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“He was doing something humanitarian and beautiful while everyone else was doing ecstasy in the clubs”: Peter Gabriel could have made another pop album like So. Instead he turned to the dark side of prog with Us and Up
Peter Gabriel’s 1986 album So made him a global star and gave him the financial security to pursue more ambitious, less commercial work. Rather than repeating its accessible pop formula, he used the follow-up albums Us and Up to explore darker, more progressive and introspective territory. So topped the UK album chart and reached number…
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4 Songs From the 1980s That Made You Wish You Were From California
The article highlights four 1980s songs that, in different ways, evoke an appealing image of California. It argues that their sunny, glamorous, atmospheric or gritty portrayals of the state helped listeners imagine themselves living there, continuing popular music’s long fascination with California. – “California Girls” — David Lee Roth’s 1985 rock cover of the Beach…
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Conceived in a secure military facility, this Jedi Knight fansite has been running consistently for almost 30 years: ‘It looks really close to what it did back in 1998’
A long-running fan website for Star Wars Jedi Knight was reportedly created inside a secure military facility and has remained online for nearly 30 years. Its survival highlights the durability of early internet fan communities and the continued enthusiasm for a series whose original games remain influential among PC players. The site’s creator says it…
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The one musician Don Henley felt never belonged in Eagles: “Never messed with rock”
Don Henley said former Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon was never fully suited to the band’s increasingly rock-oriented direction, arguing that Leadon lacked familiarity with the “dirty” sound of rock guitar. The comments help explain Leadon’s departure and the Eagles’ subsequent shift from country rock towards a more conventional rock style. Leadon brought bluegrass and country…
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It’s taken 13 years, but Final Fantasy 14 has finally broken the Sephiroth-shaped emergency glass
Final Fantasy 14 will feature its most substantial Final Fantasy 7 crossover yet, with the upcoming Evercold expansion’s eight-player raid series centred on Cloud and his companions. The announcement is significant because, despite regularly drawing on the wider franchise, the long-running MMO has largely avoided directly adapting Final Fantasy 7’s characters and world. Revealed at…
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‘Lucky Lu’ Leads Winners at MIFFest’s Malaysia Golden Global Awards
“Lucky Lu”, directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, won Best Film at the ninth Malaysia International Film Festival’s Malaysia Golden Global Awards. The results underline MIFFest’s increasingly international profile, with prizes going to productions and filmmakers from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Morad Mostafa won Best Director for “Aisha Can’t Fly Away”, while…
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The “visionary” 1998 movie Roger Ebert called an instant masterpiece: “It is a triumph”
The article revisits Alex Proyas’s 1998 science-fiction film Dark City, which Roger Ebert praised as an immediate masterpiece and a triumph. It argues that the film’s imaginative visual design, noir atmosphere and ambitious ideas helped it stand apart from conventional Hollywood science fiction, despite receiving limited attention on its original release. Dark City follows John…
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Morrissey’s pre-Smiths letters to be auctioned
Letters written by Morrissey before he found fame as the frontman of The Smiths are being sold at auction, offering collectors and fans rare insight into his life and creative development prior to international recognition. The sale underlines the enduring appeal of memorabilia connected to influential musicians, particularly material predating their commercial breakthrough. The correspondence…
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Square Enix debuts new FFXIV Evercold tank job Bastion at Berlin Fan Fest
Square Enix has unveiled Bastion, a new tank job for Final Fantasy 14’s forthcoming Evercold expansion, at Fan Fest Berlin. It matters because Bastion is both part of the game’s redesigned “Evolved Combat” system and the first FF14 job not derived from an established Final Fantasy role. Bastion is a defence-and-offence-focused “main tank” that uses…
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Watch Hayley Williams bring out Jack Antonoff, Lucy Dacus, Jenny Lewis and more at Newport Folk Festival
Hayley Williams performed a guest-filled ‘Hayley Williams & Friends’ set at Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island on 24 July, bringing together prominent collaborators and artists from across indie and alternative music. The appearance highlighted material from her recent solo work, several live debuts and a communal closing performance, underscoring the collaborative character of the…