Here’s two recent compilations not only containing a bounty of good, local, music but all proceeds go to good (nay, great) causes.

Various Artists – Nashville for Palestine

Seventeen tracks of demos, live recordings and brand new songs from a variety of Nashville artists including Snooper, Total Wife, bats, baby wave, Part Time Filth and so many more. If you’re a regular reader of this site or listener of the WOTT Music podcast, this tracklisting will be very familiar to you. I mean, Abby Johnson covering Brian Eno would be worth whatever suggested donation was on the tin but there’s a slew more here to enjoy.

Most importantly, the funds will go to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, an unfortunate but necessary fund to help those under siege in Palestine.

Lastly, please take a moment to contact your Senator demanding a ceasefire. Money goes a long way in providing relief but a multitude of voices urging politicians to actually do the right thing is the only way for change to occur. Get in touch early and often.

WORK – Wake Up and Live

Every year, the staff of Manuel Zeitlin Architects and Zeitgeist Gallery join forces to create an album of original songs that span a wide gamut of styles. For a period of time, all proceeds from that compilation go to a different charity. The 2024 installment, Wake Up and Live, has all sales going to The Nashville Food Project; an excellent non-profit that nurtures community and feeds people in need.

The band “WORK” itself is no single individual or single style. That diversity is exactly what makes it so interesting. “Point of Contact” opens the album with mysterious spoken word, which is followed by the snarling punk of “Go Now Go”, which is followed by the glam rock riffage of “It’s the Guns.” All that is to say, you don’t have to wait long to get something very different from the last. My favorite track this year is “A Handy Guide” but that could change any moment.

Kudos to WORK for investing in a rewarding compilation record every year since 2017 and ensuring that some non-profit benefits from it.

Given the unrelenting pace of the Internet and its infinitely refreshing “content feeds,” you’d be forgiven for assuming any artist that takes five years between releases may have given up the ghost entirely. Such an assumption would be fair in regards to the works of Slush, as there has been no new music since 2019, but fortunately such an assumption would also be wrong. With the release of #3 (To-Go Records), Slush returns with another dose of their unique blend of shoegaze and pop sensibilities.

Listening to the entire body of work from Slush – sixteen songs across three releases – there is a strong cohesion of sound with every release; the washed-out, DIY, production style, the shimmering guitars constantly painting an immersive soundscape and the mixture of melancholy and sweet vocals. With #3, the devil is in the details. The bouncing bass of “Too Hard to Find”, the driving percussion of “Start” and the patient build of “Show Me” are surely products of honing a craft for half a decade. That’s not even to mention the emotional longing of “Shadow O’Mine” – an attribute that persists through the entire EP. These recordings are not a major change in sound but they are a strengthened evolution in execution from start to finish.

Suffice to say, #3 is a welcome return from Slush. It’s easy to get distracted by the next shiny thing but these five tracks are a nice reminder to slow down and let the music really wash over you.

If you were to look at the streaming profile of Sundaes, you may (understandably) assume that their body of work only goes as far back as 2022. Looking at their Bandcamp, you can see that this is untrue! They’ve been releasing music since at least 2017. Curating your profile on a given platform isn’t a bad idea (no shade to Sundaes for being selective with their own work) but it is unfortunate not to have the full context for new work as it is released.

The latest track, “Anyway,” is the lead single from a forthcoming album entitled call me when you get there. It’s a mixture of twinkling slowcore guitars, breathy and hushed vocals, layers of flourishes and, most importantly, a heartfelt refrain. That refrain ebbs and flows between feeling like an emotional release and a panged inner monologue. The song lets itself expand and wander; after listening to it a handful of times I already find myself wanting a ten minute version.

Stylistically, we’ll have to wait to see what call me when you get there has in store for us but looking at Sundae’s history, it’s likely to be a surprising evolution. Every release along – from the crooning original EP, the dance-y, vocoder driven, Volume 1 or the country-twinged dream pop of Boys Who Made Me Cry – has delivered diverse sonic explorations and vulnerable lyricism. Looking forward to more.