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I've been a fan of Laura Gibson's work for awhile, and love the new direction she's gone on her new album Empire Builder. It is her first album in four years and is due on Barsuk Records April 1st. PRE-ORDER: $17.99 $16.99 (Amazon) "Empire Builder is named for the Amtrak route Laura Gibson took while moving from Portland, Oregon to New York City in the summer of 2014. Out of her comfort zone, she found even more of a challenge than she'd envisioned. Immediately upon arrival, she broke her foot and barely left her 5th floor apartment for the first two months. Then, on March 26th, 2015, her East Village building burned to the ground in a horrific gas explosion which killed two people and left many homeless. Gibson escaped from her apartment unharmed, but lost everything: all identification, eyeglasses, musical instruments, years of notebooks and every word she had written in response to her move. It is no surprise that Empire Builder stands as her most personal record to date. But while the making of the album was cathartic, it s not just an auto-biographical mirror-gazing exercise; it s a huge leap forward for Gibson as a songwriter, composer and producer. Gibson gathered a stellar band of old friends to complement her songs: guitarist/bassist Dave Depper (Death Cab for Cutie, Menomena), drummer/percussionist Dan Hunt (Neko Case) and composer/violinist Peter Broderick. Other contributors include Nate Query of the Decemberists and vocalist Alela Diane." Hear "The Cause" via NPR

From the inbox: In celebration of the classic 2003 album’s 10th birthday, Barsuk Records is excited to announce that Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism will be made available on vinyl after several years out of print. Both the vinyl reissue and a digital-only Transatlanticism – Tenth Anniversary Edition are set for October 29, 2013 release. The digital Anniversary Edition – and the album MP3 download included with the vinyl – will both include the original demos for each of the album’s 11 songs, none of which has ever been released before. They are an intimate peek into the landmark album’s genesis, and many are drastically different from the beloved final studio versions. Interested listeners can get the demos in four ways. In addition to their availability as part of the vinyl MP3 download and the Tenth Anniversary Edition, the demos will also be released as a separate low-priced digital release titled Transatlanticism Demos for fans who already own the original album. Additionally, the demos will be added as a special bonus to the download codes included in the Barsuk Years vinyl box set released earlier this year by Artist in Residence. You can listen to “Lightness (Demo)” now: Listen | Share | Post Death Cab for Cutie “Lightness (Demo)” from Transatlanticism 10th Anniversary Edition [out October 29th on Barsuk Records] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYm4Esj-VFQ http://soundcloud.com/barsuk-records/death-cab-for-cutie-lightness/ The band will be performing Transatlanticism in its entirety at Bumbershoot 2013. The KeyArena headlining performance on Sunday, September 1 will cap a day at the long-standing Seattle arts festival that will also feature performances by Barsuk Records artists Ra Ra Riot, Mates of State, David Bazan, and Ramona Falls, and a special “15 Years of Barsuk Records” panel discussion as part of the festival’s Words & Ideas programming. Transatlanticism Tenth Anniversary Edition 1. The New Year 2. Lightness 3. Title and Registration 4. Expo '86 5. The Sound of Settling 6. Tiny Vessels 7. Transatlanticism 8. Passenger Seat 9. Death of An Interior Decorator 10. We Looked Like Giants 11. A Lack of Color BONUS MATERIALS (also included in the vinyl LP MP3 download, and as the stand-alone digital release Transatlanticism Demos): 12. The New Year (Demo) 13. Lightness (Demo) 14. Title and Registration (Demo) 15. Expo '86 (Demo) 16. The Sound of Settling (Demo) 17. Tiny Vessels (Demo) 18. Transatlanticism (Demo) 19. Passenger Seat (Demo) 20. Death of An Interior Decorator (Demo) 21. We Looked Like Giants (Demo) 22. A Lack of Color (Demo) You can pre-order the vinyl reissue at barsuk.com now: http://www.barsuk.com/shop/bark032lp10 Transatlanticism is Death Cab for Cutie’s fourth studio album, hailed upon its original release as a major work, blending subtle songwriting, amazing production, boundless creativity, and thoughtful rock. It remains a touchstone for a generation of listeners. Since its release it has appeared on numerous “Best of Lists” including NPR’s “The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings”, Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of the 2000s”, Paste’s “Top 50 Albums of the Decade” and remains one of the best-selling albums in indie rock history, having sold nearly 700,000 copies in the US alone.