Search - Various Artists :: Shanti Project Collection 2

Like the first Shanti Project Collection, the second volume brings together a multitude of artists who each contribute several unreleased tracks. The emphasis here is on somber female indie rockers and the disturbingly quiet music they make. Mimi Parker of Low begins things in much the same ethereal mood as her band. "When You Walked Out on Me" slows down a country music vibe, while "The Plan" echoes the solemnity of a church mass. Kristin Hersh serves up elliptical ballads in which she underpins her stream-of-consciousness lyrics with splintered guitar riffs and ominous screams from the gut. Most impressive is Tarnation's Paula Frazer, who joins former American Music Club leader Mark Eitzel to deliver the gorgeous Scott Walker ballad "Rhymes of Goodbye." Edith Frost employs a rudimentary guitar strumming pattern for her simple yet effective blues songs. For a shift in weirdness, Melissa Auf der Maur delivers the off-kilter ramblings of "Desire Is Critical" and a bizarre cover of Roxy Music's "Love Is the Drug." A portion of the proceeds benefits the Shanti Project of San Francisco, an AIDS/HIV assistance provider. Great music and a good cause. --Rob O'Connor