Amazon Music now offers podcasts. The company issued an update today that brings more than 70,000 shows to the platform, including some major titles, like Serial and Pod Save America, as well as new exclusive deals like a show with DJ Khaled called The First One, where he’ll interview artists about their breakthrough hits and the stories behind them. Disgraceland, a popular show from iHeartMedia, will also become exclusive to the platform starting in February 2021.
Tom DeLonge talked with The Guardian about UFOs and other stuff:
DeLonge comes across as 99% enthusiast/expert and 1% eccentric. He can’t answer some of my questions (“What’s the most convincing piece of evidence you’ve seen as to the existence of aliens?”) due to “national security issues”. But he clearly knows something, or thinks he knows something. But what level of government cover-up are we talking about? Are aliens (2-1 to him by now) really living among us like in Men in Black?
“No, not at all,” says DeLonge. “It’s not conspiratorial. Anybody can go on to the CIA website and read thousands of reports. There’s just a vacuum of conversation. Our government has had decades of the very difficult burden of dealing with something that is extremely advanced but poorly understood. They need time to dig into this, to understand it, to gather data and analyse it.”
And:
So if national security wasn’t an issue, could DeLonge tell me stuff that would make my hair stand on end? “Yes. I thought I knew most of the unnerving parts, then I was briefed on something and I didn’t sleep for three nights. I think what’s going to come is a greater understanding of who we are and where we need to go. And that excites me, because I do believe something beautiful can come from something so unnerving.”
So aliens are real? (He wins 3-1.) “Things were written in text thousands of years ago, like hearing voices in your head, a burning bush that was talking. The ancient texts may have called it God, but I’m just saying it’s not that simple. The star of Bethlehem – was that a star or a craft? Because a star is really big. It wouldn’t be hovering over a manger.”
👽 Exist.
A GoFundMe has been launched for Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy:
For the past five years, Pierre has battled numerous medical issues, including multiple forms of cancer, which left Pierre unable to work. His family (wife Heather and 4 kids ages 12, 16, 18, and 20) has struggled to keep up with the escalating medical costs. Anyone who knows Pierre personally knows he is a gentle, compassionate, courageous, and generous person. He has always shared the best of himself with friends, family, and fans, now it is our time to reciprocate.
Big Sean has the number one album in the country this week:
The set, which was released on Sept. 4 via G.O.O.D./Def Jam, launches with 103,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 10, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The RIAA have released their 2020 mid-year report. One interesting tidbit:
Vinyl album revenues of $232 million were 62% of total physical revenues, marking the first time vinyl exceeded CDs for such a period since the 1980’s, though it still only accounted for 4% of total music recorded music revenues.
Alex Williams, writing at The New York Times:
“We’ve broken so many records,” Mr. Mooney said. “It will be the biggest year of sales volume in Fender history, record days of double-digit growth, e-commerce sales and beginner gear sales. I never would have thought we would be where we are today if you asked me back in March.”
Jack Antonoff interviewed Lana Del Rey for Interview Magazine:
The one thing that makes me upset is that if I hadn’t been so distracted with my personal life and my poetry, I could’ve broken it down in a more delicate, precise way. I guess the way I could’ve done that is just by adding one more defining song to it. Right now it’s really, really good, but I don’t know if it’s perfect, and that really bothers me. I think I need to add that song, “Dealer,” where I’m just screaming my head off. People don’t know what it sounds like when I yell. And I do yell.
NME:
Filing fees for an O visa, which applies to “Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement,” will increase from $460 to $705, a rise of 53%. The P visa, which can also be used by family members of the individuals, will increase by to a total cost of $695.
Visa application waiting times are set to increase to 15 business days, but a fast track service that costs over $1000 will be available for those needing their application to be dealt with more quickly.
Lynn Gunn of PVRIS talked with Alt Press about her latest album:
My ultimate intention with everything, not just music and career, but life right now, is to feel [as] free as possible, and just be, and be what I know I am and what I’m comfortable being. That’s very different from what I felt like I needed to be when we first started playing music.
Especially with making this album, I was flying around constantly and traveling around and going in different sessions alone and tracking alone and doing everything really singularly, just due to circumstances and how things are playing out within our scheduling. This album has been the most…I’m putting air quotes around “solo venture.” And so it felt the most appropriate to finally have everything align with that and to be real and open about it.
The Ska Against Racism compilation features Tim Armstrong, Less Than Jake, The Suicide Machines, The Interrupters, and many more. Grab it on Bandcamp and 100% of the proceeds go toward various charities.
The Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy compilation, featuring music from Hayley Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, and so many more, is now available for purchase on Bandcamp.
Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday talks with Kerrang:
One of the things that I realised when listening through everything on Twenty is that with each record it’s been this perfect snapshot of the people we were at that time. It’s like going through an old yearbook. And sometimes you don’t want to remember the person you were at a certain time, or maybe you don’t want to be that person again, or you don’t want to recognise that side of yourself, but I feel like it helps, for me, to come to terms with and make peace with myself. Like, there were dark times and there were bright times – it’s a full package deal. That’s very therapeutic.
Taylor Swift, once again, has the number one album in the country:
Taylor Swift’s Folklore spends a fifth straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, tying Lil Baby’s My Turn for the most weeks atop the list in 2020. Folklore further becomes the first album to rule for five weeks in a row at No. 1 since Drake’s Scorpion also logged its first frames at No. 1 (July 14-Aug. 11, 2018-dated charts).
Lynn Gunn of PVRIS talks with NME:
When she announced the album back in March, Gunn revealed that, from day one, she’s consistently downplayed her true role as PVRIS’ sole creative force. She’s been responsible for everything from the band’s sound to songwriting, visuals and driving production, but has preferred to share the spotlight with her bandmates, bassist Brian Macdonald and lead guitarist and keyboardist Alex Babinski. With ‘Use Me’, though, she says she’s finally allowing herself “to take credit” for PVRIS’ ever-growing list of achievements.
“It feels so good,” she says on the phone line from her home in LA, referring to her unmasking as a “lifting of the veil”. She adds: “This had to happen for me to continue wanting to do this. With all the work I was putting into this next record, it felt really weird and uncomfortable to be giving equal credit to everyone. Brian and Alex have always been incredibly supportive of my vision over the years, but I never felt comfortable opening up and owning that role. It made me feel apathetic towards the project.”
CBS All Access’ limited series adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Stand” will premiere Dec. 17, the streamer announced Tuesday.
The series will be a weekly one, with each of the subsequent eight episodes streaming one at a time every Thursday following that premiere. As previously announced, King penned the finale and also wrote a new coda that will take the story beyond where is 800-plus page 1978 tome left things.