idol, Tori Amos.  There’s even a video series where a very cocky Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit takes the reigns with Mr. B’s wishes and instructs the kids to sing arguably the catchiest part of any pop song released last year, “The Reeling”.  Yes, that was PS22!

I encourage you to find out more about these kids!  For now, grab a tissue and check out ”Under The Milky Way” by The Church, “Pictures of You” by The Cure and “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac.

A full 100 percent of sales will go directly to GIVE beneficiaries.

The $7 compilation – conceived and initiated by Caffé Vita, which produced, curated and funded the project – is available for purchase online as well as in Caffé Vita shops, Easy Street Records, Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile EMP, and Neumos. These outlets all carry the GIVE packages, including physical cards with a redemption code for the download, as ready-to-give presents.

GIVE is a snapshot of the incredible creativity and diversity that defines Seattle’s music community in 2009. Among the musicians who have contributed tracks, nearly all of which are exclusive to GIVE, are modern folk bands Fleet Foxes and The Cave Singers; hip-hop artists D. Black, Fatal Lucciauno, Champagne Champagne, Fresh Espresso and Mad Rad; singer-songwriters Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, David Bazan, Joshua Morrison and Fences; and indie pop acts The Duchess and The Duke, The Long Winters and Pica Beatscountry-influenced players The Moondoggies, The Maldives and Sera Cahoone; and rock ‘n’ roll outfits Visqueen, Tea Cozies, The Blakes and The Lonely Forest.

Additional musicians include: Arthur & Yu, Common Market, Grand Archives, Head Like a Kite, Hey Marseilles, Kinski, Le Loup, Gabriel Mintz, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Pearly Gate Music, The Saturday Knights, Talbot Tagora, Throw Me the Statue, J. Tillman and Unnatural Helpers.

A full track listing can be found at the GIVE website.

The calendar features the selections of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Deborah Harry, Tom Waits, Keith Richards and other icons. The artist shots are by some of our greatest rock photographers, with the classic black and white portraits having been shot by Anton Corbijn, Dean Chalkley, Lawrence Watson and Adrian Boot among others.

The calendar comes with two different covers: a standard version highlighting all the featured artists, and a special limited edition run featuring Bob Dylan. Full artist list after the jump.

The calendar is available for those outside the UK via mail order from hmv.com.

My Inspiration Calendar featured artists / their inspiration:

2009
August: The Edge – Leonard Cohen Anthem
September: Amy Winehouse – Donny Hathaway I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know
October: The Killers – Bruce Springsteen Born To Run
November: Keith Richards – Buddy Guy I Can’t Quit The Blues
December: Bobbie Gillespie – The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl A Fairytale of New York

2010
January: Bob Dylan – Robert Burns A Red, Red Rose
February: Bono – Bob Dylan Visions of Johanna
March: Elvis – Elvis Suspicious Minds (selected by HMV staff)
April: Noel Gallagher – The Stones Roses She Bangs The Drum
May: Siouxsie – The Doors When The Music’s Over
June: Paul McCartney – Bob Dylan She Belongs To Me
July: Paul Weller – Lennon & McCartney Strawberry Fields Forever
August: Bob Marley – Bob Marley One Love (selected by Chris Blackwell)
September: Bruce Springsteen – Woody Guthrie This Land is Your Land
October: Deborah Harry – Leonard Cohen Waiting For The Miracle
November: Tom Waits – Dylan Thomas A Visit To Grandpa’s
December: David Bowie – Syd Barrett Gigolo Aunt

2011
January: Metallica – Motorhead Overkill

I’m not a huge Nine in Nails fan, but Trent Reznor and Perry Farrell just earned a lot of respect in my book.

via Paste Magazine:
“Twittering Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor opened a campaign last Wednesday to raise money for Eric De La Cruz, a Nevada Medicaid patient in need of a heart transplant. Both
Nine Inch Nails and tour mates Jane’s Addiction are offering special deals for the remaining shows on their tour to fundraise for De La Cruz’s hopeful transplant.

A $300 donation will grant concert attendees access to the pre-show soundcheck and a meet-and-greet with the band, while $1,000 will get you backstage for dinner and relaxing with the band, as well as stage-side viewing for the show, autographs and pictures. For fans without tickets, a $1,200 donation comes with two tickets to the show and VIP treatment backstage.”

Kudos to Reznor and Farrell for harnessing the passion of their fans and the power of capitalism to help out this fan in need.

If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, you still can! Visit the Water Wells For Africa website and click Donate. $1, $10, $100, or a total of their miles run, $148; any amount helps and supports the WWFA mission.