Close to the edit

So Death Cab for Cutie signs to Atlantic. I’m all for career advancement, but the cynic in me can imagine all sorts of ways a major label can mess this up.

Between Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, the Postal Service, the Shins and all other manner of SXSW buzz darlings, it feels like the late ’80s all over again, with bands from all over the creative map on the brink of something … not so much big as signficiant.

Back then, I hoped major label backing would bring the cool stuff front and center. Instead, the early ’90s brought nothing but a bunch of grunge clones. The atmosphere now seems ripe with the same kind of promise, but I’m keeping a healthy skepticism.

In unrelated news, Sleater-Kinney jumps from Yep Roc to Sub Pop, but that’s not as cool as the idea of Dave Fridmann producing the band’s next album. Sleater-Kinney is now separated from Number Girl by one degree.