A new compilation project titled For The Birds: The Birdsong Project is set to be released in five monthly stages between May and September 2022, with the first volume arriving on May 20.
Among the artists involved are such names as Beck, Animal Collective, and Jeff Tweedy, as well as Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Karen O, Kamasi Washington, Terry Riley, Mary Lattimore, Tyondai Braxton, and Elvis Costello.
Costello said of the project: “This should be so very obvious: without birds, we would be knee-deep in worms, swarmed by bugs, the trees bereft of the song. The least we can do is raise our voices in praise or lament.”
In addition to the musical selections, the project also includes spoken-word pieces from the likes of Florence Welch, Matthew McConaughey, Bette Midler, and Natasha Lyonne. Randall Poster produced the entire collection, with Lee Ranaldo serving as one of the set’s executive producers.
All proceeds from For The Birds: The Birdsong Project will be donated to the National Audubon Society.
The project will also be released in a massive vinyl set, spread across 20 LPs. The deluxe version includes a photo book that features an essay by Loma and Shearwater member Jonathan Meiburg, who is also an ornithologist.
