Various Artists

This deeply satisfying 21-song tribute was devised to help recently widowed singer-songwriter Mark Mulcahy (ex–Miracle Legion, Polaris) raise his young twin daughters and get on with life. (Grab a hankie before reading the liner notes.) Some artists -- a creepy Thom Yorke murmuring "All for the Best," a lunatic Frank Black bellowing "Bill Jocko" -- twist the material. Others -- Juliana Hatfield getting sultry on "We're Not in Charleston Anymore," Elvis Perkins crooning "She Watches Over Me" -- follow Mulcahy's folkrock template. For extra credit, download another 20 tracks from the likes of A.C. Newman and Buffalo Tom.

By Jon Young