M. Ward: “The First Time I Ran Away”

M. Ward returns to familiar hushed territory this morning with our first taste of his 7th solo record, A Wasteland Companion. “The First Time I Ran Away” arrives steeped in calm, nuanced instrumentation that picks up where 2009’s Hold Time left off well, complete with an animated music video by “Chinese Translation” director Joel Trussell. Enjoy the clip above, and stick around as Ward draws out his vocal on the word “storm” until it dissolves with a chilling yet nerve-settling effect.

Video: Bonnie “Prince” Billy Black Cab Session

Will Oldham, Cairo Gang’s Emmett Kelly, Angel Olsen, and Ben Boye packed into a London taxi for the 100th episode of Black Cab Sessions, taking on a pair of somewhat diametrically opposed tunes: children’s song “My Nurse Smells Like Coconuts” and a more world-weary cut off their new album, Wolfroy Goes To Town. Given the intimate feel of that LP, the close-knit harmonies and patient pace of “Black Captain” fit this setting like a glove. Check it out above (Bonnie’s jumpy reaction to the siren at 3:10 is priceless).

Video: Aaron Embry - “Your Heart And Mine”

It looks like Aaron Embry has been floating just beneath my radar for years: producing Avi Buffalo’s debut, performing in the evolving lineup of Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and  — in the most unforgivably overlooked collaboration — playing keyboard on Elliott Smith’s “Pretty (Ugly Before)” single. That song, as any fellow Smith obsessive might point out, was one of the last tracks he put the finishing touches on and approved for release in his life. Regardless, it’s a gorgeously heartbreaking tune and so, as it turns out, is Embry’s own material. To wit, here’s a live clip of the L.A. songwriter unveiling an indelible new solo cut this month.

Video: SoKo - “First Love Never Die”

From forlorn teaser track “No More Home, No More Love” to its Spike Jonze-directed title track clip, SoKo’s first proper LP, I Thought I Was an Alien, has been looking like a breakthrough for the French songwriter/actress. Now we have another taste, and yeah, a fine full-length set of charming folk-pop tunes feels inevitable. Watch above as SoKo acting pal Matthew Gray Gubler co-directs the endearing video for new single “First Love Never Die.”

Video: Conor Oberst (Live in Omaha)

With Bright Eyes now a marquee act at high-capacity theaters the world over, opportunities to catch Conor Oberst performing an intimate set — like, say, this Halloween 2003 tribute to Elliott Smith in a bookshop — have become increasingly rare. Enter Krug Park, a new Omaha bar owned by an Oberst buddy who recruited his famous friend to anoint the small space last week. Thanks to videographer Jonathan Tvrdik (via NJ Underground), we have a fine multi-camera peek at two songs from the show. Watch above as vibraphones, violins, and ultimately the crowd join in for “Lenders in the Temple” and “Laura Laurent.”

Kristian Matsson Covers Thin Lizzy, Previews Soundtrack

The Tallest Man On Earth has been branching out from his solo-acoustic roots of late, contributing songs with partner Amanda Bergman to a film , debuting new material with a live backing band, and — tonight — leading a group through Thin Lizzy’s late-’70s rock anthem “Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight)” on Swedish television. Watch Matsson perform the latter for På Spåret above (he also does Swedish folk tune “En Fattig Trubadur” at 51:30 here).

Meanwhile, director Gorki Glaser-Müller shared a promising glimpse at a new Bergman and Mattson duet in a trailer for Once A Year, his forthcoming romantic drama that features seven compositions from the pair. Hear a gorgeous minute of “Some Will Spare You” below.

Wilco: “Dawned On Me” (Official Video)

It’s been three decades since the last appearance of Popeye in a hand-drawn form, but today the iconic spinach-loving Sailor Man returns along with Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea, Wimpy, Bluto, and… Wilco. Watch above as director Darren Romanelli and King Features bring the classic cartoon back to life, just in time for Jeff Tweedy to settle Bluto and Popeye’s near-century-long rivalry for the love of Olive Oyl, once and for all.