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Jeff Mangum, Fucked Up, Bob Dylan, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, Yo La Tengo & others release songs for charity

by Andrew Frisicano

Fucked Up

Matador announced that Fucked Up‘s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ charity single “should be available” from iTunes today (December 8th) (still waiting it is). As previously reported, the song is packed with guests, including Yo La Tengo, GZA, Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend), Bob Mould (Husker Du), Tegan & Sara, Andrew W.K., Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio), David Cross and Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene). In February, it’ll be released as 7″ single. The record is for charity, and you can read what Fucked Up singer Pink Eyes has to say about the causes, below. The band is also putting out a rarities compilation, Couple Tracks, in January and touring with Kurt Vile in Feb. (with 2 NYC area shows).

Another benefit record, Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox, is out today on Merge (in digital form, CDs come February 23rd). The proceeds go to New Zealand musician Chris Knox (Tall Dwarfs, Toy Love) who suffered a stroke last June. The two-disc collection is all covers of Knox’s songs done by acts that include Yo La Tengo, Mountain Goats, Will Oldham, Stephin Merritt, Bill Callahan and…Jeff Mangum (doing “Sign The Dotted Line” by Tall Dwarfs). You can preview songs at Merge. The full track list below.

Don’t forget, Bob Dylan‘s Christmas album is also for charity, benefiting Feeding America. His new video for “Little Drummer Boy” (animated and less jokey than “Must Be Santa”) is below…

Fucked Up charity single

Fucked Up’s frontman Damian Abraham, a.k.a. “Pink Eyes”, says “it’s hard to find a balance between the song being a fun, playful holiday classic and the reason we’re putting it out, to benefit organizations dealing with a deadly, serious issue.” Since 1980, there have been 520 known cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada and many believe the true number to be significantly higher. If compared to the rest of the population their death and disappearance rate would be equivalent to over 18,000 Canadian women and girls missing or murdered. Approximately 50% of the murders and disappearances have occurred during or since 2000.

The three groups that will receive 100% of the proceeds from sales of this song are Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (Montreal), DTES Power of Women Group (Vancouver) and Sisters in Spirit (Ottawa). – Matador

‘Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox’ tracklist
*Tracks are arranged chronologically
Disc 1:
1. Jay Reatard – Pull Down The Shades
2. The Checks – Rebel
3. The Bleeding Allstars – Ain’t It Nice
4. Peter Gutteridge – Don’t Catch Fire
5. The Chills – Luck Or Loveliness
6. David Kilgour – Nothing’s Going To Happen
7. The Crying Wolfs – All My Hollowness To You
8. Stephin Merritt – Beauty
9. Portastatic – Nostalgia’s No Excuse
10. The Mint Chicks – Crush
11. Jay & Sam Clarkson – I’ve Left Memories Behind
12. Sky Green Leopards – Burning Blue
13. Shayne Carter – The Slide
14. Pumice – Grand Mal
15. Hamish Kilgour – Knoxed Out

Disc 2:
1. Boh Runga – Not Given Lightly
2. Red & Zeke (Feat. Bill Doss and Neil Cleary) – Bodies
3. Jeff Mangum – Sign The Dotted Line
4. Bill Callahan – Lapse
5. Genghis Smith – Growth Spurt
6. Yo La Tengo – Coloured
7. AC Newman – Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe
8. Alec Bathgate – Glide
9. Don McGlashan – Inside Story
10. Sean Donnelly – The Outer Skin
11. Lambchop – What Goes Up
12. The Mountain Goats – Brave
13. The Tokey Tones (and friends) – Round These Walls
14. The Bats – Just Do It
15. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – My Only Friend
16. The Finn Family – It’s Love
17. Jordan Luck – Becoming Something Other
18. The Verlaines – Driftwood
19. Lou Barlow – Song Of The Tall Poppy
20. The Nothing – Napping In Lapland
21. Tall Dwarfs – Sunday Son

Bob Dylan – Little Drummer Boy

Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa