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Peter Bogdanovich Dies at 82

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Peter Bogdanovich, the Oscar-nominated director behind The Last Picture Show (1971), Paper Moon (1973), and What’s Up, Doc? (1972), passed away at the age of 82. His daughter Antonia Bogdanovich stated that he died of natural causes.

As a director, Bogdanovich was regarded as an auteur and became most well-known for his 1971 film The Last Picture Show starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shephard. The picture gave Bogdanovich two nominations. One for Best Director and the other for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. While he didn’t win, the film seized two Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, which Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won.

Bogdanovich directed over 30 films throughout his career and won a BAFTA for Best Screenplay for The Last Picture Show. Moreover, he received a Palme d’Or nomination in 1985 for Mask starring Cher, Eric Stoltz, and Sam Elliott.

Pinegrove Share New Single ‘Respirate’

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Pinegrove have previewed their upcoming album 11:11 with a new single called ‘Respirate’, which follows previous offerings ‘Orange’ and ‘Alaska’. Give it a listen below.

“With ‘Respirate’, I was thinking about the opportunity we had in the chaos Covid brought to redesign society so that it works well for more people, but that instead what’s unfolding is a doubling down on the same bent and venal structures that have resulted in so much inequity in the first place,” singer/guitarist Evan Stephens Hall explained in a statement. “So, how can we compassionately respond to such cold and blatant greed? How can we make sure to look out for one another in the absence of meaningful leadership and materially significant policy? We’ve been stranded but we will look out for each other—what choice do we have? The song is a reminder that we’re in this together.”

11:11 is set for release on January 28 via Rough Trade.

Black Country, New Road Share New Video for ‘Concorde’

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Black Country, New Road have shared a new music video for ‘Concorde’, the latest single from their upcoming sophomore album Ants From Up There – out February 4 via Ninja Tune. The visual was directed by Maxim Kelly and sees the group collaborating with independent production company Caviar. Watch it below.

“On the surface, the concept was straightforward, a walking video: An Ant from “up there”, sings Concorde,” Kelly explained in a statement, continuing:

But, for a band who namecheck everyone from Scott Walker to Kanye West, and the pronounced mix of genres in their music, it felt right to take an analogous approach with the visuals. Throw as many references together as possible and see if we, too, could get it all to hold together as a piece.

We took the 6 minute+ runtime as an asset. It gave us the time needed to weave as much as possible into the film. A walking video in parts, but also with a narrative running through. We combined miniatures with VFX, and flanked the film with Archival footage.

The band were so supportive and amazing. They gave us the encouragement to just go off on one! And being a massive fan of their music, it was a genuine pleasure to work with them on this film.

Black Country, New Road’s new album will follow their 2021 debut For the first time, which landed on our 50 Best Albums of 2021 list. In addition to ‘Concorde’, it also includes the previously released singles ‘Bread Song’ and ‘Chaos Space Marine’.

Pom Poko Announce ‘This Is Our House’ EP, Share New Song ‘Enduro Corner’

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Pom Poko have announced a new EP called This Is Our House with the single ‘Enduro Corner’. The Norwegian group’s 4-track project, which will follow their 2021 LP Cheater, is due out January 28 via Bella Union. Listen to ‘Enduro Corner’ below.

“This is a song we recorded and finished in Italy, when we were there quite a while ago,” Pom Poko explained in a press release. “We were working very hard, lots of hours every day, and watching movies almost every night. We watched a movie called Free Solo, about a guy climbing a huge mountain without any ropes, and Enduro Corner was the name of a part of the route he was climbing. This is quite a soft and mellow song for us, but we tried to shape it in an interesting way without it becoming too soft and without ruining the nice nerve we thought we had created.”

This Is Our House EP Tracklist:

  1. Enduro Corner
  2. Time
  3. Our House
  4. Sonatina

Dynasty: 10 Best Moments from the Season 5 Premiere

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*Warning this article contains spoilers*

Dynasty as a show went through its ups and downs, from the main character’s sudden exits to some nerve-wracking plot holes, but in the end, it has always risen from the ashes and shone brighter than ever. Even if sometimes that can make for some unexpected moments, the lack of balance in its writing can be annoying at times; a perfect example of this is the new season. Things were slow, dragged, and disappointing for a season premiere in the first episode. But, swiftly, the second episode altered that and quickly became one of the show’s best episodes to date.

Here are the best moments from the season 5 premiere of Dynasty.

10. Adam betraying Alexis

Alexis and Adam’s toxic mother/son relationship goes way back. After everything they’ve done to one another, you would think that betraying each other would start getting old, but it’s the complete opposite. No one brings the worst out of Adam than Alexis. His ‘mommy’ issues have been profound and out of control since he entered the show, which ends up giving us some of the craziest and twisted moments on Dynasty. This relationship is one of the more complex and unpredictable. Occasionally they are mother and son. Other times they are enemies. There’s no balance. In season 5, their journey continues; and the betrayal is imminent.

9. Liam finally tells Fallon how he feels about her and their marriage.

There weren’t many memorable scenes from the first episode of season 5. Still, one that stood out was the anticipated talk between Fallon and Liam about the length of repercussions that Fallon’s previous actions had on how Liam feels about her and their relationship. The season begins with Fallon in the hospital recovering from a gunshot. Because of Fallon’s condition, Liam feels guilty and tries to ignore what she has done and how their relationship is a complete mess. The episode builds up to Liam’s more robust emotions and inability to keep them to himself. He finally explodes and lets everything out. Adam Huber delivers once again a shattering performance, raising the question — is this the end of Falliam?

8. Alexis is trying to run out of the courtroom 

At times, Dynasty feels like a sitcom. The way their most dramatic scenes invariably turn into comedy is hilarious in itself. A courtroom scene with convicted main characters tends to be extremely heavy in a typical drama show but not on Dynasty. In this scene, Alexis delivers one of the season premiere highlights, with her failed attempt at escaping the courtroom upon her sentencing.

7. Amanda vs Adam

Season 5 opened with a brother/sister rivalry that is now one of the most entertaining plots on the show. Amanda has become a scene-stealer and a fan favourite, and the dynamic between her and Adam is very much present in the season premiere. It all comes down to Alexis and how damaged the kids are by her past decisions as a mother. In the end, that’s the defining factor and the demise of their relationship.

6. Eva exposes Fallon’s behaviour

Yeah, Eva may be entirely and disturbingly crazy, but she knows how to shut up Fallon Carrington with some ugly truths. When Fallon visits Eva in prison, she expects to get her way once again, but facing someone who has nothing to lose, she ends up with an unwanted confrontation with the things she has done. Eva, with no hesitation, laughs at Fallon’s threats and tells her how two-faced she can be.

5. Culhane and Sam visit Fallon at the hospital

Culhane is far from being my favourite character; I always felt like his storylines were either leading everywhere or nowhere at all. On the other hand, Sam is one of my favourites. Still, his storylines since Steven left are the definition of a mess, not reaching their potential. Nevertheless, for one, the way both Culhane and Sam struggled to face the truth about Fallon’s condition and their fear of losing her were highly relatable and sweet. Sam and Fallon are always pleasant together, but I take my hat off to the relationship development between Fallon and Culhane. Romantically, they were the worst, but as friends, their scenes are lighter and, in return, more enjoyable to watch. This choice is one of the things that the Dynasty writers got right.

4. Liam’s speech to Fallon

“I realised that I don’t want you to wake up so I can forgive you. I want you to wake up so that you can forgive me.”.

If there’s something Liam was never afraid to do, it was keeping himself accountable for what went wrong in his relationship with Fallon. This time around was no different. Even if he doesn’t have much blame to carry, his apologies come from a place of unconditional love mixed with the fear of not wanting to lose his soulmate. Liam is a carer. Back in season 2, we learned that he always jumps at the chance to take care of his loved ones, even if it means putting his happiness below their own. We saw it with his mother, and we saw it with Fallon. The season 5 premiere reminded us that, while Fallon Carrington is the soul of Dynasty, Liam Ridley is its heart.

