CHRISTMAS HAS COME EARLY

The two members of superstar indie pop duo She & Him are busy, busy folks. M. Ward released two albums in 2009, as a solo artist and as a member of Monsters of Folk. And Zooey Deschanel is a bona fide movie star, which is the sort of thing that tends to dominate one's schedule. In September, she also got married to Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard.

All of which is to say that we didn't expect a follow-up to Volume One, She & Him's extra-twee 2008 debut, anytime soon. But it looks like we're getting one.

In an interview with MTV News, Deschanel revealed that She & Him have already completed their sophomore album and that they'll release it early next year: "I have a new [She & Him] record coming out in the spring. It's official. It's done and being released in the spring. And we're going to go on tour."

SOURCE: PITCHFORK

MONSTERS OF FOLK

Monsters of Folk is comprised of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward. Although these critically acclaimed artists have shared the stage before, this album marks their first recorded output as a band. All four members play every instrument on the album, supplying everything from drum kills to cascading backing vocals. The songs – some road-worn fables, some intimate and intricate with electronic elements, some woozy and sun-soaked – are everything one expects from these four musical minds collaborating together. The album exudes a warm, organic spaciousness, filled by brilliant choruses, intoxicating harmonies and effortless melodies, as each member brings his own strengths to the table to create one perfect whole.

"Monsters of Folk is an honest-to-goodness debut album from a band that deserves consideration for merits entirely their own—not goodwill earned by the principles in their regular gigs." - Stereo Subversion
Official Site: http://www.blogger.com/www.monstersoffolk.com
Myspace: http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/monstersoffolk
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=329917165&s=143441