Anni Rossi Gets An 8.0 On Pitchfork

Download: Anni Rossi - "Ecology"

If you haven't already picked up Anni Rossi's latest record, Rockwell, named for the street she lives on in Chicago, then you absolutely should. Personally speaking, I'm more partial to the Afton EP which came out last fall (which I retroactively put on my best-of list for 2008, b/c I'm a dumbass), but Rockwell has more than its fair share of viola-plucked charms and unique vocal stylings. After being released on March 10th, Pitchfork has finally gotten around to reviewing Ms. Rossi's disc, and they've bestowed upon it a very great score of 8.0.

Here's the a key paragraph:

Anni Rossi's 4AD debut full-length, Rockwell...is the conclusion of a series of recording experiments taken over the last few years. Her instrumentation is so sparse that it naturally calls for the highest standards of recording to fully translate the relationship between the vocals and strings, so it's not surprising that she chose to record Rockwell with Steve Albini, albeit in a day

Read the rest of Mia Clarke's review here.

Check out video of Rossi performing in the MPLS right here.

Anni Rossi MySpace Page

(actual words by Jon Graef, but written in spirit by Ian Anderson)

Cross-published on CIMI

Brother Ali Releases "The Truth Is Here," Is Reviewed On Pitchfork

Download: Jake One - "The Truth" (feat. Freeway and Brother Ali)
Download: Brother Ali - "Truth Is..."

If you've been over to Pitchfork this morning, then you've undoubtedly seen their sleeker, slicker website design. And, what do you know, one of the first records they've reviewed after unveiling the new design is MPLS emcee Brother Ali's The Truth is Here EP, which sees proper release tomorrow. The venerable independent artist website bestows a 7.4 on the record, not a bad score at all. Here's the lede:

If you want a striking glimpse at one MC's potential future, listen to Brother Ali's celebratory day-after reaction to Barack Obama's election on the web-released "Mr. President (You're the Man)"...Coming from a rapper who made his name on social contemplation, righteous anger, and battle-rap vengeance, Ali's joy and (guarded) hopefulness in the humbling face of history resulted in a rare but revealing moment of optimism. Question is, how much of that's going to carry into his subsequent work?

Read the rest here.

Though Ali might have conquered the likes of Pitchfork, he'll probably have an easier time meeting up with his fellow Rhymesayers labelmate Atmosphere tonight at the label's special Artist Meets Artist concert. That show promises several collaborative sets between the Twin Cities most notable hip-hop acts. Click for more details here.

However, if you're more inclined to see an artist in their own (fifth) element, then all you need to do is wait a day. Ali will be performing a free in-store over at the Fifth Element record store tomorrow to celebrate the new EP.

Watch the trailer for the EP at the top of the post.

Brother Ali MySpace Page

Gospel Gossip Forkcasted on Pitchfork, My Head Explodes

Though reviewer Jonathan Garrett of Pitchfork calls Gospel Gossip's 2007 debut record Sing Into My Mouth "erratic album-- not without its charms, but certainly flawed..."--an assessment we stridently, but politely, disagree with--Garrett has nothing but kind words for Northfield, MN dream-pop trio's latest single, "Nashville," from its upcoming Dreamland EP. Calling the track "searing," Garrett goes on to praise the drumming, and the band's "vigorous tunefulness." Check it out here if you are so inclined. Meanwhile, my head is going to explode. ZOMG! Gospel Gossip's on Pitchfork!

Gospel Gossip MySpace Page

Pitchfork's #1 Albums From 2000-2008, A Case Study

The impact of Pitchfork's opinion is amazing. There will always be a top dog when it comes to independent music criticism, but with that place of influence and power comes great responsibility. MFR can say that Frightened Rabbit is our favorite record of the year in hopes of supporting the artist we love from 2008 as best we can: by giving them mad props and a slight tip from the brim of our collective pork-pie hat.

