Adam Schlesinger Tribute Album, Featuring Rachel Bloom & More, is Out Now

By: Jun. 16, 2020
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Adam Schlesinger Tribute Album, Featuring Rachel Bloom & More, is Out Now

Adam Schlesinger was a prodigious and prolific songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He died on April 1 at the age of 52 as the result of complications from COVID-19. Not only was Schlesinger in multiple beloved bands-including the power-pop-leaning Fountains of Wayne and sophisticated electro-pop act Ivy-but he also collaborated on songs for movie soundtracks and the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

A wide array of artists touched by Schlesinger's life pay tribute to the many musical projects of which he was a part via a Bandcamp-exclusive benefit compilation, Saving for a Custom Van. The 31-song collection features collaborators, tourmates, friends, and fans putting their own spin on songs spanning his entire career.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator, executive producer and star Rachel Bloom turns Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" into a jazzy cabaret moodpiece, while Schlesinger's Fountains of Wayne bandmate Jody Porter contributes a melancholy, shimmering take on Ivy's "Four in the Morning." Sarah Silverman-who teamed up with Schlesinger on the upcoming musical The Bedwetter-joins with songwriter Ben Lee for a gorgeous, folk-leaning take on "Way Back Into Love," a Schlesinger song central to the 2007 film Music and Lyrics.

Other musicians on the compilation tackle Fountains of Wayne songs (Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley, "Radiation Vibe"; Motion City Soundtrack, "Dip in the Ocean"; Nada Surf, "Sick Day"; Vivian Girls/Upset member Ali Koehler, "Hackensack"), while Ivy songs are also well-represented (Belly members Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood, "Undertow"; Ted Leo, "Everyday"; HUNNY, "Tess Don't Tell.") A full annotated tracklist is below.

Saving for a Custom Van, which takes its title from a lyric in Fountains of Wayne's "Utopia Parkway," is co-curated and co-released by Father/Daughter Records and Wax Nine, the label/journal run by Speedy Ortiz's Sadie Dupuis (who also contributes a FoW cover under her Sad13 moniker).

One-hundred percent of Saving for a Custom Van proceeds will be donated to MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is dedicated to helping music industry and community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Track Listing:

1. Apex Manor - Utopia Parkway

2. Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood - Undertow

3. Jeff Rosenstock - Please Don't Rock Me Tonight

4. Kay Hanley - Radiation Vibe

5. Ben Lee and Sarah Silverman - Way Back Into Love

6. Remember Sports - Just the Girl

7. Rachel Bloom - Stacy's Mom

8. Christian Lee Hutson - Red Dragon Tattoo

9. Sad13 - A Fine Day For a Parade

10. Jack Dolgen - What'll It Be

11. Motion City Soundtrack - A Dip in the Ocean

12. Field Mouse - Valley Winter Song

13. Cheekface - That Thing You Do

14. Lucy Stone - I've Got a Flair

15. Nada Surf - Sick Day

16. Jody Porter - Four in the Morning

17. Suzy Shinn and Charlie Brand - All Kinds of Time

18. Ted Leo - Everyday

19. Potty Mouth - I've Got A Feeling

20. Cocktails - Sink to the Bottom

21. Bree McKenna - Our Twisted Fate

22. Ethan Eubanks - Troubled Times

23. Ali Koehler - Hackensack

24. Charly Bliss - Pretend to Be Nice

25. Julian Velard and Alex Dezen - Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim

26. HUNNY - Tess Don't Tell

27. Mikey Erg - Hey Julie

28. Off Book and the Family Band - Come On

29. Prince Daddy & The Hyena and Just Friends - Mexican Wine

30. Lisa Prank - Little Red Light

31. Joshua Stoddard - Survival Car



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