Rod Temperton, maybe best known for his role in writing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” but with a long list of song writing classics to his name, has passed away. He was 66 years old.
Rod Temperton Passes Away
Personalized Panic! at the Disco Voicemails
Panic! at the Disco have teamed up with Spotify to create a “personalized voicemail” page where you can create a voicemail message from Brendon Urie.
Magic: The Gathering is the True Soul of Rock & Roll
Bear vs Shark were really into Magic: The Gathering:
For almost a decade, I was in Bear vs. Shark, a cold fusion of Loggins and Messina and Jem and the Holograms. We were like if Pantera was really into Michael Haneke — or a one-man band that was actually six druids from the future. We toured a lot and then we broke up — haunted Michigan and parts of New York, played steel drums in the desert. Our Constrobot deconstructed and we became lawyers, teachers, bounty hunters. Some made death masks for pets, others false teeth. One of us has a pushup academy.
Yahoo Secretly Scanned Customer Emails for U.S. Intelligence
Joseph Menn, writing at Reuters:
Yahoo Inc last year secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers’ incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company complied with a classified U.S. government directive, scanning hundreds of millions of Yahoo Mail accounts at the behest of the National Security Agency or FBI, said two former employees and a third person apprised of the events.
Mae to Release 3xLP
Mae are releasing their three EPs from 2009 on a 3xLP set. Pre-orders will go up today at 12:00pm PDT.
Designing Bon Iver’s ’22, a Million’
Emmet Byrne interviewed Eric Timothy Carlson, the artist behind Bon Iver’s latest album, 22, a Million:
In the following interview we present the finished artwork, supplemented with process work and related materials. Eric takes us down the rabbit hole, describing the intense, fluid work sessions with Justin Vernon and others at the Eau Claire studios, the numbers that permeate the track list, the influence of digital culture on the new album, the prevalence of cryptic symbolism throughout the Minneapolis/Wisconsin music scene, and the Packers.
The Decemberists Launch Board Game
The Decemberists have posted up a board game on Kickstarter. The game was designed along with illustrator Carson Ellis and game designer Keith Baker. It’s called Illimat and there are a whole lot of options for purchase.
Kanye West Postpones Tour Dates
Kanye West postponed a pair of Saint Pablo tour dates following the incident involving Kim Kardashian in Paris. “Due to family concerns, this week’s Philadelphia and Detroit dates on the Saint Pablo Tour have been rescheduled,” Live Nation said in a statement. “The Philadelphia show will take place on December 13 and the Detroit show on December 22.” The Saint Pablo tour will resume its scheduled route on October 7th in Chicago.
Tom DeLonge Releases New YA Novel Series
Tom DeLonge has released the new young adult novel Strange Times: The Ghost in the Girl. The full press release can be found below.
Ben Stiller: The Prostate Cancer Test That Saved My Life
Ben Stiller, writing on Medium:
I got diagnosed with prostate cancer Friday, June 13th, 2014. On September 17th of that year I got a test back telling me I was cancer free. The three months in between were a crazy roller coaster ride with which about 180,000 men a year in America can identify.
Owel’s New Album Up for Pre-Order
Eve 6’s Self-Titled Up for Pre-Order on Vinyl
Eve 6’s self-titled album is now up for pre-order on vinyl.
The 1975 With the BBC Philharmonic
The 1975 recently performed with the BBC Philharmonic.
Portland Bookstore Defends “Fuck Portlandia” Sign
The bookstore “In Other Words,” which is often featured in Portlandia, has posted a message about why they are no longer working with the TV show:
Several months ago the In Other Words community agreed to discontinue our relationship with Portlandia. This was a direct response to a particular egregious filming of the show in our space which saw our store left a mess, our staff mistreated, our neighbors forced to close and lose business for a day without warning, and our repeated attempts to obtain accountability or resolution dismissed. It was also a direct response to a show which is in every way diametrically opposed to our politics and the vision of society we’re organizing to realize. A show which has had a net negative effect on our neighborhood and the city of Portland as a whole. Shortly after this decision was made, a volunteer placed the Fuck Portlandia sign in our window.
I don’t know many people that actually live in Portland that like this show.
Empire of the Sun – “To Her Door”
Empire of the Sun are streaming their new song “To Her Door” on NPR.