Photo courtesy of amazon.com
There’s no place like it. It’s where you hang your hat. It’s sweet. It’s where the heart is.
Early last decade, Post-Parlo Records put out a pair of albums called Home. Volume 4, a four-track E.P., was the product of collaboration between Bright Eyes and Spoon’s Britt Daniel in 2002, and Volume 5, which was put out a year later, featured Ben Gibbard and Andrew Kenny, splitting four tracks each. (I can’t, for the life of me, find Volumes 1-3. For this I apologize.)
In any case, whenever you’re homesick—and we all get homesick—direct your music player to these tracks from the Home series. The first is a laid-back, living room-appropriate track from Volume 4, and the second is my favorite: a Gibbard-led tour of rural life in American suburbia. After four months of working full-time while going to school, I myself turned to Volume 5 this week for some much-needed peace of mind.
And sure enough, I’m headed home tonight for the long weekend.
-Devin
Bright Eyes, Britt Daniels and Spoon – Let the Distance Keep Us Together (download)
Benjamin Gibbard – You Remind Me of Home (download)
P.S. If the Home series isn’t enough of a pleasant surprise, and while we’re on the topic of Ben Gibbard, check out this precious gem I came across today while traversing the blogosphere. It’s on my iPod for the trip home tonight.
Benjamin Gibbard with Ben Barnett – Joga (Bjork Cover) (download)
treeswingers 
If I remember correctly, there were actually five or six volumes released in total. The first three sold out fairly quickly and no reissues were ever made.