
HELP(2) is the second War Child charity compilation, a sequel to the 1995 original which featured Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Massive Attack, and Portishead. HELP(2) has contributions from an impressive list of artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., Beth Gibbons, Bat For Lashes, Arooj Aftab, Beck, Wet Leg, Big Thief, Sampha, Young Fathers, King Krule, and others, performing a mix of new originals and covers. As before, all proceeds go to War Child UK, which works with children in conflict zones around the world.
There's indie rock, synth-pop, jazz, trip-hop, spoken word, and pop across the record, but the Abbey Road sessions and James Ford's production skills hold it together as a single piece of work. Beth Gibbons performs The Velvet Underground, Fontaines D.C. cover Sinéad O'Connor, and Olivia Rodrigo closes the album with The Magnetic Fields' 'The Book of Love.' Among the originals, Arctic Monkeys' 'Opening Night' is their first new music since 2022's 'The Car', and Pulp's 'Begging for Change' is a song Jarvis Cocker says took 14 years to finish.
Jonathan Glazer directed a companion documentary, with footage partly filmed by children in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. The album arrives at a time when War Child estimates that 520 million children worldwide live in conflict-affected areas, nearly double the figure when the original was released in 1995. Artists donated their master recordings to the charity.
HELP(2)
Various Artists