Compassion, guilt or publicity – it doesn’t matter why the artists on War Child’s Heroes album agreed to do a cover of one of their favourite songs. What matters is that they did, and it’s available to you. Standout tracks include (but are not limited to): Beck’s cover of Bob Dylan’s Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Franz Ferdinand’s cover of Call Me (originally by Blondie), and The Kooks’ cover of The Kinks’ Victoria. Peaches had to do The Stooges justice for her cover of Search and Destroy; after all, we all know what Iggy Pop is willing to do with a broken glass bottle. Buy this album. It’s worth it just for the line-up, not to mention the proceeds go to toward children affected by the brutalities of war. So if you don’t buy it, you’re pretty much supporting war. You don’t support war, do you?

Published in Volume 63, Number 25 of The Uniter (March 26, 2009)