From Benjamin Gibbard's solo debut "Former Lives" out now on Barsuk Records in North America, City Slang in Europe, UK, Big Nothing Records in Japan an. .

Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with which he has recorded nine studio albums, and as one half of the electronica act the Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album, Former Lives, in 2012, and a collaborative studio album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009), with Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt's Jay Farrar.

Companies, etc. Licensed From – Benjamin Gibbard. Mastered By – Ed Brooks. Includes download code for entire album in MP3 format.

The album starts out with the remarkably coy "Shepherd's Bush Lullaby," 47 seconds of a cappella preciousness that goes so far as to include the lyric "Under my umbrella/I sing a cappella/This melancholy, whimsical tune," almost an admission of overt twee tendencies and false sincerity. It's a bad start, but quickly gives way to more digestible acoustic strums, slick '70s-style basslines, and character sketches of lovesick insomniacs on "Dream Song.

On his first proper solo album, Former Lives, Gibbard once again showcases the nuanced, nice-guy indie rock that has made him a central figure of the genre’s new wave. His tepid, sweet vocal delivery is intact, while musically the album continues to chip away at the pleasantly emotive indie pop the singer has long made his bread and butter. He might be going it alone this time out, but fans should be pleased to find he hasn’t strayed too far from home. Early on, Gibbard sets fans up for a fall, leading them down a trail of decidedly Death Cab-sounding tunes. The bouncy bassline and stomping drumbeat on Dream Song underpin a light acoustic guitar sound that helps the song live up to its name. Elsewhere, Teardrop Windows has the countrified jangle pop of a Jayhawks outtake, and Bigger Than Love does big, evocative indie pop as good as anything Gibbard’s ever done.

Album · 2012 · 12 Songs. 2012 Benjamin Gibbard. More By Benjamin Gibbard. See All. One Fast Move or I'm Gone (Music from Kerouac's Big Sur).

Benjamin (nee Ben) Gibbard's new solo album, Former Lives, is not one of these albums; in fact, it is one of the slightest albums we've ever featured as CD of the Week. After the occasionally heady and overwrought material Gibbard has recorded with Death Cab for Cutie, though, Former Lives is an unexpectedly breezy delight. This is a charming little record. Gibbard exudes the freedom of being able to embrace any direction he chooses, so the album runs a weird yet cohesive gamut of sounds. Over a little more than half an hour, he tries out alt-country, elegant piano ballads, acoustic ditties, power pop and even a cappella in the opening number "Shepherd's Bush Lullaby. Gibbard helpfully notes in the song's lyric that he is, indeed, singing a cappella.

It would be easy to call Benjamin Gibbard's first full-length solo release a break-up album. But throughout Gibbard's career, his heart has rarely been anywhere but firmly on his sleeve

Summary: The debut solo release for the Death Cab For Cutie singer under his name (he released a solo album under the name All-Time Quarterback! in 1999) features a duet with Aimee Mann.

By Danielle Goldstein Ben Gibbard, the emo pop-rocker from Seattle, is a busy little bee. He’s released albums almost every year since 1996 with his various bands, including Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. His debut solo LP ‘Home Volume V’ came out in 2003. Now, finally, he’s releasing a second album. The sum of eight years’ work, ‘Former Lives’ details heavy nights, the ups and downs of relationships and a life spent moving between homes, one of which must be in west London judging by ‘Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby’ – an a capella track recorded on an iPhone