Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (of Catfish fame) received a special request from John Baldessari, the subject of their new short, on who should narrate the 6-minute documentary: Tom Waits. “He’s got a great voice,” says the conceptual artist and star of A Brief History of John Baldessari. What follows is a witty, well-paced and inspiring highlight reel of Baldessari’s career, complete with his list of 3 things every young artist should know:

1) Talent is cheap.
2) You have to be possessed, which you can’t will.
3) Being at the right place at the right time.

In keeping with Baldessari’s own 1971 mantra, this film is intriguing throughout—the complete opposite of boring art. Check it out below.

Where the title track’s live reveal saw Kristian Matsson dabble with a fresh full-band sound, our first studio glimpse at The Tallest Man on Earth’s third LP, There’s No Leaving Now, brings a more seamless transition from the folky solo side of 2010′s The Wild Hunt and supplemental EP, Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird. ”I wanted to build something that didn’t sound like a rock band, but wasn’t super minimalistic,” he told Rolling Stone for their premiere of the MP3 today. “I wanted a sound that had that brittle [quality], that feeling that it might just fall apart.”

“1904″ offers just that (save for the minimalism foray): an unpolished gem with hints of lead guitar that recall Graceland/Hearts and Bones-era Paul Simon, whom he’s covered. All told, we have a safe preview here, sure to please existing fans and recruit new ones — not to mention proof that Matsson can cook up a familiar formula in his new home studio. The stream/download is below:

It was only a matter of time before the self-proclaimed “Danzig of alternative country” stripped down his hero’s most famous song into a low-key solo number. “Everything is always about Danzig eventually. Danzig, good lovin’ and pizza,” Ryan Adams wrote  for The Awl in 2009, before sharing a fantasy about the pair meeting ”for a two player run with some or all the members of Whitesnake.” A year later came their real-life introduction (complete with photo op) and now for the inevitable acoustic homage.

Adams brought out the tune for encores along a few European dates earlier this month, including this version in Paris appropriately (or inappropriately, depending on mom’s taste for the macabre) just ahead of Mother’s Day. Hear a decent recording below:

We’ve said it before, but let’s say it again: these acoustic metal covers (“Wasted Years,” “Round and Round,” et al.) would make for a fine covers EP.

Considering the talented crowd she runs with, I’ve been remiss in only mentioning Sara Watkins’ name as a collaborator so far. Sure, she’s shared the stage and studio with the likes of Fiona Apple, Jon Brion, Gillian Welch, her trio with Chris Thile and Sean Watkins, Nickel Creek, and many others over the years, but now this new alt-country jam, “When It Pleases You,” is on its fourth repeat over here and the time has come to catch up on her solo work. Watkins’ sophomore LP, Sun Midnight Sun, dropped this week via Nonesuch, complete with guest turns from said notable friends, Fiona Apple, who duets on a cover of the Everly Brothers’ “You’re the One I Love”, Jackson Browne, and a guitarist/songwriter that continues to impress of late, Blake Mills. Give the Mills-produced LP’s extended single a shot below. I’d bet fans of the aforementioned artists might find a new favorite (if they haven’t already):

We’ve heard the title track among other previews of the new Walkmen record, Heaven, and now for a taste of Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold’s guest turn as backup vocalist. As with Pecknold and Co.’s Helplessness Blues, this Phil Ek-assisted set opens with thoughts on aging: “We Can’t Be Beat” finds Hamilton Leithauser reflecting on “golden dreams,” stripped down to a lone acoustic guitar and voice with Pecknold providing harmonies as we’re reminded that those dreams “all lose their glow.” Soon enough, though, the Walkmen let go of bittersweet nostalgia — both lyrically and with a steady, marching beat that pushes toward a hopeful future. “We’ll never leave / We can’t be beat,” Leithauser repeats, as if any hint of weary reluctance has been cleared away before LP7 gets off the ground. What follows on June 5th is perhaps their most well-rounded effort yet. Hear where it begins below:

While the title track to Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s 1999 masterpiece, I See a Darkness, might be a benchmark of downcast songwriting, Will Oldham is now directing our gaze away from the abyss with a lively, re-imagined arrangement of the once-bleak number. Recorded by Steve Albini, (a common collaborator on Bonnie’s earlier output), “I See a Darkness” 2012 finds a buoyant groove in Oldham’s sparse original, thanks largely to his backing band over the past few years: Ben Boye, Van Campbell, Emmett Kelly, Danny Kiely, and Angel Olsen. Add the contrast of director Ben Berman’s black and white photography against an off-kilter sense of humor we caught in his “Quail and Dumplings” clip to the mix, and we’ve bridged the 13-year evolution of the tune in full, unfurling even more rewarding nuances. You still can’t beat the original, I’d say, but that’s in no way the goal here. “It’s about a person who is dark and morose and maybe unhappy in his life but who has a friend who makes it all worthwhile,” Berman puts it simply. Sometimes a darkness is just a darkness. Watch the new official video below:

This recording arrives on July 24th with five more classic Oldham tunes recently reworked for the Now Here’s My Plan EP.

