Irish label Diet Of Worms has this week released The Sky Was A Mouth Again, an album in solidarity with, and raising funds for, the people of Palestine.
No cobbled together thing, it features a fascinating run of covers of 1955 garage rock classic ‘Louie Louie’, by Richard Dawson; Charles Hayward; Elias Rønnenfelt of Iceage; Valentina Magaletti in collaboration with Conrad Standish; and many more – you can find the full list of contributing artists below.
Gavin Duffy, who organised the compilation, explained the thinking behind getting so many artists to cover just the one song: “The Sky Was A Mouth Again grew out of a fascination with how one song – ‘Louie Louie’ – can contain multitudes. I chose it because it’s a raw, open structure that invites interpretation, mishearing and reinvention. With the world increasingly fractured and in turmoil, Diet of Worms was committed to continuing the project as an act of artistic expression and political solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
“We were genuinely thrilled by the breadth of responses; what came back wasn’t just a set of covers but a whole spectrum of personal, political and sonic explorations. Richard Dawson’s contribution is a perfect example of that wild elasticity.”
All proceeds will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). You can find the full compilation here.
“The Sky Was A Mouth Again is not simply a tribute or a protest. It is a global act of creative empathy, asking how we continue to respond – through sound, collaboration and care – in the face of ongoing horror,” said Diet Of Worms. “In a time when global attention can feel fractured or fleeting, this compilation insists on care, persistence and collective expression.”
The full list of artists featured on the compilation is: Alex Macfarlane; Amber Meulenijzer; Burger Service; Charles Hayward; Conrad Standish & Valentina Magaletti; Elias Rønnenfelt; ELLLL; Garbaggio (Nic from !!! and Sadie Laska); Guests; I.U.D. (Lizzi Bougatsos & Sadie Laska); Junior Brother; Lea Bertucci; Leda (Sofie Herner); Maarja Nuut; Nonpareils (Aaron Hemphill & Angelika Kaswalder); Richard Dawson; Shifters; Wild Billy Childish & CTMF; White Magic (Mira Billotte & Tim Horner).
