Interesting

I'd never heard of this album, but when looking through the archives of the WFMU blog (in the MP3 section), this album caught my eye:

"Lullabies from the Axis of Evil:"

"In his 2002 `Axis of Evil' speech, George W. Bush Singled out Iran, Iraq and North Korea, along with their allies, as the enemies of democracy. Enlisting world support for his war on terrorism, Bush pointed a finger and drew the line between us and them. But Bush forgot one thing. These enemy states are filled with mothers and children. Producer Erik Hillestad took up the challenge in reminding us with Lullabies from the Axis of Evil. Hillestad proves `our enemies' possess a remarkable capacity for love and warmth in a tradition of lullabies that spans generations of sense and memory. Hillestad pairs singers from around the world singing in English with the traditional lullabies sung by a host of singers from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, Cuba and North Korea. Pleasantly devoid of Stereotypical lullaby arrangements and overproduction, the collection of lullabies on this CD shuns the saccharin and keeps the compositions spare and focused on the song. The CD opens with "You, My Destiny," pairing Iran's Mahsa Vahdat and Sarah Jane Morris from England. The pair exchanges verses in this heartbreakingly lovely lullaby.

I thought this was a pretty nifty idea. Apparently, the album has sold more than 10,000 copies, and got a writeup in the WaPo. The WFMU blog also notes:

Jon Birge of the New York based Valley Entertainment, says that his company has been listed as one of the companies the Bush administration no longer wants to cooperate with: link. The reason; Birge's company is the US distributor of Lullabies From The Axis Of Evil, a Norwegian CD in which women from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, North-Korea and Cuba sing lullabies in duet with western artists.

Now, nothing more is said about this company being one the Bush administration "no longer wants to cooperate with;" the commenters in this post seem as confused as I am. What exactly does that mean? One comment notes:

My understanding from this article is that Mr Birge reportedly has been informed by a third party that the Bush administration has placed Valley Entertainment on a list of companies that are to be subjected to "special treatment" in all their contacts with the authorities. Delays, bureaucratic complications, etc.

(The article link was bad, so I didn't include it.)

I've never heard of "the government" doing anything like this to a record label, but I could be wrong. Anyone have anything to add? Anyway, it's a groovy concept; there's samples at WFMU, and a link to purchase the album, if you're so inclined.