Conor Oberst’s Desaparecidos rekindled their brand of angst-fueled commentary on the state of the union last month, but now comes Michael Angelakos with an optimistic response to the current economic climate: “I remind myself that times could be much worse,” he reflects in Passion Pit’s new summer synth jam, “Take A Walk,” finding a bit of hope among a handful of personal frustrations he cites throughout the cut. Frankly, it’s refreshing to hear both world-weary takes on hard times — an embittered, confrontational call to action and the more uplifting point of view —  both of which feel completely rousing and relatable depending on the moment. It doesn’t hurt that big, memorable hooks abound in Angelakos’ single, either. Give it a spin below:

Passion Pit’s new album, Gossamer, arrives in July.

Tour news isn’t our usual fare, but today brings word of a living legend hitting the road and I’d be remiss in not pointing out these rare dates. In addition to a late summer/early fall jaunt through Europe, Leonard Cohen will return to North America for 21 shows, launching in Austin, Texas on Halloween and extending through November/December before the tour wraps with a concert in Brooklyn just ahead of the New Year. Though a number of Cohen tours have made their way around the world in the past few years, it hasn’t been long since the great songwriter/poet ended a 15-year live hiatus back in 2008. That return to the stage saw a number of new songs debuted in early form, but now the long-awaited record, Old Ideas, is in the can and on shelves.

Tickets go up for sale on May 18th. In the meantime, find your closest hall, arena, or theater and watch an awesome clip of Cohen performing “The Stranger Song” the year his debut LP was release, 1967, below:

Leonard Cohen 2012 North American Tour

10-31 Austin, Texas | Bass Concert Hall
11-03 Denver, Colorado | First Bank Center
11-05 Los Angeles, California | Nokia Theatre
11-07 San Jose, California | HP Pavilion
11-09 Seattle, Washington | Key Arena
11-11 Portland, Oregon | Rose Garden
11-12 Vancouver, British Columbia | Rogers Arena
11-16 Calgary, Alberta | Scotiabank Saddledome
11-18 Edmonton, Alberta | Rexall Place
11-20 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Credit Union Centre
11-23 Chicago, Illinois | Akoo Theater
11-26 Detroit, Michigan | Fox Theater
11-28 Montreal, Quebec | Bell Centre
12-02 Quebec City, Quebec | Colisee Pepsi
12-04 Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre
12-07 Ottawa, Ontario | Scotiabank Place
12-11 London, Ontario | John Labatt Center
12-13 Kingston, Ontario | K-Rock Center
12-15 Boston, Massachusetts | Wang Theater
12-18 New York, New York | Madison Square Garden
12-20 Brooklyn, New York | Barclays Center

Lykke Li took to Twitter this week to share a pair of new tunes, both of which promise great things on the way from her new collaborative record label, Ingrid. The second song — perhaps titled after the refrain’s “Falling Down” — needs a studio version quick, as it might have the best hook in a Li tune we’ve heard yet. Debuted live in New York, inspiration from last fall’s “Unchained Melody” cover (or ’60s pop charts, in general) is felt here — not unlike a number of Wounded Rhymes cuts (e.g.“Sadness Is a Blessing”). While an official release might still be under construction, the other new cut, “Come Near,” arrived in full, studio form via an introductory compilation from the Ingrid label. I’ve been getting lost in its primal rhythm ever since. Hear both tunes below:

“Come Near”

New Song Live, Unknown Title

While we wait for There’s No Leaving Now to arrive next month, here’s a little gem spotted over on the Tallest Man on Earth fansite ImpossibleTrees tonight: Kristian Matsson and Amanda Hollingby Mattsson — the talented married couple behind this year’s Once A Year soundtrack — duetting on a loose cover of personal-favorite Sinatra cut “Cycles.” This clip from a gig last night in Stockholm isn’t the best with regard to video, but their voices meld and carry the tune so beautifully that audio of the charming moment was captured with ease. Even minor lyric flubs make the take all the more endearing:

