Video: Conor Oberst - Nicorette.avi

The beginning of the year is generally a slow time for music news. Bands are working to prepare the year's album, keeping much of the details in-house. But with spring comes new beginnings. Summer releases are beginning to take shape, festivals are gearing up, and tours are being booked. I've recently shared news on a new Deer Tick album , Samantha Crain's new one , and I've reviewed The Felice Brothers' 2009 effort . Leftover are some news snippets that didn't warrant a full post, so here goes: First, [...]

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Alternative - Bright Eyes guy and indie icon Conor Oberst reassembles the team of scruffy white dudes who accompanied him on his eponymous LP from last year, a set of solid folksy rock songs tinged with longing and wanderlust that Rolling Stone called "A rough-hewn, death-haunted travelogue." While no one GUSHED over it, the album received solid reviews all around, cementing Oberst's reputation as a consistent and compelling talent at the height of his relatively long (half of his 28 years) recording career. Paired with 2007's outstanding Cassadega , recorded under his Bright Eyes moniker, Conor [...]

*MP3: Conor Oberst - "Danny Callahan" *MP3: Conor Oberst - "Moab" Conor Oberst announced on his website today that he and his mystical band will be releasing their sophomore effort, entitled "Outer South," on May 5th via Merge Records. Here is the release: "Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will release a brand new album on May 5th on Merge Records. The album, titled Outer South, was recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillio, outside El Paso, Texas [...]

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band have announced plans for a second album to succeed last year's infinitely enjoyable self-titled record. The new album is called Outer South, and will be released via Merge Records on May 5th in the U.

A year ago Conor dropped the Bright Eyes for his birth name, ditched Mogis (but not Walcott) for some other dudes, and headed off to Tepoztlán, Morelos, México to make an eponymous LP. It went well , and by November he and his Mystic Valley Band were already playing unreleased material on Conan . Today that decision makes sense: on his site Conor has announced that he and the Mystic Valley Band (Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, Macey Taylor, Nathaniel Walcott and Jason Boesel) put new tunes to tape over November and December in El Paso, Texas [...]