On Oct. 9, three North Carolina residents—musician Libby Rodenbough, New Commute blog founder David Walker and music journalist Grayson Haver Currin—released “Cardinals At The Window,” an ambitious compilation album featuring 136 previously unreleased tracks. The collection spans original songs, live recordings, covers and demos from a wide array of artists. All proceeds will be evenly distributed among the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Rural Organizing and Resilience and BeLoved Asheville, supporting communities affected by Hurricane Helene, per the compilation’s Bandcamp page.
The diverse album features over 130 artists, including over 30 from North Carolina and other regions hit by the storm. Asheville-based musicians MJ Lenderman and Karly Hartzman of the band Wednesday appear on the compilation, with Hartzman offering a raw demo track. Lenderman’s new song, “Pianos,” is an eight-minute slow burn that crescendos into a transfixing electric guitar solo, carrying a country flair reminiscent of his recent release, “Manning Fireworks.” Hartzman’s presence extends further, sharing a stage with Wilco vocalist Jeff Tweedy for a stirring live rendition of Tweedy’s “How Hard It Is For Desert To Die.” Indigo De Souza, also an Asheville resident, contributed the haunting original song “Hungry & Croaking.” Singer Angel Olsen, who has called Asheville home for over a decade, delivers a spellbinding live version of her 2012 track, “Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow.”
The North Carolina representation doesn’t stop there. Chapel Hill bands Superchunk, Archers Of Loaf and Mipso—a quartet including Rodenbough on fiddle–contribute to the cause. The Mountain Goats, hailing from Durham, share the tender original track “Hand of Death,” pairing simple acoustic strums with lead singer John Darnielle’s elegiac lyrics.
“Cardinals At The Window” holds an eclectic roster that extends beyond the Tar Heel State, featuring new material from Brooklyn rock band Hotline TNT, Sharon Van Etten, Real Estate and Geologist of Animal Collective. Actor-turned-musician Sophie Thatcher, best known for her role as young Natalie in “Yellowjackets,” and Kevin Morby join in, with Morby’s partner Katie Crutchfield–known professionally as Waxahatchee–offering a balladry cover of Gillian Welch’s “Wrecking Ball.”
Previously unreleased live tracks from artists including alt-country band Drive-By Truckers, The War on Drugs, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Mount Pleasent-based Americana group The Avett Brothers, Latin indietronica singer Helado Negro and comedian/singer Tim Heideceker are featured on the compilation. Fleet Foxes’ contribution—a live version of their 2008 classic “Blue Ridge Mountains”—feels particularly fitting given the region’s ties to the hurricane’s impact. Legendary alternative rock band R.E.M. shared a fiery 1989 live rendition of “King of Birds” from a Greensboro set. The compilation wraps with a sprawling 22-minute version of jam band Phish’s “Sand” from a 1999 show in Raleigh.
International artists also joined the effort. Canadian musicians Feist and Squirrel Flower contributed a demo and a live performance, respectively. Melbourne, Australia rock band Tropical F*ck Storm is included as well, bringing their chaotic energy with a visceral live performance of their 2017 track “Chameleon Paint.” King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, also natives of Melbourne, contribute a groovy instrumental demo of their 2022 song “Change.”
Available as a pay-what-you-want download with a $10 minimum on Bandcamp, “Cardinals At The Window” offers listeners a chance to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of unreleased tracks while supporting a vital cause.
