This is Greg from the The Middle Distance Runner. I will be blogging at least once a week for my good friends at the Yellow Bird Project from now until the end of time. These weekly blogs will be mostly about musical things, such as new albums by our favourite artists, news about up and coming musicians that deserve mention, updates from our Yellow Bird contributors, and other nonsense that pops into my head. So check in often, because every week there will be new musically related stuff for you.

To mark the occasion of my very first Yellow Bird blog, I will start with some news. Yes it is true, the new Coldplay album, which is entitled Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, has leaked onto the internet. This is not to encourage you to download it. It’s just kind of a big deal. I haven’t heard it yet, only a few samples. So far what i have heard is just okay. Hopefully when i hear the full album in all it’s glory I will have more words for it.

For now, here is a sample:

Violet Hill

And check out this nifty little ad that they made for itunes. Pretty colours!

Coldplay Apple Ad

Now go pre-order yourself a copy.

And speaking of leaks…

Broken Social Scene co-founder Brendan Canning, who’s solo album Something for All of Us… has also leaked. He, however, has decided to nip the problem in the butt. He’s released a digital version of the album that can be downloaded right now!

(Click the Album to Download)

Here’s a sample from the new album:

Hit The Wall

Canning will also be playing a few festival shows, including a stop in my hometown, at the Montreal Osheaga Festival, along with his BSS buddies this summer. Here are the dates:

06-15 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-27 Calgary, Alberta - Sled Island
07-04 Detroit, MI - Comerica Cityfest
07-19 New York, NY - Siren Music Festival
07-20 Whistler, British Columbia - Whistler Music Festival
08-02 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
08-04 Montreal, Quebec - Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
08-24 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival

Happy Listening!