3. Cristal’s evil twin reveal

If I had to choose the most significant “WTF” moment of the season premiere, this would be it. After all the Crystals that we had throughout the show, Dynasty decides to level things up and bring the soap opera twist of all twists — the evil twin storyline. Honestly, this is the kind of entertainment I expect from a show like Dynasty, precisely what makes it so attractive. Besides the layers that this twist will bring to the show’s new season and entire storyline, this is a much-needed challenge for Cristal’s character, which doesn’t necessarily involve Blake.

2. The flashback to Falliam’s first Christmas together

Liam’s flashback to his first Christmas with Fallon was one of the most heartwarming scenes between the two. The undeniable chemistry between Adam Huber and Elizabeth Gillies took over and was amplified by their beautiful harmonies during their duet, giving the fans another unforgettable moment. Listening to Liam’s voice becoming one with Fallon’s was beautifully unexpected. It took my breath away.

In between love confessions, and some good old banter over Christmas presents, Liam says that it was the best Christmas he ever had, showing us once again the depth of his love for Fallon and how despite the ups and downs of their relationship, he is the happiest when he’s with her.

1. Fallon wakes up from a coma after dreaming about her future with Liam

If you thought Liam’s memory was going to make you cry, then Fallon’s dream about a future Christmas with Liam and their future kids is going to make you weep. The seemingly intended foreshadowing in the dream of Fallon and Liam’s future was probably one of the most profound and remarkable things on the show. Hopefully, this will help Fallon realise what is essential in her life — her future with Liam.

Hopefully, this dream is the direction for her upcoming change and a step closer to realising that her happiness does not rely on her father’s approval or career. But the dedication and preservation of the Dynasty that she’s building alongside the man of her dreams. Perhaps, this was a step forward in Fallon’s character development that the audience has been waiting for and not the back-and-forth trajectory that the writers have been doing for almost five years.

Everything else that happens after Fallon wakes up from her coma is Dynasty’s way of settling us in for the rest of season 5.

Swamp Dogg Announces New Album, Shares New Song ‘Soul to Blessed Soul’

Swamp Dogg has announced he has a new album on the way. The 79-year-old soul legend’s latest is called I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune, and it comes out February 25 via Don Giovanni Records. Check out the lead single ‘Soul to Blessed Soul’ below, along with the album cover and full tracklist.

Swamp Dogg’s last album was 2020’s Sorry You Couldn’t Make It, which featured contributions from Jenny Lewis, John Prine, Justin Vernon, and more.

I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune Cover Artwork:

I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune Tracklist:

1. I Need a Job
2. Cheating in the Daylight [feat. Willie Clayton]
3 Soul to Blessed Soul
4. She Got That Fire
5. I Need Your Body
6. Darlin’ Darlin’ Darlin’
7. Full-Time Woman
8. Cheating All Over Again
9. Show Me

Spoon Cover David Bowie’s ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’

Spoon have offered their take on the late David Bowie’s Blackstar track ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’. The band recorded their cover for Amazon Music’s month-long [RE]DISCOVER campaign, a month-long celebration of Bowie’s 75th birthday, which is this Sunday, January 8. Listen to it below.

“‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ is a tune Alex and I have been playing since we learned it for an acoustic and piano show in Mexico City in 2016,” bandleader Britt Daniel said in a press statement. “It’s just a fantastic song, and as the last song on Bowie’s final album it doesn’t disappoint. We recorded this version live in December 2021.”

Spoon are set to release a new album, Lucifer on the Sofa, on February 11 via Matador. Last year, they shared a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Christmas Time (Is Here Again)’.

SASAMI Unveils New Single ‘Say It’

SASAMI has unveiled another single from her forthcoming LP Squeeze. It’s called ‘Say It’, and it follows ‘The Greatest’ and ‘Skin a Rat’, which accompanied the album announcement in October. Listen to it below.