But P4K can seriously launch a band from obscurity to a household name, we've all seen it. When Fleet Foxes landed on top of the pile this year, it sealed their fate for the next five to ten years (hopefully more) as an artist who will never escape a conversation about the who's-who in indie music. Looking ahead, I see the Foxes landing major-label backing (if they haven't already) and hitting a level of fame synonymous with the likes of Interpol and Arcade Fire. This is an amazing achievement considering we're talking about a band who 18-months ago was just a small band of good-looking duders.

Beyond that, I wanted to explore whether or not this P4K influence has always been felt. Granted, 12 Rods -- who may be P4K's favorite band -- are not huge, but they never made it on top of the almighty year-end list. Looking back, since 2000, I'd say that P4K is batting a five for nine in terms of choosing the band that deserves the top and will remain there. The four I question are the Microphones, The Rapture, Sufjan Stevens, the Knife; I do not believe that they didn't deserve it (I own and love all of these records), but none of these four are currently seeing the amazing success that Radiohead, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Panda Bear (success seen also in Animal Collective) and Fleet Foxes are experiencing. Therefore, the question I ask is this: why are five of these nine bands seemingly winning?

Is it the decisions that were made after finding themselves on top of the list in regards to management and musical direction that sets them apart, or is it simply because P4K picked a band that was the expected or unexpected indie pick?

Let's talk about this a bit more, but here are the #1 picks from Pitchfork's Top Album Lists of the last eight years.

2000: Radiohead - "Kid A"

*MP3: Radiohead - "Kid A" (Link Removed)

2001: Microphones - "The Glow, Pt. 2"

*MP3: The Microphones - "The Glow, Pt. 2"

2002: Interpol - "Turn On the Bright Lights"

*MP3: Interpol - "Obstacle 1"

2003: The Rapture - "Echoes"

*MP3: The Rapture - "Echoes"

2004: Arcade Fire - "Funeral"

*MP3: Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1" (Tunnels)

2005: Sufjan Stevens - "Illinoise"

*MP3: Sufjan Stevens - "Year of the Boar"

2006: The Knife - "Silent Shout"

*MP3: The Knife - "One Hit"

2007: Panda Bear - "Person Pitch"

*MP3: Panda Bear - "Take Pills"

2008: Fleet Foxes - "Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes"

*MP3: Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

M.I.A. is Coming Back With Baby, Baby (In Other Words, She's Preggers!)

(Pic via Pitchfork)

Download: M.I.A. - "Boys" (Remix feat. Wale)

At least, according to P4K, who don't exactly have a stellar relationship with the world-traveled, iTunes chart-topping star.

Peep the article:

In case the big lovely bump in her belly up there didn't clue you in, M.I.A. has some news for us. "I'm creating a baby," she revealed to Pitchfork's Jessica Suarez in an interview just prior to her performance at Diesel's ridonculous xXx party in NYC Saturday night. "I've got two kids, that's what it feels like.'

(T)he baby is the collaborative undertaking of M.I.A. and fiancé Ben Brewer, frontman for NYC rockers the Exit and son of Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

I think its fair to say that congratulations to the happy couple are due. Congrats!

(Jonathan Graef)
jon@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

Cross-published on CIMI

Indie-Rock Supergroup Performs Improv Set at Pitchfork Due To Cut Copy Tardiness

Download: Atlas Sound - "Another Bedroom"
Download: Jay Reatard - "Always Wanting More" (via Spinner)
Download: King Khan - "Welfare Bread"

One of the most inexplicable, unusual, and totally fucking awesome bits of indie-rock history occurred at the closing of the Pitchfork Music Festival 2008, right after headliner Spoon began their set of blue-eyed indie-soul at the Aluminium, one of two main platforms, stage at 9:00. Cut Copy, the second-to-last band of the festival, were set to take the Balance stage at 8:25. Only the band hadn't shown up yet, and wouldn't go on until well after Spoon did. So, what are Deerhunter/Atlas Sound headman Bradford Cox, his band mate in Atlas Sound, King Khan, and Jay Reatard to do? Play an entirely improvised set of covers, of course.

