These days, you can tell the measure of a man by the quality of the tribute/benefit album he inspires. And as such, even if you've never heard of Barsamian or Alternative Radio, you should be very impressed.
Keep Left benefits Alternative Radio, Barsamian's weekly hour-long program, which he distributes free to radio stations around the country. It's dedicated to addressing public interest issues in a voice that's free from corporate "tampering" -- delivering news, ideas and commentary without the subtle editorial control of the sponsors upstairs. This is how AR differs from National Public Radio, which has found its editorial voice increasingly compromised as it is forced to accept financial support from increasingly partisan sources. It's also the reason why AR is always underfunded.
An impressive range of artists donated music for Keep Left -- testament to Barsamian's following and to the value of AR's service. Do you own another compilation that includes Kronos Quartet and Olivia Tremor Control, let alone one that puts them back to back? Or disc on which Built to Spill, Negativland and Loren Mazzacane Connors share liner note space? Suffice it to say that if you enjoy an eclectic mix of challenging music dominated by guitar and string textures, Keep Left should be on your must-have list.
Looking for high points? The aforementioned juxtaposition of Kronos Quartet ("Tonight is the Night (live)") and Olivia Tremor Control ("Glass Beard") works surprisingly well, and Elliott Sharp's "Near the Wall" makes a nice lead-in. Avante-garde orchestral wunderkind Marianne Nowottny's "Mustard Seed" makes a strikingly Brechtian interlude, and Friends of Dean Martinez turn in a surprisingly sincere "Wichita Lineman". The "rock block", which includes Physics, progster Treiops Treyfid and the always-reliable Built to Spill, should please those left out in the cold by all the experimental sounds. But if your tastes are anything like mine, you'll be drawn to the fourteen minute, album-closing stint from Pere Ubu: unreleased live material that features frontman David Thomas at his wide-eyed, self-deprecating best.
Keep Left Vol. I is the sort of compilation we all too rarely see: one that challenges while it delights, pushing the envelope as it pleases the ear. If you're as impressed by Keep Left's political and stylistic diversity as I am, you're bound to wonder what could be so great about Alternative Radio and David Barsamian as to inspire such a diverse and intelligent group of artists. And you'll want to know more.
Put it this way: how often can you buy a CD and actually feel like you're helping to insure the free and untainted flow of information? When you buy Keep Left, you give the Man the finger.
