Following a long and tormenting day of travel including delayed flights, uncomfortable seats, and no sleep, Dead Oceans owner Phil Waldorf arrived at his destination completely fried, wholly frazzled. One of his label partners, Chris Swanson, picked him up at the airport, and as they pulled away from the arrivals curb, Chris turned up the stereo and said, “Listen to this new JOHN VANDERSLICE tune.”

Thirty seconds into the song, Phil was in a different place altogether. This was unlike any Vanderslice recording he had heard before. This song was, as far as he could tell, the best tune Vanderslice had ever written, and it needed a home. Gone were thoughts of a terrible flight. Rather than mumbling banal and boring missives about how badly travel sucks, he and his partner were lucky to have one of those great conversations about how they had to be involved with this new thing, this new discovery: John Vanderslice’s new album.

Dead Oceans reached out to JV immediately, heard (and was floored by!) more of the material, and is now extremely proud to add him to the label roster. The first fruit of this partnership is JV’s new album Romanian Names, scheduled for release May 19. More details will be available very soon.

Vanderslice recently performed some of the new material in his hometown of San Francisco. In honor of the 10th anniversary of JV’s famed Tiny Telephone Recording Studio there was a truly special performance at Great American Music Hall, featuring Vanderslice alongside the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra. A portion of the show is available for view at the brand new johnvanderslice.com!


John Vanderslice "Too Much Time" from AV on Vimeo.

There will be more chances to hear some of Vanderslice’s new material on his upcoming tour with Mountain Goat John Darnielle, where the two will grace audiences with solo performances and then a collaborative set. Read all about these unique nights of acoustic guitar and voice here.

John Vanderslice & John Darnielle:
Wed 3/18 - Asheville NC @ The Grey Eagle
Thu 3/19 - Durham NC @ The Duke Coffeehouse
Fri 3/20 - Norfolk VA @ The Attacus Theatre
Sat 3/21 - Washington DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue
Tue 3/24 - Northampton MA @ Pearl Street
Wed 3/25 - Somerville MA @ The Somerville Theatre
Fri 3/27 - New York NY @ The Society for Ethical Culture
Sun 3/29 - Gambier OH @ Kenyon College
Mon 3/30 - Oberlin OH @ Oberlin College
Wed 4/01 - Chicago IL @ Epiphany
Thu 4/02 - Champaign IL @ Courtyard Café at University of Illinois
Fri 4/03 - Iowa City IA @ The Mill - Mission Creek Music Festival
Sat 4/04 - Richmond IN @ Earlham College
Mon 4/06 - Bloomington IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater

We at the Dead Oceans' office believe BISHOP ALLEN'S forthcoming album Grrr... to be so chock-full of thinking-man's-pop goodness that simply releasing the standard, free MP3 would not suffice as a representation of the overall awesomeness of the album. So, this time, we chose two - the soul-searching "Dimmer" and xylophone-erific "The Ancient Commonsense of Things."

Please enjoy "Dimmer" and "The Ancient Commonsense of Things" by respectively click-click-clicking HERE and HERE.

We are excited to unveil the first details of Akron/Family's
forthcoming album, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, which will arrive May
5, 2009 on Dead Oceans. In celebration of this new chapter for
Akron/Family, the band is previewing much of the material from Set 'Em
Wild, Set 'Em Free in special shows this coming March. Akron/Family
will be playing a series of intimate residencies in New York, San
Francisco and Los Angeles, playing multiple nights in venues far
smaller than they normally would visit. Additionally, they will be
doing co-headline shows with Born Ruffians in Toronto and Montreal,
performing a St. Patrick's Day blow out at Denver's beautiful Oriental
Theater, visiting the SXSW festival and playing at the New Museum in
New York City. The band has hand-picked openers for each night of the
residencies, and every city will feature special guest musicians
joining Akron/Family on stage, with the hope that each night the
audience will receive a unique experience.

Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free marks the band's first album recorded as a
trio; Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton and Dana Janssen became a three piece
in 2007 after original member Ryan Vanderhoof left the band that fall,
and this shift in their line-up reconfigured the band's approach to
touring. They brought along like-minded musicians such as Megafaun,
the Dodos and Greg Davis, both as openers and as members of an
ever-changing Akron/Family ensemble, bringing about cacophonous
onstage jams interwoven between the band's songs. Whether it's the
three members of Akron/Family – communicating and interacting with one
another onstage with something like the visceral language of the
classic John Coltrane or Albert Ayler ensembles – or upwards of a
dozen guest musicians joining them, their live shows are becoming a
thing of legend. Akron/Family's 2008 Emo's gig in Austin was one of
these legendary performances. The band led the audience and nearly 20
musicians from the stage in an Arkestra-like free-for-all to a
riotous, shirtless and sing-a-long parade in the streets. These
unhinged performances have been witnessed by audiences at the
Monolith, Isle of Wight, High Sierra, Coachella and End of the Road
festivals, and since then word has traveled fast about the magic of
Akron/Family. The trio of Olinsky, Seaton and Janssen is a sight to
behold, and this rare opportunity to see the band performing in
intimate spaces is one not to be missed.