Retro-rocker Nick Waterhouse usually sticks to performing in an all-analog, vintage world, but the first official video from his debut LP finds the L.A. Luddite out partying amid a much more modern and colorful scene. In “Some Place,” he entertains a few Japanese salarymen by partaking in the timeless tradition that is a libation-fueled night on the town. Waterhouse’s influences are worn way out on his sleeve, sure, but this Phil Pinto-directed clip really captures the unbridled energy he’s hoping to channel from the birth of early rockabilly — a fine introduction to one singer-songwriter having a ton of fun with old ideas.

Six months of music discovery are ahead of us, as the late, great DJ John Peel left behind an incredible collection of 65,000 records (25K LPs, 40K singles) that began rolling out in online form today. A digital version of his radio studio and archives now exists on a site called The Space, where the John Peel Centre have uploaded the first hundred albums from his original A section, with another hundred arriving from each letter of the alphabet every week until October.

Original album artwork, tracklists, and index cards penned by Peel himself were all meticulously documented for the archive. “These cards have been scanned, often with typos, so we have tried to make it personal and make it feel the way that John kept his LPs,” said Charlie Gauvain, whose Eye Film & Television made films for the online museum. What’s more, the team behind this awesome project have provided links to stream audio from albums when available, including a SoundCloud for index card #001: Mike Absalom’s 1969 LP, Save the Last Gherkin for Me.

So, without further ado, start exploring the first set from 2,600 pieces of wax to be shared from the home collection of one of the most influential broadcasters in music here. Below, revisit one of many classic Peel sessions: Joy Division performing their first-recorded rendition of  “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in 1979.

The opening cut off Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s first record together in nearly a decade, Americana, just arrived in official form. Between January’s 40-minute “Cortez the Killer” jam session and the description of a children’s choir accompaniment on a pair of tracks, we weren’t quite sure what to expect from these guys after all these years. As it turns out, though, their take on Stephen Foster’s 19th century folk tune combines both of those teasers in the exact way you might imagine. Jason at Speakers in Code wasn’t kidding last week when he told me it’s as if Neil, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, and Frank “Poncho” Sampedro simply wandered into the barn, started jamming and hit record. Hear a taste via some vintage footage set to the track below (and stay tuned for a nice bit of studio banter at the end):

After years of being asked in nearly every interview about the motive behind his changing moniker in the ’90s, Will Oldham is ready to squash the discussion once and for all by reissuing six early records, renaming 1996′s brilliantly stark, Steve Albini-produced Arise Therefore and 1997′s Joya under the “now stable” moniker Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Along with other Oldham essentials — I See A Darkness, Ease Down the Road, Master and Everyone, etc. — Domino Records will release a new EP from Bonnie this summer: Now Here’s My Plan, another Albini-recorded set featuring his most recent backing band. That 6-track release of re-recorded classics, such as “No Gold Digger” and “Beast For Thee,” will also come bundled with a book of conversations with Alan Licht, aptly titled given recent name changes, Will Oldham on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

After the jump, revisit Arise Therefore‘s “Stablemate” alongside the forthcoming EP tracklist and reissue lineup:

Now Here’s My Plan EP Tracklist – July 24th

01. “I Don’t Belong to Anyone”
02. “Beast for Thee”
03. “No Gold Digger”
0
4. “After I Made Love to You”
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5. “I See A Darkness”
06. “Three Questions”

Reissue LPs – July 30th

Arise Therefore
Joya
I See A Darkness
Ease Down The Road
Master and Everyone
Greatest Palace Music

Great news for those who missed out on Jack White’s high-profile solo performances this week just hit the web, as the best way to see the Third Man leader live (aside from actually going to a show, of course) arrives in the form of video replay from last night’s full Unstaged webcast, directed by Gary Oldman. Live from New York City’s Webster Hall, White tore through a massive, two-part set spanning much of his back catalog up to his new LP, Blunderbuss. White Stripes cuts abound, in addition to his Danger Mouse collaboration, “Two Against One,” a pair of Raconteurs tunes, and Leadbelly/Hank Williams covers.

Revisit both sets — the first with Jack’s all-female backing group, the Peacocks, and the second with his all-male crew, Los Buzzardos — below. Update: White’s team switched the video to private and uploaded individual songs in exchange. All clips are now here. Below are “Seven Nation Army” and “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”