Last Friday Damien Jurado played a rare Seattle show to a packed house at the Sunset Tavern. That evening Damien treated the audience to new and old favorites alike, from Caught in the Trees, his forthcoming Secretly Canadian album Saint Bartlett, and three new songs that he has (or will be) featuring on his myspace in his new song a week challenge.

Listen to “Arkansas” the first single off of Saint Bartlett courtesy of Secretly Canadian

I recorded my favorite of Damien’s newest new songs, “You For A While” and am so pleased to share the first video of the track here with you. After leaving the sold-out Sunset,  I realized there were some long forgotten and never uploaded videos of Damien from last fall’s “Show Me Your Tiffs” opening party  of two of my favorite tracks from the brilliant Caught in the Trees: “Sheets” and “Everything Trying.”  “Everything Trying” even features a little cameo of Damien’s wife, local photographer extraordinaire Sarah Jurado, helping him remember the first few words to the song. It was one of my favorite musical moments of last year and I’m so glad I caught it on camera.

Damien will be releasing a new song on his myspace tomorrow, the sold-out Sunset got a preview of it last Friday and I promise that you’ll be wanting to stop by his myspace for a listen. If you weren’t able to make last Friday’s show (or if you’re like me and you saw Damien last Friday and then again on Sunday and still can’t get enough), you can see catch him with brother Drake, this Friday as they celebrate the record release of their side-project, Hoquiam.

Yes, our love for Local Natives is well documented. For a good year now. It was just about this time last year that we shared Local Natives with you for the first time. The band was heading to SXSW and shopping their album Gorilla Manor around for a good home. Fast forward a year: Gorilla Manor has found a great home at French Kiss Records, had a big release and blogs all over the world are rightfully crazy for Local Natives.

Blogs like La Blogotheque, who’ve just posted an incredible video of Local Natives playing three tunes on a Parisian carousel andin a cozy Paris cafe I’d like to be drinking at right now. Sadly, watching the video is as close as I’m going to get, but it’s a pretty delightful second best. Pour a glass of Pinot and enjoy for yourself.

This past weekend I was treated to something that has never happened before: two bands covering the same song on back-to-back nights. A song I’d never heard covered (outside sad sad karaoke nights) before.

The song? The don’t-mind-me-crying-in-my-whiskey and oh-so Valentines Day appropriate “Green Grass” by Tom Waits.

The cover culprits? Mountain Man doing an a cappella version on Saturday at the Josephine and Kaylee Cole breaking our hearts at the Sunset Tavern on Valentines Day.

To me, they’re both beautiful heartache. Which cover of “Green Grass” do you prefer?

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There’s an all-around spatial feeling to the music of Eluvium, the sort of music you might listen to while wandering through the abandoned pylons of a discarded construction site, the cold rays of an early January morning cutting across your eyes.  A feeling I thought was much reserved to my own, until I viewed the above video for the song, full of opening bridges and wide open spaces.

Eluvium - The Motions Makes Me Last

I’m exhausted.  Some sort of insomniac tendency has been creeping in to my mainframe lately, and amongst a lot of smoke and leaked oil I’m starting to buckle.

I watched this bit of drone-y sap from London’s newest import, The xx, two nights ago and imagined it harder, more driven by the actions presented by the on-screen couple.  Turns out it’s a slower, affair, a low-key bit of flattened romantics, perfect to lull me off to sleep.

I will say this, the chorus has the same melody as the theme song to Charles In Charge.  No wonder I enjoy it so damn much.

The xx - V.C.R.

The Maldives - “I Have Found”

We’ve had the whole weekend to ruminate on the awesome treat we were privy to for our birthday Friday at the Blue Moon, but words are still failing us.  Sometimes, especially on a night like Friday, surrounded by family, friends and the community we’ve come to think of as both, we really do feel like two of the luckiest kids in the world. (Of course, now that we’re 29 … we may have to stop calling ourselves kids.)

While the proper words are escaping us, we wanted to share these three videos of a few of our favorite songs from a night that I know both Josh and I will cherish for years to come.  “Thanks” doesn’t cover the scope of gratitude we feel for the Blue Moon for having us, The Maldives, Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers, and People Eating People for playing, and for all of you that came out and celebrated with us, but thank you.

People Eating People - “For Now”

Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers - “You Only Believe Me When I’m Lying”

Hey Marseilles get animated for their brand new video for the orchestral pop gem “From a Terrace.”

You can see the band in the flesh January 30th at The Crocodile with Loch Lomond.

There’s something new on the internet about J. Tillman:

And I for one, love it.

Check out this  video from The Blakes, for their tune “Ramshackle Hearse.”  The song is a distinct departure from the bravado and swagger of “Two Times,” with a moody video to match. 

For their first video off of Souvenir, The Blakes  decided to share screen time with a number of other Seattle bands. Watch closely to see if any of your local favorites make a cameo.

…Because I didn’t miss Seattle summer enough already, the Black Whales had to go and tease us all with this sunny video reminder.