Exclusive: New B-Side From Close Lobsters “Wander Epic Part II”
Published on June 27th, 2016 in: Exclusive, Music, New Music, New Single, Streaming |
Back in the days of MTV’s 120 Minutes, C86 darlings Close Lobsters were a fave. “Let’s Make Some Plans” reminded me of the heady days of when I first got into college radio. Granted, those days were just a few years earlier, but when you’re a teenager, that stuff matters. I listened to their ’88 releases Headache Rhetoric and What Is There To Smile About? fairly obsessively well into the early ‘90s.
After a hiatus of almost 20 years, the Scottish band returned briefly in 2009 with a retrospective singles collection, but reformed for real in 2012 for a few live shows, releasing the EP Kunstwerk In Spacetime in 2014. On June 3, the band’s newest EP, Desire and Signs, was released by Shelflife Records.
“Wander Epic Part II” is the B-side to the latest single “Under London Skies” and here’s what the band has to say about it:
“’Wander Epic’ is a yarn/yearn of disorientation in the spirit of Close Lobsters. Saudade for the vast and endless sea. Who are we and what do we need to do to be part of the world? If you listen to all three parts as a continuous (w)hole the streams that run down to the sea are revealed.”
Exclusive: Third Single From Popincourt, “Happy Town”
Published on June 3rd, 2016 in: Current Faves, Exclusive, Music, New Music, New Single, Streaming, Upcoming Releases |
The third single from Popincourt, “Happy Town,” provides an answer to what might have happened if Paul Weller had been French instead of English.
Check out our exclusive stream of Popincourt’s latest single from their upcoming album A New Dimension To Modern Love, released on June 17 from Jigsaw Records.
Popincourt says of the track:
On this one, I really wanted to have an up tempo beat, mixing Soul and Pop. I had “Dancing In the Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas in mind, but as well “The Gift” by the Jam. Then came the first terrorist attack in Paris early 2015: I was at this Unity March in Paris on January 11. Something you cannot forget: great sadness but at the same time this massive feeling of fraternity. People were even kissing cops!
I finalized the lyrics having this in mind, in a very naïve and optimistic way: the power of the street, the music that could change the world, the fact to live any minute “now”! Sadly enough, I received the master of the album two days after the second terrorist attack where 130 people were shot dead, some of them at this rock venue, le Bataclan, in November 2015.
Exclusive: Listen To A Stream Of Bloody Knives’ I Will Cut Your Heart Out For This
Published on April 11th, 2016 in: Exclusive, Music, Post-Punk, Streaming |
I Will Cut Your Heart Out For This, the latest release from Austin, TX’s brilliantly and appropriately named Bloody Knives, will be released on April 15 from Saint Marie Records. But you don’t have to wait until then to hear it, because here at Popshifter, we’ve got an exclusive album stream just for you.
And if that weren’t enough, we’ve also got track-by-track notes on the album from the band.
Astron-6’s Divorced Dad Teaser Thrills and Confounds!
Published on March 8th, 2016 in: Canadian Content, Comedy, Film Festivals, Horror, In Development, Media, Streaming, Trailers, TV, Underground/Cult, Upcoming Releases |
At 2008’s After Dark Film Festival, I was part of an audience that went completely wild for a trailer for a nonexistent full-length feature from the demented minds of Adam Brooks, Steven Kostanski, Jeremy Gillespie, Matthew Brooks, and Conor Sweeney–collectively known as Astron-6. That film was called Lazer Ghosts 2: Return To Laser Cove and ever since then, asking people at these events about their favorite Astron movie is a bit like a secret handshake. If you already have a favorite, and especially if you share mine (it’s 2014’s The Editor), we’re probably going to be friends whether you like it or not.
Movie Review: Virginia Obscura
Published on March 7th, 2014 in: Current Faves, Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews, Streaming |
There are many words that can describe Virginia Obscura, but some of those words might give away the surprise. Virginia Obscura is one of the films Full Moon Streaming picked up for their new horror VOD service. It is a beautiful thing that they are doing and it even helps give chances to indie horror.
