If the phrase “5,000 candles in the wind” doesn’t immediately prompt you to belt out “bye, bye Li’l Sebastian. We’ll miss you in the saddest fashion,” this news post is not for you… and you should go watch every season of Parks and Recreation immediately.
But if you’re a Pawnee die-hard who can sing every word of Mouse Rat’s iconic tribute song and can name at least one of the fictional, dysfunctional band’s previous names (shoutout to Everything Rhymes With Orange), get ready for the album release of the year.
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the Parks and Recreation episode “Li’l Sebastian,” which features the first performance of Mouse Rat’s “5,000 Candles in the Wind” (a tribute to a beloved miniature horse named Li’l Sebastian, for those who haven’t seen the show). To commemorate the occasion, the band — or rather, NBCUniversal — revealed that a full, very real Mouse Rat album is coming this fall.
Titled The Awesome Album, the Mouse Rat debut will have 16 tracks in all, lead — of course — by “5,000 Candles in the Wind (Bye, Bye Li’l Sebastian).” Other songs in the lineup include “The Pit,” “Catch Your Dream (Feat. Duke Silver),” and “Two Birds Holding Hands.”
The Awesome Album will be available to stream and purchase digitally on all of your favorite music platforms, but it is also available to preorder in a variety of physical formats. There are five different versions of the album on vinyl: Jet Black Pope (black vinyl), Limited Edition Flush with Cash Green (neon green vinyl), Limited Edition Catch Your Dream Tricolor (red, white, and blue vinyl), Duke Silver (silver vinyl), and Cherry Gergich (white and red vinyl). There are also CD and cassette versions of the album, which both feature clip-art artwork inspired by the Mouse Rat CD that Andy makes on the show. To top it all off, there are two official Mouse Rat T-shirts, one of which features Li’l Sebastian and the lyrics to “5,000 Candles in the Wind.” All of this Mouse Rat merch is available to preorder now from Duel Tone Store and Magnolia Record Store.
If you cannot wait for this album to drop, here’s something to help: There is a new, official “5,000 Candles in the Wind” music video. Check it out below, and click here to see all of the ways you can get The Awesome Album when it debuts.
