A new release from Less Than Jake titled Sound the Alarm is up for pre-order on Amazon. It looks like a February 3rd release date.
New Less Than Jake Album in February?
Scarlett Johansson is 2016’s Top-Grossing Actor
Scarlett Johansson was 2016’s top grossing actor. From MTV:
Of course, the actors who ranked among the Top 10 highest-grossing stars of 2016 weren’t necessarily the highest paid: Johansson didn’t even rank among the highest-paid actors, a list topped by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jackie Chan, and Matt Damon. In fact, only two women made that list: Jennifer Lawrence and Melissa McCarthy.
The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to Release Solo Album
Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys will release a new solo album this spring.
Auerbach is holding a listening party for the musicians who played on his first solo album since 2009 (due in the spring). They include bassist Dave Roe (who for 22 years backed Johnny Cash), plus drummer Gene Christman and pianist Bobby Wood, both of whom played on hits by Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley as part of Memphis’ American Sound Studios house band. “I learned so much from these guys,” Auerbach says, calling the album “a whole history of everything I love about music.”
Pitchfork Interviews The xx
Laura Snapes interviewed The xx for Pitchfork’s latest cover feature:
In the months between recording sessions, as his friends were working on their own projects, he became paranoid about their relationships, based on his own interpretations of texts and emails. “When you haven’t seen someone for a while, it’s so easy to project and make your own ideas about what’s going on,” he says. “I always feel like the two of them are a step in front of me in confidence and maturity. I worried that they were going in a slightly forward direction, and I wasn’t.”
Police Seek Amazon Echo Data in Murder Case
Billy Steele, writing at Engadget:
Amazon’s Echo devices and its virtual assistant are meant to help find answers by listening for your voice commands. However, police in Arkansas want to know if one of the gadgets overheard something that can help with a murder case. According to The Information, authorities in Bentonville issued a warrant for Amazon to hand over any audio or records from an Echo belonging to James Andrew Bates. Bates is set to go to trial for first-degree murder for the death of Victor Collins next year.
Amazon declined to give police any of the information that the Echo logged on its servers, but it did hand over Bates’ account details and purchases. Police say they were able to pull data off of the speaker, but it’s unclear what info they were able to access. Due to the so-called always on nature of the connected device, the authorities are after any audio the speaker may have picked up that night. Sure, the Echo is activated by certain words, but it’s not uncommon for the IoT gadget to be alerted to listen by accident.
What a strange new world we live in.
Bomb the Music Industry! Release Documentary
Bomb the Music Industry! have released their new documentary, Never Get Tired, digitally. A trailer can be found below.
Maybe a New Blink-182 Documentary in 2017?
Travis Barker of Blink-182 told Kerrang! that the band has talked of doing a live album or documentary about the band in the new year:
Maybe there’s (the possibility of) a new live album, or because the (2009 film) Blinkumentary never came out, we talked about maybe doing some kind of new documentary. That would be cool.
The Weeknd’s “Starboy” Hits #1
The Weeknd’s “Starboy” has hit the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. This also gives Daft Punk their first #1 song.
Carrie Fisher Has Passed Away
Carrie Fisher has passed away. She was 60.
‘Firewatch’ Comes to the Mac
One of my favorite games from the past year, Firewatch, has come to the Mac App Store.
The year is 1989. You are a man named Henry who has retreated from his messy life to work as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. Perched high atop a mountain, it’s your job to look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe. An especially hot, dry summer has everyone on edge. Your supervisor Delilah is available to you at all times over a small, handheld radio—your only contact with the world you’ve left behind. But when something strange draws you out of your lookout tower and into the forest, you’ll explore a wild and unknown environment, facing questions and making choices that can build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have.
Cool App: Record Bird
I’ve been playing around with this new app called Record Bird that lets you select a bunch of your favorite bands and make sure you’re notified when they release new music.
Record Bird informs you about new and upcoming music releases of your favorite artists and genres. Always be the first to know about a new album or single by your favorite bands and musicians.
It’s missing some of the more indie artists at the moment, but it’s a pretty cool app. Worth giving a look.
The 1975 Release “How to Draw” for Free Download
The 1975 have released their b-side “How to Draw” as a free download.
George Michael Has Passed Away
George Michael has passed away. He was 53.
The star, who launched his career with Wham! in the 1980s and had huge success as a solo performer, “passed away peacefully” on Christmas Day in Goring, Oxfordshire, his publicist said.
Apple Music: Platform? Promoter? Both.
Joe Coscarelli interviewed Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson of Apple Music for The New York Times:
We wanted to work with Frank Ocean. We had a deal—we were working with Frank Ocean, and he controlled where his music came out. Why would it be in our interest to be part of a fast one, a slow one or any one? We were getting the record no matter what. Whatever happened with him and Universal is really between him and Universal. It has nothing to do with us. Nothing.
Spoon to Release New Album Next Year
Spoon will release a new album next year. The band briefly spoke with Entertainment Weekly for their 2017 music preview:
They’ve also teamed once more with Flaming Lips’ longtime producer Dave Fridmann. “I love working with Dave because he makes a point to f— things up,” says frontman Britt Daniel. As ever, Daniel & Co. have crafted multidimensional jams that showcase textured guitar riffs, warm keyboards, oddball studio effects, and Daniel’s sandpaper-rough croon. Twenty-three years in, he is creatively invigorated like never before. “I love this record,” Daniel says. “I feel like we are on to something—we’re covering some new ground.”