Small Town Heroes have changed their name to The Faim. They recently hit the studio with John Feldman and wrote some new songs with Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots.
The Faim Recording with John Feldman
The Killers Top the Charts
The Killers have the number one album in the country this week:
The set — which was released Sept. 22 through Island Records — debuts atop the chart with 118,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 28, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 111,000 were in traditional album sales.
The Night Game Sign With Interscope
The Night Game have signed with Interscope records:
“The whole process has felt reminiscent of the music industry from another time, and has restored a bit of faith in launching this project through a major label system,” Johnson tells Billboard. “There is a deep connection to the music; not just to the metrics, algorithms, or play counts. It’s refreshing to be working with a company that has ears.”
Anberlin Vinyl Re-Pressing
SMLXL Vinyl has re-presses of Anberlin’s Cities and Never Take Friendship Personal on vinyl up for pre-order.
Tom Petty Reportedly on Life Support
TMZ is reporting that Tom Petty has been put on life support following a cardiac arrest in his home.
Update: The latest report is that Tom Petty has passed away. He was 66.
Update #2: TMZ is now reporting that “[t]he singer is not expected to live through the day, but he’s still clinging to life.”
Update #3: Tom Petty’s manager has confirmed that Mr. Petty has passed away.
Morrissey Performs Seven Songs From New Album
Morrissey played seven songs from his upcoming album at a BBC concert. And between songs he made comments implying that the recent UKIP elections were rigged against anti-Islam candidate Anne Marie Waters.
Creeper to Release Novel
Gun Violence in America, Explained in 17 Maps and Charts
Vox:
Among developed nations, the US is far and away the most violent — in large part due to the easy access many Americans have to firearms. These charts and maps show what that violence looks like compared with the rest of the world, why it happens, and why it’s such a tough problem to fix.
‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens
LAS VEGAS—In the hours following a violent rampage in Las Vegas in which a lone attacker killed more than 50 individuals and seriously injured 400 others, citizens living in the only country where this kind of mass killing routinely occurs reportedly concluded Monday that there was no way to prevent the massacre from taking place.
The Onion have been running this same piece, only changing the number of victims and the locations, since at least 2014.
Las Vegas Shooting Near Mandalay Bay Casino Kills 58
A gunman on a high floor of a Las Vegas hotel rained a rapid-fire barrage on an outdoor concert festival on Sunday night, killing at least 58 people, injuring hundreds of others, and sending thousands of terrified survivors fleeing for cover, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.
We need sweeping gun reform, and we need it now.
Zuckerberg’s Preposterous Defense of Facebook
Zeynep Tufekci, writing for The New York Times:
In a largely automated platform like Facebook, what matters most is not the political beliefs of the employees but the structures, algorithms and incentives they set up, as well as what oversight, if any, they employ to guard against deception, misinformation and illegitimate meddling. And the unfortunate truth is that by design, business model and algorithm, Facebook has made it easy for it to be weaponized to spread misinformation and fraudulent content. Sadly, this business model is also lucrative, especially during elections. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, called the 2016 election “a big deal in terms of ad spend” for the company, and it was. No wonder there has been increasing scrutiny of the platform.
Facebook’s “if both sides are mad, we’re doing something right” defense is absolutely absurd.
Pre-Order Staircase Spirits’ New EP
Pre-orders are now up for Staircase Spirits’ new EP, Love Stories. The EP is due out December 8th.
The Naked and Famous – “Still Heart”
The Naked and Famous have released “A Still Heart,” an acoustic medley of “A Stillness” and “Hearts Like Ours.” The song comes from the band’s upcoming Stripped LP.
Butch Walker Re-Releases ‘Cassette Backs’
Butch Walker has announced that Cassette Backs is available on all digital service providers and for another limited run on vinyl exclusively via Butch’s webstore.
Spotify Launches Time Capsule Playlist
Spotify have launched a “Time Capsule” playlist that’s supposed to put together songs from your teenage years. The Verge reports:
Spotify is back with another personalized playlist, and this time it’ll take you back to your favorite musical period. The new playlist, called Your Time Capsule, is a collection of 30 throwback jams personalized to your tastes.
Lots of Counting Crows on mine.