“’Say It’ is a rage anthem dance track about spinning out because someone isn’t communicating with you,” Sasami explained in a statement. “I feel like when I hear the song I see a hot femme with a mystical flamethrower engulfed in emotional blue flames throwing elbows alone in an industrial dance club in outer space.”

Squeeze, the follow-up to SASAMI’s self-titled debut, arrives February 25 via Domino. Read our Artist Spotlight interview with SASAMI.

Burial Releases New ‘ANTIDAWN’ EP: Stream

Burial has released a new EP titled ANTIDAWN. Out now via Hyperdub, the project spans five tracks and 43 minutes. Stream it below.

According to press materials, “the record explores an interzone between dislocated, patchwork songwriting and eerie, open-world, game space ambience. In the resulting no man’s land, lyrics take precedence over song, lonely phrases colour the haze, a stark and fragmented structure makes time slow down.”

“Antidawn seems to tell a story of a wintertime city, and something beckoning you to follow it into the night,” the release continues. “The result is both comforting and disturbing, producing a quiet and uncanny glow against the cold. Sometimes, as it enters ‘a bad place,’ it takes your breath away. And time just stops.”

ANTIDAWN follows Burial’s 2021 track ‘Dolphinz’ as well as Shock Power of Love, his split EP with London-based producer Blackdown.

Sondre Lerche Announces New Double Album, Shares New Songs

Sondre Lerche has announced a new double album: Avatars Of Love arrives on April 1. It features guest appearances from CHAI, Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, Mary Lattimore, Rodrigo Alarcon, Ana Müller, and another special guest “to be announced at a later date.” Listen to the new songs ‘Cut’ and ‘Turns Out I’m Sentimental After All’ below, and scroll down for the album’s full tracklist and cover artwork (created in collaboration with Norwegian artist Nikolai Torgersen).

“I originally wrote ‘Cut’ imagining a love affair between actors on a film set, where the lines are constantly blurred between what is real, what’s performative,” Lerche explained in a press release. “I saw it as a film noir, but during the recording it no longer felt black and white, it felt colorful and erotic and it reminded me of some of Brian DePalma’s 80s neo-noir films that I love. The music video also captures some of this.”

He continued:

‘Turns Out I’m Sentimental After All’ was the last song I wrote before leaving LA right as the pandemic started. I like the contrast between it and ‘Cut,’ which it follows on the album. ‘Cut’ tries to capture an ephemeral feeling that may not even be real, while ‘Sentimental’ can’t help but fall back into nostalgia, while second guessing a central life choice. I remember thinking of ‘Both Sides Now,’ and how Joni wrote that so young, and how she probably could add many new verses and perspectives to it later in life, if need be. And I thought about some of my own songs where I made statements that no longer correspond with the way I see the world or myself. So it’s also an ode to songs and the many truths and phases they document and contain. It’s a very special and tender song to me.

While Lerche’s last album, 2020’s Patience, took more than seven years to write and record, Avatars of Love was completed in his home country of Norway over the course of a year. “This is without a doubt the biggest, boldest, most complex thing I’ve ever done,” Lerche said. “At the same time, it was also the easiest, most natural, and most liberating. As an artist, it’s the kind of project you always dream about.”

A few weeks ago, Lerche shared a cover of Doja Cat’s ‘Kiss Me More’.

Avatars of Love Cover Artwork:

Avatars of Love Tracklist:

1. Guarantee That I’d Be Loved
2. Dead of the Night
3. Will We Ever Comprehend [feat. Rodrigo Alarcon, Ana Müller]
4. Cut
5. Turns Out I’m Sentimental After All
6. What Makes Me Tick
7. My Love Still Waits
8. Avatars of Love
9. Summer In Reverse [feat. CHAI]
10. Now She Sleeps Beside Me
11. Special Needs [feat. Felicia Douglass]
12. The Other Side of Ecstasy
13. Magnitude of Love [feat. Mary Lattimore]
14. Alone in the Night