by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Remember that brief aside I made during my review of Bright Eyes’ Westfair Amphitheater concert, the one where I said if the concert had been recorded, it could have been Oberst’s Live at Budokan? Sure you do.

Well, it turns out that while last Saturday night’s show wasn’t recorded, other shows from this tour apparently were, and portions of those shows are going to be released next month as a new EP called Live Recordings, available exclusively through HMV and limited to 1,000 digipack CDs. According to this article in NME, the 6-song recording includes “Firewall,” “Shell Games,” “Ladder Song,” “Arc of Time” “Bowl of Oranges” and “Lover I Don’t Have to Love.”  OK, so maybe it won’t be Oberst’s Budokan after all. What’s that your asking, what exactly is HMV? Well, it’s a U.K.-based music store of which there are none in this country, so I’m thinking you’re probably not going to snag one of those 1,000 digipacks unless you’re headed over the water in the near future.

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BTW, Bright Eyes released a video for its latest single, “Jejune Stars,” which you can watch right here on the YouTube or by clicking above. Very nice, but really, how much different is it than your typical Love Drunk video? Something tells me Django G-S could have done just as good a job, but for slightly less money than was charged by “acclaimed cinematographer Lance Acord” (Being John Malkovich, Lost in Translation).

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It’s surprising to me that tonight’s show at The Slowdown featuring Okkervil River and Titus Andronicus hasn’t sold out yet. Okkervil River will soon be making the momentous jump from a tour van to a tour bus (if they haven’t already). They’re fan base has consistently grown since they first played at The Junction way back in 2002 to 10 people (me among them). I haven’t heard a stitch off their new album, but I know it’s charting well on CMJ. Titus Andronicus is probably still touring in a van, but won’t be for long. With their rousing, epic sing-along punk, I could see them eventually touching a similar audience as The Hold Steady, especially if their show last September is any indication. There is a third opener tonight — Asthmatic Kitty artist Julianna Barwick. All for $18. Starts at 9.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.