The indie-rock supergroup played a peculiar, hilarious list of garage and punk covers, including a classic Bad Brains tune, video of which you can watch at the top of the post. As per usual, Jay Reatard was quite manic, enthusiastically knocking into mic stands and jumping around stage with an impossible amount of energy. Cox and Khan, however, took a dryer router, with the former lecturing the crowd in tongue-in-cheek fashion about safety, and the latter frequently stating that the newly formed "band" was just trying to give the audience members what they deserved, entertainment-wise. Khan, however, also took the madman route at times, spitting water into the audience, Sid Vicious-style, and joyously knocking into equipment as well The set was met with good-natured laughs, and cameras snapping, though also with heckles (Cox got a water bottle thrown at him, if I'm not mistaken) and chants for Cut Copy. All in all, the group was on stage for about 20 minutes or so, before Cut Copy finally showed up. Still, because of its absurdity and randomness, this was easily one of the festival's highlights.

More P4K coverage (including Flavor Flav responding to hecklers in the crowd) this week.

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork Bestows The Hold Steady With An 8.4

For a while there, it seemed like any band from Minnesota who put out a record got pooped on by Pitchfork. First, there was the great Tapes N' Tapes murder of 2008, where the 'Fork called Walk It Off "a textbook sophomore slump" before ever-so-gently backhanding the MPLS quartet with a 5.9. Oh snap, son! Apparently, the fork giveth and the fork taketh away.

What's that? Is that you, Cloud Cult? Did you put out your eighth album of cathartic, artistically-minded, socially-conscious orch-rock this year, too? How. Dare. You. Feel Good Ghosts felt pretty bad, and so the 'Fork slapped the album with a 4.2.

Things didn't look so good for major MPLS acts. But, as one man said, "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold", and it so happens that that's the very album which started the Minnesota upswing, with Atmosphere's sixth album receiving a solid 7.0. The next big MPLS "indie" release is Stay Positive, the fourth album from The Hold Steady, which comes off the heels of the rapturously received Boys and Girls In America. So how did Craig Finn and company do? Drum roll please...

8.4!. That's good enough for the 'Fork's "Recommended" tag. Writer Jason Crock states that "While its title and lyrics often make Stay Positive sound like a darkest-before-the-dawn kind of record, the themes Finn keeps returning to... all speak to the redemptive power of second chances. When the Hold Steady plead with you to 'stay positive,'... you could do worse than take them at their word." Read the rest of the album review here.

But Pitchfork isn't the only online rag heaping praise upon the group. Yesterday, liberal opinion journal Salon published a great essay from Idolator/A.V. Club writer Michaelangelo Matos' review of Positive, which puts the band's work in the context of the NYC scene from the early aughts, the American road trip, and Craig Finn's past work in Lifter Puller. About Stay Positive, Matos writes

"Stay Positive" is a natural progression -- backward and forward. Nothing rhythmically fancy goes on in Hold Steady songs, but their beat hurtles, and Kubler and Nicolay both have a gift for instrumental fills that complement the onslaught of words. While there are a lot of new touches, particularly the brazenly plastic synthesizers of "Navy Sheets" and a handsome array of acoustic instruments on several songs, most of the time they just play basic rock. But they do it well enough that it can feel like you haven't heard its like in years. No new ground is broken; none needs be.

Read the rest here.

Re-read April Wright's take on Stay Positive below.

Stay Positive is out now.

The Hold Steady MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork Reviews Dosh's Wolves and Wishes

Download: Dosh - "If You Want To, You Have To"

One of the best qualities of Dosh's new album Wolves and Wishes, and perhaps his oeuvre in general, is how the music as a whole can start quietly, or in lo-key fashion, and then end with gloriously transcendent highs before the listener has even fully processed what has occurred. It's the type of scenario that has consumers of the music engaging in constant double-takes: "wait, what was that? I wanna hear that again." And so forth, until you find yourself listening again and again, constantly hearing new sonic patterns and pastiches to discover, digest, and, ultimately, take utter delight in.

But don't take my word for it. Indie institution Pitchfork has reviewed Wolves and Wishes, giving it a 7.7. Writer Roque Strew puts Dosh's work in both electronic and hip-hop contexts, and then elaborates upon that theme by stating:

But listening to Dosh, as opposed to listening to the equally skilled Four Tet, you don't have the sense of technology rudely intruding into the creative process, of the wizard too busy to care whether we can see him behind the curtain. He does care: where Four Tet parades his mastery of vivid, unapologetic collage, Dosh goes for a mastery of illusion. So like any illusionist, he takes care to start and end with a bang

Read the rest of Pitchfork's review here.