Assemblog: May 10, 2013
Published on May 10th, 2013 in: Assemblog, Film Festivals, Movies, Science Fiction, Streaming, Trailers, TV |
New this week on Popshifter: Jeff starts some Metal Mayhem with Night Ranger and Mötley Crüe (more installments are coming throughout the month); Luke reviews the “brilliant” cooperative game Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine; Brad gets transported back to childhood through Jason Lapeyre’s new film I Declare War; and I am impressed with ChristCORE, a new documentary on the Christian hardcore scene seen through the eyes of a nonbeliever.
Assemblog: May 3, 2013 – The Future Of Streaming And Television?
Published on May 3rd, 2013 in: Assemblog, Movies, Science and Technology, Streaming, The Internets, TV |
New this week on Popshifter: Jeff praises The Armoury Show’s “gorgeously slick cathedral Goth with strangely danceable grooves” in the Cherry Red reissue of Waiting For The Floods; Danny calls the new Meat Puppets album, Rat Farm, “the band’s most playful and diverse offering since 1985”; Melissa B. laments the passing of George Jones in her review of the CD reissues of George Jones Country and You’ve Still Got A Place In My Heart; I describe the “geographic grandeur” of the full-length, self-titled debut from Big Black Delta; describe how no-budget, sci-fi flick Manborg “comes from the heart”; explain the “nuanced, complicated” joys of A Royal Affair; congratulate Melvins on their excellent album of covers, Everybody Loves Sausages; and get excited and photo-happy about the upcoming Vicki Berndt art show in Los Angeles.
TV Is Dead, Long Live TV: Why We Should Still Call It Television
Published on February 15th, 2013 in: Science and Technology, Streaming, The Internets, TV, TV Is Dead Long Live TV |
I think the moral lesson behind The Booth at the End is: Don’t over think things. It’s also worth noting that while neon signs still use tubes to convey messages, this is no longer true of modern TVs.
Two weeks ago I wrote a piece acknowledging Netflix as our new media overlords for the occasion of the premiere of House of Cards. The success of the first independent series produced by Netflix, along with the continued success enjoyed by web series and Hulu-produced content, has some scratching their heads about what to call this new viewing experience. I have an answer to this question: when enjoying The Booth at the End on Hulu or MyMusic on YouTube, one is watching television.
This search for another name for what we are doing while we enjoy Very Mary Kate or Husbands is pointless. That many consume this entertainment via a screen on what we now call a computer rather than on what we have traditionally called a television is immaterial.
The Age of Permanent Prosperity: Spotify is the Greatest Thing
Published on February 12th, 2013 in: Current Faves, Music, Science and Technology, Streaming, The Internets |By Paul Casey
When I had a talk before about why compilations needed to die, I was concerned about their tendency to solidify tastes rather than challenge them. I would stick to a handful of albums and obsess about arranging them, producing classy covers, and finding people to absorb my musical missives in good humor. Even though I have made attempts every few years to shake myself up and haul in new music to replace old, it was still such a costly exercise that I was rarely satisfied.
For those who have had Spotify available to them for several years, please forgive me for pointing out the obvious: It is possibly the greatest thing ever. Here in Ireland, being a largely backwards outfit, we have only recently been given the chance to put an ear towards such a severe streaming catalogue.
Ten euro a month is nothing for the quality of the service provided. Twice as much could be charged and it would still be an obscene bargain, especially for those humans who are still attached to the idea that financial recompense is a fair deal for created things. There are problems and quirks with Spotify of course, and a lingering question over whether this kind of subscription service can ever provide a living for artists. Seeing as the Internet has made solipsism the thing with music, I will ignore these for the moment and expand on how I have personally benefited from this service.
TV is Dead, Long Live TV: I Welcome Netflix As Our New Television Overlords
Published on February 1st, 2013 in: Streaming, TV, TV Is Dead Long Live TV |
The author’s Netflix home screen. Our new media overlords know what my family wants to watch a surprising amount of the time.
With House of Cards premiering February 1 on Netflix, it’s time to acknowledge our new media overlords. While I have yet to see the new series, I have a strong suspicion I’ll like it—Kevin Spacey was born to play to the Devil, and television loves an actor that chews scenery. As long as the writing is solid, with Spacey in the lead and Robin Wright as his dance partner, they could be acting with no sets and wearing clothes by Hanes sweat suit division and I’d still watch. Investors agree with me; Netflix stock shot up 42 percent in the last week, but exactly why the stock made such a dramatic jump is a reflection of the struggle between old and new media, and involves the death of linear TV and the complex copyright struggles that tangle all visual media distribution.