More information about Akron/Family's Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free will
be announced shortly.

View Akron/Family tour dates HERE.

With a self-titled long-player and North American tour locked and loaded, MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND will continue its brief and head-turning ascension to the top of the pop rock pile. The Seattle band will hit the road in early spring in support of its Dead Oceans debut - due March 10.

Benjamin Verdoes (vocals, guitar, percussion) hoped to motivate his younger brother Marshall to push forward in his drum lessons. Once Marshall got good at drums, Benjamin vowed, they'd start a band together, and now-13-year-old Marshall would have naming rights. That promise is officially made good with the release of Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band's full-length.

Co-produced by Scott Colburn (the Arcade Fire, Animal Collective), the album at first blush recalls Wolf Parade; the band's frayed melodic sensibilities and lead Benjamin's urgent, driven vocals in particular. Of course, Wolf Parade borrowed a few ideas from Modest Mouse, whose beginnings were indebted to the Pixies. This is the sort of musical lineage that creates the foundation for Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band's debut LP. But Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band are not solely inspired by their contemporaries; dig a little deeper and strains of Queen's over-the-top epic rock peers through, while exhilarating guitar work that nods towards Thin Lizzy appears in more than a few songs.

And we're pleased to share "Anchors Dropped" an mp3 from the album HERE.

Complete Tracklisting:

01 Who's Asking
02 Masquerade
03 Cheer for Fate
04 Anchors Dropped
05 Going on a Hunt
06 A Year or Two
07 Albatross Albatross Albatross
08 Dull Reason
09 Little Red Shoes
10 En Fuego
11 On the Collar

And joining MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND on the road in March will be Le Loup, from Sup Pop spin-off label Hardly Art.

MT. ST. HELENS VIET NAM BAND Tour Dates:

02/26/09 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Shop w/ Goblin Cock
03/18/09 Dan's Silverleaf, Denton - TX w/ Disappears
03/22/09 San Antonio, TX - Rock Bottom w/ Le Loup
03/24/09 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture w/ Le Loup
03/25/09 San Diego, CA - Casbah w/ Le Loup
03/26/09 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar w/ Le Loup
03/27/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo w/ Le Loup
03/30/09 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge w/ Le Loup
04/01/09 Media Club, Vancouver - BC w/ Le Loup
04/03/09 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court w/ Le Loup
04/04/09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive w/ Le Loup
04/06/09 Omaha, NE - Slowdown Jr. w/ Le Loup
04/07/09 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry w/ Le Loup
04/08/09 Madison, WI - The Frequency w/ Le Loup
04/09/09 Chicago, IL - Schubas w/ Le Loup
04/10/09 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop w/ Le Loup
04/18/09 Urbana, IL - Courtyard Cafe w/ Le Loup

We are sorry to announce that BOWERBIRDS are canceling their upcoming tour in November and December due to exhaustion. The band has been on the road for the bulk of the past four months and is taking a much needed break. Bowerbirds and Dead Oceans apologize for any inconvenience.

These two dates are still on:
10/11/08 Norfolk, VA - Attucks Theatre Buy Tickets
12/13/08 Madison, GA - Madison-Morgan Cultural Center w/ Hope for Agoldensummer, Ola Podria

09/25/08 Bishop Allen share new video from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
When Dead Oceans released The Broken String we certainly did not expect there to be a Bishop Allen video featuring Michael Cera (Juno, Arrested Development, Superbad). As it turns out, the new video for "Middle Management" (from The Broken String and now the soundtrack to Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) is culled from various scenes of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which means that Bishop Allen and Michael Cera appear in the same video! We are thrilled with the end result, and can't wait to see Bishop Allen perform on the big screen. For those keeping score, Nick's (Michael Cera) band is opening for Bishop Allen in the film, and they make a cameo. And, yes, that is "Middle Management" you have heard in the movie's trailer.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist comes out Oct. 3rd and the soundtrack (featuring Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, Modest Mouse, Devendra Banhart, Bishop Allen and more) is in stores now.

