Orenda Fink

The Creole word lagniappe refers to an unexpected gift given to a customer, and that’s just what Saddle Creek has to offer. At first listen, the album plays like a solid comp from a few of the stellar artists in Saddle Creek’s stable (the Faint, Two Gallants, and Bright Eyes, of course) and their side projects (Joel Peterson’s Broken Spindles, Azure Ray’s Maria Taylor dueting with Andy LeMaster of Now It’s Overhead). None of the songs comment on or even mention Hurricane Katrina, and that’s where the unexpected gift bit comes in: all of the album’s proceeds went to Red Cross relief efforts.