Pitchfork

When most radio stations put out their WROX Presents the Bestest New Rock Ever!!! type of CD sampler, it's usually stuffed to the gills with the most Godawful payola you would never want to hear, much less purchase.

New Orleans non-commercial radio station WTUL's Songs From the Basement series has smartly evaded that type of pay-for-play programming and their WTUL Songs From the Basement Volume 4 is no different. The two-disc release contains 33 tracks that mix New Orleans' top local talent alongside acts like Madvillain, Laura Veirs, Jens Lekman, Jesu, Drive-By Truckers, Jello Biafra & The Melvins, Liars, and more.

While Jesu has contributed an exclusive remix and Vashti Bunyan an unreleased demo, Liars, Caretaker, Ali Roberts, and Ballboy have all contributed all-new, exclusive tracks for the compilation. Proceeds from the release go towards funding the station, which is completely volunteer run and subsists solely on a mix of donations and modest funding from Tulane University. Considering the smack-down the station received courtesy of Hurricane Katrina-spawned floodwaters, prompting the demolition of their building and relocation to new facilities, it's a worthy cause.

The comp is currently available via the WTUL website, as well as at WTUL-sponsored shows in New Orleans.

WTUL Songs From the Basement Volume 4

Disc 1:

01 Ballzack: "Wine Candy"
02 Money Can't Buy Music: "We Will All Asphyxiate"
03 Glyn Styler & Rene Coman: "The Trucker Takes a Wife"
04 Meadow House: "My Window Cleaning Days Are Over"
05 Bruisers: "I'll Be Your Puppet"
06 Madvillain: "Figaro (Stones Throw 101 mix)"
07 A Particularly Vicious Rumor: "Sabotage"
08 Kid Koala: "Skanky Pank"
09 Bunky: "Wiggle"
10 Rock City Morgue: "Don't Leave Me Haunted"
11 Jesu: "Your Patch to Divinity (WTUL remix)"
12 Laura Veirs: "Galaxies (demo)"
13 Flossie & The Unicorns: "The Men with a Million Records"
14 Ballboy: "Ghosts of New Orleans (acoustic)"
15 Bipolaroid: "Burning Flag"
16 Jens Lekman: "Black Cab"
17 Tarwater: "Cassedy"
18 Jello Biafra & the Melvins: "The Lighter Side of Terrorism (Chrome-Honey Lysergic Mold mix)"

Disc 2:

01 The Caretaker: "Can't Get to Heaven That Way"
02 Truth Universal: "Heat!!!"
03 Liars: "Untitled"
04 The Fantastic Ooze: "Fusion Snakes Part 1"
05 Tommy Sunshine: "Dance Among the Ruins"
06 Conner Richardson with Noam Chomsky: "Public Mind"
07 Solar Deth Trap: "Catfish 'n' Cornpone"
08 Robyn Hitchcock: "Flanagan's Song"
09 Drive-By Truckers: "The Living Bubba (live)"
10 Chef Menteur with Alexandra Scott: "Oceanic"
11 John Sinclair & His Blues Scholars featuring Wayne Kramer: "Cow"
12 White Birch: "Attention"
13 Alasdair Roberts: "Pretty Saro"
14 Belong: "I Never Lose Really"
15 Vashti Bunyan: "If I Were (demo)"