WATCH THE "MIDDLE MANAGEMENT" VIDEO ON DEAD OCEANS WEBSITE
WATCH THE "MIDDLE MANAGEMENT" VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST WEBSITE


09/24/08 Evangelicals blog about life on tour, warts, Sarah Palin and more
Kyle Davis from Evangelicals is currently chronicling the band's adventures on tour. It is a fascinating (and slightly terrifying) portal into the minds of Evangelicals. They are on the road through the end of October so be sure to point your RSS readers their direction for daily updates on the madness.

READ KYLE FROM EVANGELICALS TOUR BLOG HERE


09/18/08 White Hinterland prepare EP of French covers and originals, visit Daytrotter
Luniculaire. It sounds French, but it is in fact a word invented by White Hinterland, taking parts of French words "lunaire" (lunar) and "funiculaire" (funicular, as in railway) to form the title of their second release. This EP is a highly ambitious recording containing five songs all sung in French, and it expands upon the wide palette of musical ideas heard on White Hinterland's debut, Phylatctery Factory. Featuring two original songs, plus covers of songs made famous by Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Fontaine and Francoise Hardy, White Hinterland feels right at home amid the musical tradition laid out by these legends. Luniculaire will be released October 21st.

We are excited to share a song from Luniculaire -- do not miss the psychedelic groove of "Chant de Grillon" at the link below. Gorilla Vs. Bear gave props to the track, saying that,"'Chant de Grillon' vaguely recalls the eerie textural dissonance of the Arcade Fire's 'I'm Sleeping in a Submarine,' but the song reaches another level on the strength of Dienel's haunting vocals."

Daytrotter also posted a session with White Hinterland, where they revisit songs from Phylactery Factory, twisting them inside out.

READ ABOUT LUNICULAIRE ON GORILLA VS. BEAR
DOWNLOAD "CHANT DE GRILLON"
WHITE HINTERLAND ON DAYTROTTER


09/17/08 These Are Powers tour blog available on Other Music's website
These Are Powers are in the midst of a North American tour and their friend Karen Soskin is along for the ride to offer a helping hand, sell merch and join in the good times. Karen is keeping us apprised of all of the tour happenings via Other Music's blog. It is a really fun read and hopefully we will leave them with some good Austin stories soon.

READ THESE ARE POWERS TOUR BLOG HERE

We stumbled across this fantastic recording of White Hinterland's performance from the Hot Freaks party at The Mohawk during SXSW and thought the performance was so good that we had to share. Listen to White Hinterland reinvent many of the songs from their 2008 release, Phylactery Factory. In some cases, the songs are distant cousins from the originals, showcasing the band's ability to turn things inside out in a live performance. Don't miss this link.

DOWNLOAD WHITE HINTERLAND'S PERFORMANCE AT THE MOHAWK HERE

We are thrilled to share Bowerbirds first music video, an absolutely stunning clip for "In Our Talons."

Directed by Alan Poon and inspired by films like Microcosmos and The Planet Earth series, the video takes the visual spectacle of a nature documentary and puts it into a stop-motion animated world. The video explores three magical creatures from three different lands, equally beautiful, yet doomed by the hand of man.

Not only is the result stunning, but the process is equally impressive. The stop-motion puppets were custom made for this video. The bird alone took over a month for the puppet fabricators to build with over 300 feathers manually sized and glued on. For the animals to come to life, the puppet is put into position, a picture is taken, then the puppet is moved slightly and another picture is taken. This is done 24 times for one second of animation, shooting approximately five seconds per day. Most of the miniature sets were made out of foam and clay and then painted, while the clouds were made from cotton. Watch the stunning results on Subterranean's blog below, or wait for Saturday, August 9th and see it in the comforts of your own home on MTV2.

WATCH BOWERBIRDS ON SUBTERRANEAN

Bishop Allen are currently holed up in their make-shift Brooklyn recording studio, writing and recording the follow-up to their 2007 album, The Broken String. Tentatively planned for release in early 2009, the band plans to road test many of the new songs on a US tour in November 2008.

Touring and recording are not the only exciting things happening in the world of Bishop Allen. The band makes a cameo appearance in the major motion picture release Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which stars Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad, Juno) and Kat Dennings (40 Year-old Virgin). The band appears in the movie during a scene where Nick and Norah first meet. The trailer for this movie was just released, and features Bishop Allen's song "Middle Management" as well as a brief glimpse of the band onstage during the movie. Songs by Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, We Are Scientists, Band of Horses, Devendra Banhart and more are featured alongside Bishop Allen in the film.

