Songs From The Point!

Why should jazz have all the fun? Pop and indie artists too seldom throw their creative weight into the art of interpretation. But the sometimes dormant tradition is alive and well in a new revival of songs from The Point!, Harry Nilsson's 1971 cult-classic film and soundtrack, featuring new arrangements by Andrew Bird, Martha Wainwright, DeVotchKa, Nada Surf, and other contemporary artists.

Pop vets Nada Surf, closet to Nilsson genetically among the artists, add pep and a certain Zombies-esque vocal style to the boy-and-his-dog hit "Me and My Arrow." Andrew Bird, the walking orchestra, sinks his technicolor skills into "Think About Your Troubles," which navigates the cyclical magic of the way things work on earth. Gypsy-cowboys DeVotchKa gallop The Point's expository tune "Everything's Got 'Em" through a string-laden carnival. Sex Mob backs high-voltage vocalist Catherine Russell's gospel soulfulness with their jazzed-up, freaked-out "Poli High." Martha Wainwright duets with Him Campilongo's twangy guitar on "P.O.V. Waltz," Denver's rising-star troubadour, Dawn Landes, imparts a dusty romanticism to "Lifeline," a gentle call for help by the lead character Oblio. In the hands of these artists, Nilsson's lovingly goofy and quintessentially '70s songs emerge in new garb while retaining every ounce of imagination and wisdom of the originals.

In the hands of these artists, Nilsson's lovingly goofy and quintessentially '70s songs emerge in new garb while retaining every ounce of imagination and wisdom of the originals. The artists all came together on the album to benefit 826NYC, the nonprofit group that provides creative-writing workshops and tutoring to kids aged 6 - 18. 826NYC will receive all proceeds from the album.