Dosh MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork Interviews Paul Westerberg

Download: Paul Westerberg - "Baby Learns To Crawl"
Download: Paul Westerberg - "We May Be The Ones"
Download: Paul Westerberg - "Dirty Diesel"
Download: Paul Westerberg - "As Far As I Know"

Pitchfork has an excellent interview with former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg. The interview, conducted by Joshua Klein, touches on subjects like the Mats' supposedly legendary substance habits, the group's dabbling in the hardcore punk scene, how Hootenanny became the first true Replacements record, and the general evolution of Westerberg's songwriting, which includes how Paul was tentative about introducing his more confessional, ballad-like material to the band. Westerberg has many funny, insightful lines, and the interview is well worth the read. Take a look at it here , and then listen to a few songs from Paul Westerberg's Vagrant recordings. "We May Be The Ones", from his 2002 album Stereo, might be my favorite solo Westerberg song.

(Jonathan Graef)

Stereolab Announce North American Tour (Including Minneapolis)

Download: Stereolab - T"hree Women"

06-15 Athens, Greece - Synch Festival
07-19 Tonsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell Festival
09-20 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
09-21 Pomona, CA - Glass House
09-24 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
09-26 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-27 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
09-29 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
09-30 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-01 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
10-02 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-03 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-04 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-06 Boston, MA - Paradise *
10-07 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda *
10-08 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre *
10-09 Detroit, MI - The Crofoot *
10-10 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre *
10-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue*
10-14 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre *
10-17 Seattle, WA - Showbox *
10-18 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
10-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
10-21 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore *
10-22 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore *
10-23 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre *
10-24 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern *

(via P4K)

Stereolab MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Atmosphere Awarded 7.0 From Pitchfork

These past few weeks haven't been so bad for Slug and Ant, otherwise known as Minneapolis rap duo Atmosphere. Their sixth album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, was released about two weeks ago Tuesday, and it had a surprisingly high debut on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, coming in at #5. Not only that, but the duo also released the latest in the Sad Clown EP series, the tour-only Sad Clown, Bad Spring #12, announced Soundset 2008, and completed their YouTube series Paint It Gold. To add some relatively good icing on their cake of success, Pitchfork weighed in favorably on Paint it Gold, rewarding the album a solid 7.0.

Read Roque Strew's review here

(Jonathan Graef)

The Plastic Constellations Earn a 7.1 From Pitchfork

Download: The Plastic Constellations - "Diablo Dastron"

Well, at least they went out on top. Minneapolis neo-post-punkers The Plastic Constellations earned a 7.1 from Pitchfork for their latest effort, their last before a self-imposed hiatus, We Appreciate You. Read the review
here.

The group plays a CD release party for You (as well as you) tomorrow at First Ave

The Plastic Constellations MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork.TV is Online Right Now!

Everyone's favorite indie-music website is now becoming everyone's favorite online music channel. Yes, it's true, Pitchfork.TV is online right now and, as you might have imagined, it's pretty awesome. Check out the video of Radiohead performing In Rainbows disc 2 cut "Bangers and Mash" right here. Nothing's embeddable, yet, but if it ever does (ha), you can see it here. Regardless of you're feelings about the P4K, the material they've gotten so far is pretty excellent, with insightful interviews and compelling performances from the likes of Radiohead, Liars and Man Man. Who do you think the first hip-hop act on P4K will be? Hopefully, they won't take as shamefully long as MTV did in playing a video from artists of color. Only time will tell though.

Watch Pitchfork TV here.

Retribution Gospel Choir Awarded 7.5 On Pitchfork

Download: Retribution Gospel Choir - "What She Turned Into"

It looks like everything is coming up Milhouse for Duluth-based trio Retribution Gospel Choir. First off, the band, an offshoot of Low, played the Turf Club this past weekend to celebrate the release of their new self-titled album. Secondly, the band, who are self-described as group that writes "two minute pop songs (that) run into psychedelic improvisations and drum-n-bass-heavy dub", just received a positive review for their efforts from the likes of Pitchfork, who awarded the album a rating of 7.5.

