Tell the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to paint their taxi black, 'cause Death Cab for Cutie have hopped into the passenger seat of one of those Black Cab Sessions. The thoughtful Pacific Northwest rockers are poised to score their first-ever No. 1 album with the just-released Narrow Stairs, and here Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla give a strong acoustic rendition of one of that album's highlights, the sunny loss-of-innocence song "No Sunlight". The sunshine streaming onto Death Cab's shoulders through the black cab's windows is actually a good evocation of the gleaming warmth of childhood, which Gibbard describes: "When I was young lying in the grass/ I felt so safe in a warming bath/ Of sunlight, of sunlight." The actual sunlight in the video pretty much stays there, even as Gibbard sings matter-of-factly about the sunlight-- and the optimism inside of him-- dying doornail dead. Hope the harmonies cheer these guys up, but not before Gibbard writes a few more like this one.

Video:> Death Cab for Cutie: "No Sunlight" (Black Cab Session)
[original track from Narrow Stairs; out now on Atlantic]

Radiohead have been regular fixtures in online videoland ever since the "Thumbs Down" blitz last November, including a series for VH1 and a performance of "Bangers & Mash" that aired the day of Pitchfork.tv's launch. On New Year's Eve they released a lengthy set of in-studio material under the "Scotch Mist" heading, and the whole shebang is now over at Pitchfork.tv. Watch it in full-screen and it's like Thom Yorke is sitting in your lap.

When Sun City Girls drummer Charles Gocher died last February, remaining Girls Alan and Richard Bishop retired the band's name-- a thoughtful, clubhouse-style gesture, but a difficult one to uphold when you've got a back catalog to promote. I'm not suggesting that "The Brothers Unconnected"-- the Bishops recording and performing Sun City Girls tracks as an acoustic-guitar duet-- is in any way gauche. It is, though, a little strange that they feel the need to accentuate the commemorative aspect of the tour: Self-styled nomads like the Bishops can't just put up their feet after 25 years of wayfaring, and there's no reason to expect them to. Anyway, Richard's solo performances often include SCG classics. Most of the time, they sound great. To close the door on a catalog as deep and weird as the Sun City Girls' wouldn't suggest respect-- it'd suggest retreat. Good thing the Bishops seem to know the difference.

"Di Plane Land" is not a tune about leisurely taking a trip, it comments on airport security. The tune is a straight-up complaint about the way in which customs officials question certain people quite a bit more intensely than others. Director Rhona Fox begins the video with a false news report about airport seizures and ends with a direct statement about racial profiling. Richie Spice-- born as Richell Bonner into a rather musical family including both Pliers of "Chake Demus and" fame, as well as Spanner Banner-- complains about unfair interrogation as articulately as he commented on poverty in the amazing "Earth a Run Red".

Though this is not as good as previous hits, such as the aforementioned "Earth a Run Red", as well as "Brown Skin" or "Youths So Cold", the tune does seem to improve upon repeated listening. And, it's a reminder that Spice's trademark vocals (including the repeated "yeahs")-- recently showcased by dubstep remixes-- come out on top on the straight one drop.

[from Gideon Boot, out now on VP]

As many people no doubt discovered in Sunday's The New York Times, "Stockholm Is More Than Abba's Town." The same article also brought to my attention the startling news that Christopher Walken once said or did something, possibly humorous, involving cowbells-- can any Pitchfork readers give me more information about this hot tip? What the Grey Lady left out, though, is that Sweden's music scene is more than Stockholm: Jens Lekman, the Knife, the Tough Alliance, the Honeydrips, Love Is All and many others hail from Gothenburg, while I'm From Barcelona call Jönköping home, the Radio Dept. and the LK come from Malmö, and newcomers Marching Band are based in Linköping. This duo of Erik Sunbring and Jacob Lind play low-key, folk-touched indie pop on "Feel Good About It", from their forthcoming album produced by Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo, Lilys). Sunbring and Lind trade high, close harmonies and reassuring words over a warm, slightly ramshackle backing of acoustic guitar, piano, drums, and light electronic effects, like the Shins sliding down better-fitting chutes. Is Linköping more than Marching Band's town? Dear Ryan Schreiber, I would love to go find out.

MP3:> Marching Band: "Feel Good About It"
[from MySpace and a forthcoming album due 07/22/08]

Pitchfork.tv taped a show by Vancouver hardcore kids turned psych-rockers Black Mountain for the latest episode of "Pitchfork Live". Songs from In the Future are amply represented, and then they close the set with boogie/stoner classics "Druganaut", "Don't Run Our Hearts Around", and "No Satisfaction".

There's a cute pop song buried in the center of these belching keyboards, distorted drums, and screeching guitars. This song is probably about selling your organs, but I keep coming back to the sound of the thing, the way all the tinny instruments come together on a melody an organ grinder might have liked. Meho Plaza are a trio from L.A. and they've just released their self-titled full-length debut; if it does well enough, maybe they can all look forward to going through life with two kidneys.

MP3:> Meho Plaza: "I Sold My Organs"
[from Meho Plaza; out now on Better Looking]

Another track from Wolf Parade's forthcoming album At Mount Zoomer is available for download at the Montreal band's MySpace page. Compared to the earlier track, "Call It a Ritual", "Language City" is upbeat and a bit more anthemic. It gradually gains steam as it moves from one section to the next, twinkling with colorful keyboards and carried aloft by stomping drums as it shifts into double-time for the exhilarating finale. So, yeah, they are two for two on the advance mp3s so far.

MP3:> Wolf Parade: "Language City"
[from At Mount Zoomer; due 06/17/08 from Sub Pop]