Ben Gibbard found himself "with a cache of songs that were not really conducive to Death Cab records, and they’d been piling up for a while, and (he) decided that instead of just sitting on them, (he) was like, “I think I have enough to maybe make something.”
Even though he spent most of 2010 and 2011 putting the finishing touches on the most recent Death Cab For Cutie album, Codes And Keys, frontman Ben Gibbard found time to assemble his first solo album, Former Lives, which will finally be released next week, on 10/16.
Here's the YouTube premiere of Benjamin Gibbard's forthcoming solo debut "Former Lives" out 10/16 on Barsuk Records in North America.
Recorded in fits and starts in between Death Cab sessions, Former Lives brings together an assortment of Gibbard’s songs that span his entire career, many of which have been popping up in his solo live shows for years. Even though the record is essentially a compendium of Gibbard’s greatest outtakes, the album is a remarkably polished and genuinely heartfelt affair — and a potent reminder of why Gibbard is such a gifted songwriter.
There's more of this great interview at Stereogum.
For those of us looking for musical companionship amidst the frenzied pace of daily life, consider American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter's newest "Beast in its Tracks" release.