Check out the lede: "Who knew it would be such a pleasure to hear Alan Sparhawk-- master of minimalist pop--rock out with his cock out?".

Read the rest of the review here.

Whether or not you laughed or shrieked at the image of Sparhawk rocking out sans pantaloons, you can order the album directly from the Caldo Verde website by clicking here.

Listen to "What She Turned Into", a song from Retribution Gospel Choir, at the top of the post.

Retribution Gospel Choir MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

The Dodos's Visiter Receives An 8.5 from Pitchfork

Download: The Dodos - "Fools"

We've been fans of The Dodos since the old Sliver Magazine days, though we may have not done enough to hype them up at the time. That said, I'm sure any band will take a initial B+ rating (for their self-released debut album Beware of the Maniacs, back when the San Franciscan duo was known as Dodo Bird) and then an upgrade to this writer's Top Ten of 2006. I suppose if they were ever a time to emit a Stephen Colbert-style "I called it! Woo!", it would be now (even if doing so would be ostentatious).

Many things have happened for Messrs. Meric Long and Logan Kroeber, not the least of which included being signed to Frenchkiss on the strength of Maniacs, an album which manage to combine the psych-folk experimentation of Animal Collective with Beatles-esque love songs, virtuoso finger-picking, sing-songy melodies, and Kroeber's relentlessly skillful percussion (previous experience in a prog-metal band will do that for ya). It was only a matter of time before buzz around the band built. And build it did, with the bloggers (including ourselves) going kookoo for alt-primitivist cocoa puffs--the video for Visiter's single, "Fools" (an MP3 of which you can find at the top of the post) certainly didn't hurt either.

This past Tuesday, all that momentum built to the release of their second proper album, Visiter. Pitchfork, the indie-media giant, gave the release an 8.5, calling it a record that "reveals the celebratory acoustics of Led Zeppelin III or a more song-oriented take on tourmates Akron/Family."

Read the rest here.

About Maniacs, I wrote that "the second half of Beware of the Maniacs has plenty of songs that show Dodo Bird's potential for growth, the reason being that they display a greater amount of sonic variety." While there will be a more in-depth review posted sometime next week, I can definitely say that Visiter definitely takes advantage of the opportunity to expand on the previous record's soundscapes. Also, that Visiter is unquestionably one of the best records of the year.

Which is a good thing, because I really wasn't looking forward to eating my own hat.

Visiter is out now.

The Dodos MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork Posts Of Montreal Covers Of M.I.A.'s "Jimmy"

Of Montreal


M.I.A.

Download: Of Montreal - "Jimmy" (via Pitchfork)
Download: MIA - "Jimmy"

Pitchfork just released Of Montreal's cover of M.I.A's "Jimmy". Normally, I'd try to write something witty, insightful or critical, but I'm too busy dancing.

Of Montreal
MIA MySpace

(Jonathan Graef)

Pitchfork Releases 2007 Best Of List (And A Playlist For The Top Ten)

Download: Burial - "Archangel"
Download: The Field - "Sun And Ice"
Download: Battles - "Leyendecker"
Download: Spoon - "The Underdog"
Download: Animal Collective - "Peacebone"
Download: Of Montreal - "Suffer For Fashion"
Download: Radiohead - "Nude"
Download: M.I.A - "Jimmy"
Download: LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"
Download: Panda Bear - "Comfy In Nautica"


Earlier today, P4K posted their Best-Of List For 2007. Read the Fork's thoughts about their 50 favorite albums of 2007 here, and or see what they were by looking below:

