About two and a half years ago, Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard began to make music together despite the distance between them. Mr. Tamborello, who makes electronica with a group called Dntel, lived in Los Angeles, while Mr. Gibbard, who sings in the emo band Death Cab for Cutie, lived in Seattle. They sent each other music through the mail, completing songs bit by bit, and after about five months, they had finished an album.
In honor of their working method they called themselves the Postal Service. Their album, ''Give Up,'' was released by the Seattle-based Sub Pop Records in early 2003 and became an indie-rock hit, eventually selling almost 400,000 copies, the label's second biggest seller ever, after Nirvana's ''Bleach.''
Then they heard from the real Postal Service, in the form of a cease-and-desist letter.
You won't believe how it turned out. Details here from Ben Sisario of The New York Times via LexisONE.