[News] Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie Announces Debut Solo LP

Ben Gibbard, the frontman of Seattle indie outfit Death Cab for Cutie, has announced that he will be releasing his debut solo LP on October 10th via Barsuk. The album, titled Former Lives, was recorded at Aaron Espinoza's (of Earlimart fame) studio The Ship, and comprises of 12-track. The songs that form the album is previously unreleased material that has been reworked, many of which feature guest appearances from Jon Wurster, Mark Spencer, and Aimee Mann. When speaking about the solo effort to Stereogum, Gibbard has this to say:

It wasn’t a goal and it certainly wasn’t a reaction to any sort of dissatisfaction to recording with Death Cab or anything like that. In the past whenever I’ve put out any solo recordings it’s just been of a function of the time in which I was in. I’m a songwriter and that’s my job, and with every record that we’ve made there would always be a couple of tunes that just didn’t seem to fit in with the band."

Expect more news regarding the solo album to arrive in the coming months.

[News] Coachella Cruise Announced, Brings Hot Chip, James Murphy, Pulp, and More Along for the Journey

Less than an hour ago, we reported on rumors that Goldenvoice, the people behind The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, would be announcing a Coachella-themed cruise, which would set sail in December. It appears the rumors are true.

In December, Coachella will be hosting two separate cruises (they have to keep up with their recent foray into dual weekends), the first being a three-day cruise to the Bahamas starting on December 16th, and the second being a four-day cruise to Jamaica starting on December 19th. Both cruises will sail out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Prices for the cruise start at $500 per person, which includes cabin, entertainment, and food.

The biggest selling point, though, has to be the lineup, and Goldenvoice have brought in some major talent for their seafaring adventure. Headlining the cruise are Hot Chip, Pulp, Yeasayer, Girl Talk, James Murphy, and Sleigh Bells, with other acts including SKOA favorite El-P, Simian Mobile Disco, Killer Mike, Grimes, The Rapture, Black Lips, Cloud Nothings, DJ Z-Trip, The Gaslamp Killer, and more.

Let us know your thoughts on Coachella's ocean adventures.

[Watch] Com Truise - "Yxes" (Official Video)

Com Truise released his new album In Decay today, a compilation comprising of rarities, studio outtakes, and unreleased tracks. Right in the middle of the compilation is the song "Yxes", a sprawling array of bleeps and bloops that uses the always appropriate vocal sample of someone saying "SEXY!". Coinciding with the release, the New Jersey synth-master has given us the official video for the song, which features footage of what could easily be a sci-fi horror movie from the '80s. Not so sexy if you ask me. Check it out above, and head here to stream In Decay in full.

[Watch] Hot Chip - "Look At Where We Are" (Official Video)

Hot Chip have teamed up with The Creators Project and Danny Perez to create some pretty interesting visuals for their mellow, contemplative song "Look At Where We Are". If you've ever thought a real autopsy was a strange and disturbing sight, then be sure to brace yourself for what is in store. Check it out above.

Hot Chip's newest LP In Our Heads is out now via Domino Records, and if you've yet to hear Major Lazer's brand new remix of "Look At Where We Are", head here.

[Listen] The Chemical Brothers - "Theme From Velodrome"

The Chemical Brothers have let loose their contribution to the 2012 London Olympic Games, the aptly titled "Theme From Velodrome". Tasked with creating original music for the Velodrome, aka the venue for all of the cycling events during the Games, the prolific duo have created a pulse-pounding electric gem that fits perfectly with the competitive nature and high octane intensity of the Games, much more so than other contributions we've heard. Stream the BBC Radio 1 rip of the song below, and look for its official release on iTunes on July 30th.

(via 107.7 The End).

[News] Coachella Cruise Rumored

The big wigs in the Coachella camp, aka Goldenvoice, are preparing for a big announcement later this evening, and word around the web is that they will be revealing a Coachella-esque cruise. According to the Los Angeles Times, the cruise will start in Florida and could happen as early as December. The cruise would expand the Coachella brand even further than its current state, and would join a number of other music-themed cruises. The major question, though, is which artists will be performing and how much the ticket will cost. Chances are the ticket will be quite expensive, and the artists would have to be incredibly tempting for fans to shell out the cash. Give us your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more information.

[Watch] Digitalism - "Falling" (Official Video)

German electro duo Digitalism have taken a page from Simian Mobile Disco's book (see: the official videos for "Put Your Hands Together" and "Cerulean") with their new visuals for "Falling". The video, which features on the duo's brand new DJ-Kicks compilation, sees old school animations of kaleidoscopes and moving geometric shapes juxtaposed with old stock footage of children's TV shows and kids doing odd things. It's like Kids Say the Darndest Things meets acid. Watch it above.

[News] DJ Shadow To Release 'Hidden Transmissions from the MPC Era' This Fall

It's been a good while since we heard from DJ extrordinare DJ Shadow who has been touring nonstop since the release of his last LP The Less You Know The Better. However, today we got some awesome news for fans of Shadow as well as hip hop with the announcement of a brand new release coming this fall. However, before you get all super excited thinking this upcoming release is a brand new production, think again. This time around Shadow takes you back in time on the Wayback Machine without Sherman (Sorry for the Mr. Peabody joke, just watched that recently<3) with his upcoming archival album Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996.

This release highlights Shadow's earliest productions on the Akai MPC and contains previously unreleased material spanning from 1992 to 1996 which to some is the peak of Shadow's career with the release of Endtroducing. Included among the highlights are instrumental tracks from an aborted 1994 EP planned with The Gift Of Gab, which includes the original demo of what would eventually become The Private Press hit "Six Days." MPC Era is set to be released this August and is now available for pre-order at DJShadow.com. You can also download 2 free tracks "Affectations" and "Dream of a Piece" from the upcoming release below as well as check out the 30 second samples of each track. Definitely, a highlight for any DJ Shadow collector out there.