50 Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life
49 Dizzee Rascal - Maths + English
48 Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
47 Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
46 Marissa Nadler - Songs III: Bird on the Water
45 Ricardo Villalobos - Fabric 36
44 Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
43 Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline
42 Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
41 Life Without Buildings - Live at the Annandale Hotel
40 Beirut - The Flying Club Cup / Lon Gisland EP
39 The White Stripes - Icky Thump
38 Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
37 Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
36 Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
35 Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
34 James Blackshaw - The Cloud Of Unknowing
33 King Khan & the Shrines - What Is?!
32 Sally Shapiro - Disco Romance
31 Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
30 Caribou - Andorra
29 Bon Iver, For Emma - Forever Ago
28 Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
27 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
26 Various Artists - After Dark

25 The Tough Alliance - A New Chance / New Waves EP
24 Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings
23 Studio - Yearbook 1
22 Okkervil River - The Stage Names
21 Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
20 Liars - Liars
19 Feist - The Reminder
18 Kanye West - Graduation
17 The National - Boxer
16 Lil Wayne - Da Drought 3
15 Justice - †
14 Deerhunter - Cryptograms / Fluorescent Grey EP
13 Jay-Z - American Gangster
12 No Age - Weirdo Rippers
11 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
10 Burial - Untrue
09 The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
08 Battles - Mirrored
07 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
06 Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
05 of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
04 Radiohead - In Rainbows
03 M.I.A. - Kala
02 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
01 Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Up top is a playlist consisting of one song from each of Pitchfork's top ten albums of the year.

What I found to be interesting were the omissions. For example, the 'Fork heaped praised on the likes of St. Vincent,(and rightfully so), who nonetheless was excluded from the top 50. Furthermore, Forked hyped bands such as The Twilight Sad, Menomena, and The Black Kids, aren't anywhere to be found. Even more interesting is that the scribe of the glowing Black Kids review, Marc Hogan, didn't even put Wizard Of Ahhhs on his best-of 2007 list. Very interesting, indeed.

Up top is a playlist of one track from the Pitchfork's top ten albums of the year.

(Jonathan Graef)

Fog Reviewed on Pitchfork

A little harsh for the hometown favorites, but still cool. Read the piece here.

(Ian Anderson)

Tonight: Ferraby Lionheart At The 400 Bar

Download: Ferraby Lionheart - "Small Planet"
Download: Ferraby Lionheart - "Man On The Moon"

Moony-eyed folkster Ferraby Lionheart will be stopping by the 400 Bar this evening for an 18+ show. Tickets are $12 and doors are at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show.

All across the Web, Ferraby-frenzy has finally hit. His debut album, Catch the Brass Ring, was released this summer to positive reviews, but didn't really hit hard until Lionheart was invited to participate in Stereogum's "Drive XV" R.E.M. tribute album. After gaining a substantial amount of blog buzz for his cover of "Man On The Moon," P4K has finally chimed in on his album. Unfortunately, they weren't as crazy about Brass Ring as I am.

On the other hand, Daytrotter invited Mr. Lionheart in for a session, which appeared on their site this morning. The songs sound great live – if you're looking for something to do this evening, Lionheart's show is the place to be.



(April Wright)

Conor Oberst And M. Ward Colloborate On New Project

Download: Bright Eyes - "Black Comedy"
Download: M. Ward - "Chinese Translation"
Download: Bright Eyes - "Another Travelin' Song"


Today's dose of "Holy crap, This Would Be Awesome!" news comes to us today via Conor Oberst, M. Ward and P4K. From the article itself:

The news comes from an Omaha City Weekly report, which indicates Oberst and Ward's unnamed band plans to record an album next year. Representatives from neither Oberst's nor Ward's camps could confirm the collaboration, however. But given these guys' history, it falls a wee bit closer on the likeliness scale than, say, a Bright Eyes/Soulja Boy collabo.

What are the odds of this happening? It would be undeniably very cool to get these two very talented young folksters to come together and build some sort of Mega-Institution of Awesome, but this could also be a total volatile flop. Ward and Oberst have both been very in control of their careers thus far, which raises the question of whether two people who are very used to getting their way can come together.

The Pitchfork article also makes mention of a possible reprise of work with Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova), which is a testament to two marvelous things coming together to make something very impressive. Hopefully an Oberst/Ward collab could turn out something just as sweet.

Bright Eyes MySpace Page
M. Ward MySpace Page

(April Wright)