Ward & Oberst start a band?

According to the Omaha City Weekly:
…Also with recording plans for the winter is Conor Oberst. Beginning in the new year, Oberst is slated to begin recording two new albums — one a solo record in Mexico (?) with Jake Bellows playing a role and another with a new band being formed with M Ward.

Huh? How are you gonna sneak something like that in the end of an article? Apparently neither folkies manager will confirm, but it certainly wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. M. and Conor have been friends and collaborators for many-a-year touring together on Bright Eyes tours and the Monsters of Folk tour with Jim James (My Morning Jacket). They’ve made countless appearances at each others shows, and even played on each other’s albums, but a proper album between the two might very well make my head explode.

One thing which is confirmed:
Conor will play two shows at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis on December 29 & 30. These will not be Bright Eyes shows and will feature an “entirely different backing band and set of songs.”
If I miss two shows from this rumored super group, someone is going down.

[mp3] Bright Eyes & M. Ward – June on the West Coast (Live on KCRW)
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Mushaboom (Feist cover)
[mp3] M. Ward – Carolina

Buy M. Ward records
Buy Bright Eyes records

Aimee Mann announces Holiday shows

Aimee Mann announced her mini Holiday tour last week which will feature support from Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard, members of the Decembrists, Ben Lee, Josh Ritter, and Nellie Mckay. Christmas is a time for friends they say and apparently Aimee feels the need to flaunt her indie-celeb posse. Frankly, who could blame her? The tour will make stops all across this great nation of ours but the guests vary from night-to-night. To see a full list of dates and guests head over to Aimee’s site.

[mp3] Aimee Mann – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

[mp3] Justice – We Are Your Friends

Buy Aimee Mann records.

Two songs guaranteed to lift the Monday blues

If the groove of the guitar and the walking bass in Know How doesn’t get you, surely the amazingly hard-to-resist sing along nature of Anyone Else But You will. Seriously if these two don’t get you smiling and nodding or moving some part of your body then you have problems besides being tired and/or depressed that it’s Monday.

[mp3] Kings of Convenience & Feist – Know How
[mp3] The Moldy Peaches – Anyone Else But You

A side note: Anyone Else But You makes an awesome cameo in an even more awesome trailer for the upcoming film Juno starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera.

Buy Kings of Convenience records
Buy Moldy Peaches records
Buy Feist records

Death Cab rarities repost + more tracks

This is without doubt the most requested re-post I’ve ever had, I still get one or two emails a week asking to re-upload these and I never get around to it….sorry, I’m lazy like that. But I’m getting around to it now, so here they are! Most of these are from out of print 7” and singles some are vinyl bonus tracks and a few are live. The last is from the japanese import version of the Pedro the Lion album Winners Never Quit.

[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Blacking Out the Friction (Demo)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – A Movie Script Ending (Acoustic)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Earth Angel
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Spring Break Broke
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Coney Island (Alternate Version)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – We Laugh Indoors (Dub Version)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Here Comes the Rain (Eurythmics)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Rocking Chair (The Band cover)
[mp3] Death Cab for Cutie – Casino Blues (Ben Solo : unreleased)
[mp3] Pedro the Lion feat. Ben Gibbard – Slow & Steady Wins the Race (Alt Verison)

Gibbard, Walla, Harmer, and McGerr have been in the studio tracking their new album at Jason (drums) new studio Two Sticks Audio in Seattle. It will be available for you to purchase in 2008 at some point from the same record label that puts out those Led Zeppelin boxsets you’re getting your uncle for Christmas. Likely, the vinyl version will be on the same record label which is putting out (the aforementioned Pedro the Lion frontman) David Bazan’s record in 2008, and which put out every Death Cab record that preceded Plans.

Buy Death Cab for Cutie records
Buy Pedro the Lion records

Happy Thanksgiving

I’ll be enjoying my weekend with my family, eating a lot, sleeping a lot, and getting a Christmas tree on Saturday. If you’re reading this I suppose you have something to be thankful for (what with your eyes, and having access to a computer, and enough of an education to know how to read) so enjoy your weekend!

[mp3] Jeff Tweedy – Is That The Thanks I Get?

I’ll see you Monday,
Caleb

New LCD Soundsystem Live videos!

Every week until Christmas starting Monday (as in two days ago) you can find new exclusive live videos from a recent LCD Soundsystem performance in wonderful Manchester, England. All My Friends was this week’s offering and it looks and sounds amazing. I don’t know if there’s a DVD planned, but there should be because these videos are the bees knees.

See the list of upcoming videos and watch the first right here.

[mp3] LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk is Playing at My House

Buy LCD Soundsystem records.

Michael Cera is in a band?

Apparently, yes. Michael Cera, Clark (of Clark and Michael fame) and some guy named Christian are The Long Goodbye. How did I miss this? This song, be as poorly recorded as it may, is pretty awesome. Definitely taking a page from the Beulah handbook on this one which is COMPLETELY fine with me. It sounds like Cera takes guitar and harmony duties mostly and it’s totally worth your attention.

[mp3] The Long Goodbye – Leading Man

There’s this Alicia Keys song….

I’m not a fan of Ms. Alicia Keys’ work. It’s not that she doesn’t have a good voice (she does) it’s no that she writes terrible songs (she doesn’t). It’s just decidedly not my thing. There is however, this one song that my brother played for me on Friday in an attempt to sway me. It didn’t work, but this song itself, albeit a short piano instrumental, is amazing. It’s nice that she decided to let everyone know she was an amazing pianist again instead of drifting into the slimy depths of urban pop sheen.

[mp3] Alicia Keys – As I am

Again, full disclosure, I don’t even recommend this record if you’re not already into Ms. Keys body of work….but Bob Dylan does.

Radiohead to ATO – You’re all I need

I’m sure you all know by now that Radiohead’s In Rainbows will finally be released by ATO records on January 1st in the US (New Years Day, meaning it will be AVAILABLE the 2nd). But something about the Billboard article irked me a bit:
Billboard:
ATO quickly emerged as the front-runner and most attractive U.S. home for Radiohead, who recorded for EMI until 2005. Among the draws was the presence of Phil Costello, Capitol’s former senior VP of promotion and marketing, who is now at ATO.

So the same people who mistreated the band at Capitol all these years are running ATO or is Phil Costello one of the good guys? Does anyone know? Some b-sides and live stuff below for your listening pleasure.

[mp3] Radiohead – Dollars & Cents
[mp3] Radiohead – The Amazing Sounds of Orgy
[mp3] Radiohead – In My Mind (Live acoustic)

Buy Radiohead records.

More New David Bazan (with video)

As captured by yours truly Monday night. A full review coming soon with pictures.