WATCH THE TRAILER ON YOUTUBE
CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE FOR NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST
BISHOP ALLEN TOUR DATES

We've gotten so busy again that we forgot to update. Here's another big hunk of news for you!

Watch the Citay video for "Eye on the Dollar"!
Citay are pleased to offer the perfect visual accompaniment for "Eye on the Dollar," taken from the band's 2007 album, "Little Kingdom." Colors swirl, effects wash in and out, landscapes phase into blasts of digital effects, and for a brief moment, bandleader Ezra Feinberg appears. Pieced together with a collage-like surrealism that could emanate from the strangest of dreams, "Eye on the Dollar" is candy for the eyes. Illicit substances encouraged for enhanced viewing!

WATCH THE VIDEO ON DEADOCEANS.COM
WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE


The Explorers Club announce tour with Lightspeed Champion
The Explorers Club are hitting the road in celebration of Freedom Wind, criss-crossing North American with Lightspeed Champion and Flowers Forever. The soundtrack of the summer will be in a town near you very soon -- don't miss out.

The Explorers Club have also been cooking up some fun before the release of Freedom Wind. Check out their antics on youtube for a taste. The band has also been trickling out songs to their very own muxtape page. Visit the link below and you can preview songs from Freedom Wind. They'll be posting more songs as the May 20th street date nears, so keep checking back.


Details of Bowerbirds' "Hymns for a Dark Horse" expanded edition unveiled, summer tour dates confirmed
The expanded edition of the Plug Award nominated Hymns for a Dark
Horse will be released on June 17 (and August 18 in the UK),
featuring two new songs as bonus tracks. Originally released by Burly
Time Records in 2007, Dead Oceans is thrilled that this masterpiece
will finally be widely available.

The bonus tracks are more than just tossed off extras. "La
Denigración" has a stunning melodic sensibility - you can hear the
band drawing not only from traditional American music, but bringing in
elements of music from around the globe. "Matchstick Maker" is a heart
breaker, centered around singer / guitarist Phil Moore's aching voice.
In addition to these two bonus songs, "Hymns for a Dark Horse" will be
issued on vinyl for the first time.

A new release would not be complete without a tour. We're excited
to announce that the Bowerbirds will be joining Bon Iver on a stretch
of dates this July, followed by their first trip to the UK and Europe,
where they will be appearing at the Green Man and End of the Road
Festivals. Many other UK and European dates will be announced soon.

BOWERBIRDS TOUR DATES

THE EXPLORERS CLUB TOUR DATES
THE EXPLORERS CLUB YOUTUBE MADNESS
FREEDOM WIND MUXTAPE


The Explorers Club receives gushing praise in Uncut, now available for pre-order
The brand new issue of Uncut features a gushing five star review of The Explorers Club May 20th release, Freedom Wind. Uncut calls the album's opening track, "an instant classic," and added, "it's a toss-up whether Jason Brewer's classically crafted songs or the spot-on arrangements are more irresistible, as the group recasts these magical sounds for the 21st Century."

Freedom Wind is now available for pre-order from Dead Oceans' website. You can order it on CD or LP formats, and don't forget, the LP version contains a coupon which can be redeemed online for a free download of the album. With the steamy days right around the corner, why not pre-order the soundtrack to the summer of 2008 right now?

PRE-ORDER FREEDOM WIND FROM DEAD OCEANS


Bowerbirds Take-away Show on La Blogotheque
Vincent Moon is at it again. His now legendary Take-away show series followed Bowerbirds in New York City's Lower East Side during the fall of 2007, taping performances of "Bur Oak," "In Our Talons," "Dark Horse," and "The Ticonderoga." These breathtaking performances can be viewed or downloaded on La Blogotheque's website or by signing up for the La Blogotheque podcast via iTunes. These videos are not to be missed.

VISIT LA BLOGOTHEQUE


Phosphorescent shares new video for "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise"
The second video from Pride is now available for your viewing pleasure. The video for Phosphorescent's "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise" was shot in the countryside surrounding Fairfield IA, a small town of 10,000 located roughly 70 miles south of Iowa City. The cast and crew spent several days working in the freezing outdoors, utilizing everything from stadium lighting for the night sequences to a horse (named Elaborate Affair) borrowed from a supportive local resident. The video was conceived and directed by Los Angeles filmmakers Zachary Sluser and Matthew Thiesen, and features a cast of 20 individuals, aged 5 to 65 years old, not to mention a sizable crew and the work of a champion local taxidermist.

WATCH THE VIDEO IN QUICKTIME HERE
WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE