Kanye, will.i.am, more remix for Thriller anniversary

Thriller's legacy? It was a killer set, plain and simple. When your album has "Billie Jean," "Thriller," "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" on it, of course it's going to get coated in 20-30 layers of platinum. The cultural relevance, publicity storm and extracurricular Jacko weirdness don't even factor into it. Although most of this album has become part of the pop canon, the record's upcoming 25th anniversary presents an opportunity to marvel at the craft of these songs once again. Of course, it also presents an opportunity to buy the album in yet another repackaging job. But Epic/...  read more

Band of Horses stampede on 2008 tour

Having bucked off the oppressive yolk of Wal-Mart sponsorship and hopped into a Ford instead, Band of Horses is set to travel cross-country. The band's latest tour starts off in Atlanta for a sold-out trio of gigs at The Earl, followed by a spate of gigs across the East Coast, Midwest, the South and Florida. Once this tour concludes, the group will leap the pond for a 19-date European journey. Here are those North American dates: December 28 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl (sold out) 29 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl (sold out) 31 - Atlanta, Ga. @...  read more

Behind the scenes of Michel Gondry's new Björk video

Michel Gondry, one of the patron saints of music videos and director of The Science of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is working on an upcoming video for Björk's "Declare Independence." The Playlist recently posted a making-of video and we found it so neat we'd like to share it below: Gondry's next film, Be Kind Rewind, will premier at next year's Sundance film festival outside of competition. Related links: Paste: Björk's Drawing Restraint 9 Paste: Science of Sleep Paste: Sundance 2008 competition films Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com. ...  read more

moe. throws out Sticks and Stones, tour

Alhough their fans might have expressed distress when Satellite Party was pitched in as a replacement for Ryan Adams and the Cardinals at this year’s moe.down, the band in charge of the gala has lost little of its stride. Having released Conch earlier this year, moe. has been hard at work and already has a new album on the way. On Jan. 22, the band will be release the follow-up to Sticks and Stones. On Jan. 17, moe. will be taking off on a tour in support of the album, and if your one of those lucky devils who are...  read more

Ellen Page helps to curate Juno soundtrack

... But you would already know that headline was true if you had read Amanda Petrusich's superb feature on indie comedy Juno. Go ahead, give it a read and come back here when you're done. Everyone back? Okay, let's continue. As the feature details, Juno star Ellen Page hipped director Jason Reitman to a little group called the Moldy Peaches and its female conscience, Kimya Dawson. The works of Dawson proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the world of the film's rebellious female lead, and so Juno's soundtrack leans heavily on Dawson material - including her work with the...  read more

My Morning Jacket releases picture disc for charity

Nothing draws interior decor together like pictures of hairy space-rockers. My Morning Jacket has put out a vinyl picture disc called a "2006-2007 New Year's Eve Skit Picture Disc Skit." Basically, you only need to know two things about it: 1.) Proceeds benefit the Sweet Home New Orleans Organization, which works to preserve the Big Easy's heady musical tradition by keeping artists in town. 2.) It features the guys in Oregon Trail attire (see above). The photos of the band were taken at their New Year's Eve show at the Fillmore in San Francisco, which found them doing their Manifest...  read more

Ryan Adams, Arcade Fire contribute to rock auction

Start looking for an enormous guitar-shaped stocking and emptying out your change jars, because the 19th Annual Rock for Kids Charity Auction has enough sweet donated instruments to please just about any music fan. One might even call it a...rocktion? Hmmm? Although proxy bidding has ended, Pitchfork reports Chicagoans can mosey on down to Park West today to bid on an extensive list of items, including signed sweetness from Paste featured artists such as Ryan Adams (guitar), Iron and Wine (LP) and Feist (framed album). Other fun signed stuff includes Billy Joel "Piano Man" sheet music, a chair drawn on...  read more

Signs of Life 2007: Best Books / Best Games

The sun has set on our Top 100 Albums and Top 50 Films of 2007 features. Try not to let your head blow up here, because we now bring to you our final year-end Signs of Life installment: the literary and gaming realms. In our books section, some of today's best authors, like Dave Eggers, Naomi Klein, Charles Frazier and Jack Pendarvis, tell us the best books they read this year. Meanwhile, we're also proud to present the top 10 games of 2007. Finally, tell us what your year-end favorites were in our Readers Signs of Life Poll. Links: Best...  read more

Be Your Own Pet announces new album

Know that feeling you get when you're silently riding in an elevator with your boss? Or when a fellow moviegoer mistakes your pants tent for a masculine reflex, causing a Larry David moment? The rowdy Nashville noise poppers of Be Your Own Pet recently confirmed that they will pay tribute to those uncomfortable moments on their forthcoming sophomore LP, Get Awkward. Numerous media outlets are reporting that the album drops mid-March. The track list for the album is below. Lead singer Jemina Pearl tells Rolling Stone that "Bitches Leave" is a nod to Robocop. Nice? The track listing: 1. Super...  read more

Radiohead tour machine roars to life with European dates

We've reached the point where even complaining about the excessive amount of Radiohead news items here at Paste is cliche, so let's just give it to you straight. Radiohead really is touring (in Europe), dates and locations are starting to emerge (slowly) and Paste just might have to bump In Rainbows down a few slots on our Top 100 albums list if this Radiohead news spamming continues. Listen up, you arty Brits: you're on notice. All dates are available here, including the two German festival dates we reported yesterday. In typical Radiohead fashion, it's cryptic stuff, with most of the...  read more

The Verve to re-release This Is Music: The Singles 92-98

In the late '90s, The Verve was permanently branded into the skin of pop culture, with “Bittersweet Symphony” appearing everywhere from Nike commercials to Cruel Intentions. Whether you scream in pain when you hear the song on the radio for the quillionth time, or find yourself inspired to take a jog upon hearing its violin intro, the fact remains that The Verve is working on new material. Unfortunately, since the band just reformed this June, these fresh songs are not likely to be delivered until 2008. So, maybe something semi-new will suffice until then. Okay, not really new songs, but...  read more

Signs of Life 2007 : Best Books

Ever wonder what people who write books are busy reading? Which titles they’ve found most enjoyable or have hit them the hardest lately? For this year-end issue, we asked some of our culture’s best and brightest what they had on the nightstand—or on the back of the loo...  read more

Signs of Life 2007 : Best Games

Wherein Paste's joystick junkies pick their favorite gaming experiences of 2007. From dystopian undersea epics to golden limb-hunting puzzle adventures, it was a fine year in the constant evolution of video games. One thing's for sure: they're not just for kids anymore...  read more

Lupe Fiasco: too Cool for fools

Hopefully this new Lupe Fiasco album means the end of mandatory skateboarding puns when talking about his music. Or at least name-dropping Kanye West. Lupe's maturing into his own artist now, and he's already begun to create songs addressing his position in the music industry: does he dumb it down for mainstream appeal, or blaze his own path? As if you had to ask. Lupe's been promoting his new album The Cool as a dark, complex record to the press, so don't expect this one to go down easy. The album arrives in stores Dec. 18, and a pre-order is...  read more

Black Crowes to release Warpaint, tour

After seven long years filled with rumors of a breakup, The Black Crowes are finally putting out a new album. Slated to be released March 4 on the band’s label, Silver Arrow, Warpaint will be the first studio album the band has recorded since 2001's Lions. A few things have changed since the Crowes' last release. Mainly, the band has adopted some new members, with Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars stepping in for Paul Stacey on guitar and the addition of Adam MacDougall on the keyboard. Although Stacey is no longer going to be playing with the band, he...  read more

Catching Up With... Frank Darabont

As I sit across a small table from Frank Darabont in an upscale hotel suite, it becomes apparent that the talented writer and director of The Mist not only excels at translating Stephen King’s other literary works into Oscar nominated films (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile)...  read more

Pirate Bay nixes BOiNK, but renovates music section

As we told you exactly one month ago, the torrenting seadogs at The Pirate Bay had at one point aimed to launch a successor to the slain torrent site OiNK.cd. Alas, the cheerily named "BOiNK" was not to be. According to Digital Music News, BOiNK was dead in the water before it even set sail. "There are so many people opening up new music trackers right now so there's no need for us to go and do that as well," prominent pirate Peter "Brokep" Sunde told DMN. But dry your digital tears, torrent fans. As TorrentFreak.com reports, Pirate Bay is...  read more

August Rush

Ten reasons August Rush made me want to jab glowing-hot pokers into my eyes...  read more

Sundance competition films announced

As far as American film festivals go, Sundance really needs no introduction. It's an entirely independent festival that kicks off the new year and is one of the more prestigious ones in all of North America. All of the local films being shown will be world premieres, and most of the other screenings will be shown for the first time in the continent. So without any further adieu, the lists: Documentary Competition An American Soldier, Edet Belzberg. American Teen, Nanette Burnstein. Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Christopher Bell. Fields of Fuel, Josh Tickell. Flow: For Love of Water, Irena Salina. Gonzo: The...  read more

Signs of Life 2007 : Best Film

Yesterday, we brought you the Top 100 Albums of 2007, and made blog commenters everywhere lose their lunch. Today, we continue in our trajectory of plotting the "Signs of Life" in all the cultural glory that was 2007, with our film edition. So, what are you waiting for? Take a peek at our Top 50 Films of 2007. While you are at it, don't forget to check out Amanda Petrusich's wonderful feature story on Juno, our #1 film of the year. Curses! Spoiled it again! Check back tomorrow for the best books of 2007, according to some of the best...  read more