The interweb is abuzz this morning with praise for Stephen Colbert’s eloquent, poignant homage to his 92-year old mother, Lorna, who passed last week (which you can watch at the very bottom). It was fitting, then, that The Postal Service chose to make its first appearance ever on television on Colbert and sing their much-loved song Such Great Heights.  After, they performed newish song A Tattered Line of String.  

After the band’s two songs, watch Colbert’s hilarious, insightful interview with the band.  Hometown Santa Barbarian Jimmy Tamborello manages to get into the interview before Colbert properly embarrasses Jenny Lewis with a video of her in a commercial as a kid.

Tamborello returns home with the band to play the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 20th.

Last month at the Ventura Theater, Arctic Monkeys and their fans tore the roof off of the joint during the band’s manic set. The band opened that night with never-before-performed song Do I Wanna Know? from their impending, yet-to-be-titled new album (expected in November).  As we heard in Ventura, the Monkeys have traded in some of their early punkish sounds for more classic-rock/metal elements, which can be heard on Do I Wanna Know?  Check it below as Alex Turner and the boys deliver a stripped-down, elemental rocker.  The video features some cool digital maneuverings in the dark until more coloratura enters later. The Arctic Monkeys headline Glastonbury later this week, and as of now (sadly) we won’t be able to attend.

If you’ve read Neil Young’s telling autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace, you know that old-man Young is now prone to pay tribute to many of the people that have had major impacts on his life.  Young first met Willie Nelson back in the early ’80s, and Young helped Willie on Nelson’s first Farm Aid fundraiser in 1985 and thereafter.  As you will see below, Young clearly has a soft spot (who doesn’t?) for Willie Nelson.  Watch below (via TwentyFourBit) as Young poignantly sings (from the next CMT Crossroads episode) his sweetly nostalgic song Long May You Run for Willie Nelson as a part of Nelson’s 80th birthday celebration.  As Twenty-Four Bit points out, Young joked before playing the song that “I wrote it for my car, but it works for you great.” The hug between these musical greats at the end is priceless.  Long may they both run.

Last night the much-loved Joni Mitchell performed a few songs, including her chestnut Woodstock at Massey Hall in Toronto at a tribute concert arranged in her honor by the Toronto arts festival Luminato. Watch below as Mitchell sings the song with, amongst others, the help of Glen Hansard, Kathleen Edwards, Al Spx (of Cold Specs) and Rufus Wainwright and Brian Blade’s band. Check out the (unfortunately) partial recording below, with Mitchell sounding great and dancing shoe-less (like the old days), and the other vocalists contributing mightily.  At bottom is a more polished snippet regarding the event via CBC News.  Check out Kathleen Edwards’ smiling, pinch-me moments while singing with Mitchell).  Great to see Joni back in her rightful place on stage singing her masterful songs.

And in our near-daily National news, QTV has eked out another song (Pink Rabbits) by the band from their recent live session in Studio Q.  We love the laconic, mournful horns and the contrapuntal uplift of Berninger’s burnished lyrics: “I was solid gold, I was in the fight, I was coming back, from what seemed like a ruin.” Our new counter-despair mantra. And Morrissey’s influence still abides. Check them out below. The song’s lyrics follow the video.

Pink Rabbits:

I couldn’t find quiet
I went out in the rain
I was just soaking my head
To unrattle my brain

Somebody said
You disappeared in a crowd
I didn’t understand then
I don’t understand now

Am I the one you think about
When you’re sitting in your fainting chair drinking pink rabbits?
Am I the one you think about
When you’re sitting in your fainting chair drinking pink rabbits?

And everybody was gone
You were staring down the street
Because you were trying not to crack up

It wasn’t like a rain
It was more like a sea
I didn’t ask for this pain
It just came over me

I love a storm
But I don’t love lightning
All the waters coming up so fast
It’s frightening

Am I the one you think about
When you’re sitting in your fainting chair drinking pink rabbits?
Am I the one you think about
When you’re sitting in your fainting chair drinking pink rabbits?

And everybody was gone
I was staring down the street
Because I was trying not to crack

I was solid gold
I was in the fight
I was coming back
From what seemed like a ruin

I couldn’t see
You coming so far
I just turn around
And there you are

I’m so surprised you want to dance with me now
I was just getting used to living life without you around
I’m so surprised you want to dance with me now
You always said I held you way too high off the ground

You didn’t see me I was falling apart
I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in a park
You didn’t see me I was falling apart
I was a television version of a person with a broken heart

You didn’t see me I was falling apart
I was a white girl in a crowd of white girls in a park
You didn’t see me I was falling apart
I was a television version of a person with a broken heart

And everybody was gone
You were staring down the street
Because you were trying not to crack up

Bona Drag was still on
Now I only think about Los Angeles when the sound kicks out
Now I only think about Los Angeles when the sound kicks out

You said it would be painless
A needle in a doll
You said it would be painless
It wasn’t that at all

You said it would be painless
A needle in a doll
You said it would be painless
It wasn’t that at all (when the sound kicks out)

You said it would be painless
A needle in a doll (when the sound kicks out)
You said it would be painless
It wasn’t that at all

We were teased earlier with a trailer from the impending new album Repave from Volcano Choir (Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and musical pals), but now you can listen to Volcano’s song Byegone in its entirety below.  There is jangle-prog beauty.  And there is Vernon’s vocal volcano.  We assume Byegone is a  harbinger of similarly fantastic music on Repave, which you can now pre-order at Amazon, on iTunes, and from Secretly Canadian Distribution

Repave’s tracklist is below the video, followed by the dates for the band’s Fall tour.

Repave Tracklist:
1. Tiderays
2. Acetate
3. Comrade
4. Byegone
5. Alaskans
6. Dancepack
7. Keel
8. Almanac

TOUR DATES:
09/06/13 – Chicago, IL: Metro w/ Sylvan Esso
09/07/13 – Indianapolis, IN: The Vogue w/ Sylvan Esso
09/08/13 – Toronto, ON: Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ Sylvan Esso
09/09/13 – South Burlington, VT: Higher Ground w/ Sylvan Esso
09/11/13 – Boston, MA: Paradise Rock Club w/ Sylvan Esso
09/12/13 – Washington, DC: 9:30 Club w/ Sylvan Esso
09/14/13 – New York, NY: Webster Hall w/ Sylvan Esso
09/27/13 – Madison, WI: Orpheum Theater
09/28/13 – Milwaukee, WI: The Pabst Theater
10/18/13 – Minneapolis, MN: First Avenue

We loved Local Natives debut album, but have been slow to catch on to their recently-released, Aaron Dressner-produced second album, Hummingbird. Our bad. We have by osmosis figured out the error of our ways. Further evidence came to us today via their official video for song You & I off the new album. Check out below the depicted despair leavened at end by uplift. Not to mention the gorgeous song and singing. We were reminded of our Hummingbird ignorance when we recently caught the band performing two songs off the new album on Carson Daly, both of which you can watch further below.  Suffice it to say that Local Natives are not to be missed live.

The Postal Service is reunited and still out on tour in support of their 10th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue of Give Up. Having caught one of the first shows of their tour in San Luis Obispo, we can tell you not to miss their upcoming show at the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 20th and the triumphant return of hometown lad Jimmy Tamborello.  If you need an additional reason, their set was hailed by many as one of the best at Coachella.  Today the band released its official video for new song A Tattered Line of String off of the Deluxe Reissue album. Check it out below.

We have been thwarted on several fronts today when it comes to reporting The National news. Regardless, now comes the band below performing This Is The Last Time (sans St. Vincent this time) for Canadian Broadcasting’s QTV.