Pitchfork

Thank the internet for this one: a short while back, one Rachel Fuller, life partner to one Pete Townshend, established a live video webcast program called "In the Attic". She invited cool folks like the Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie to play acoustic songs on her claustrophobia-inducing show. Jokes were said, laughs were had, and shambling, intimate performances were shared. The people rejoiced.

Flash forward to right now, and "In the Attic" is set to unleash its very first compilation of those performances, the iTunes-only release Attic Jam. Featuring intimate, exclusive recordings from the aforementioned, as well as the Raconteurs, Regina Spektor, Editors, the Magic Numbers, and more, the digital release arrives February 14. So when your sweetheart gets you an iTunes gift card for Valentine's Day, after you break up with him/her, you know what to do with it.

Most intriguing of all, Townshend himself even joins a number of the artists (and contributes a couple of his own performances), including the Raconteurs (covering the Who's "The Seeker"), Death Cab (doing their own "Photobooth"), the Lips (covering "Baba O'Riley"), the Fratellis, and the Zutons. Fuller and co-host Mikey Cuthbert lend tracks as well, and Pete's younger brother Simon even makes an appearance.

Quoth the press release: "The unique chemistry generated by Fuller's edgy style, the enthusiasm of her sidekick Mikey and Pete's wisdom and experience adds a charm to these tracks that you will hear nowhere else." Wisdom, enthusiasm, and edge, people! Try to front on that.

Attic Jam:

01 The Kooks - "Ooh La"
02 Ed Harcourt - "Last Cigarette"
03 Martha Wainwright - "These Flowers"
04 Editors - "All Sparks"
05 Rachel Fuller - "Blue"
06 The Raconteurs [ft. Pete Townshend] - "The Seeker"
07 Death Cab for Cutie [ft. Pete Townshend] - "Photobooth"
08 Pete Townshend - "Acid Queen"
09 The Fratellis [ft. Pete Townshend] - "Hippy"
10 The Magic Numbers - "Long Legs"
11 Regina Spektor - "Musicbox"
12 The Zutons [ft. Pete Townshend] - "Mary Anne With the Shaky Hands"
13 Simon Townshend - "Soul Searching"
14 The Flaming Lips [ft. Pete Townshend] - "Baba O'Reilly"
15 Rose Hill Drive - "Brain Novocaine"
16 Razorlight - "What's It All About"
17 Mikey Cuthbert - "Misery"
18 Foy Vance - "Homebird"
19 Pete Townshend - "A Quick One While He's Away"