Future islands

Indie favorites Islands have returned with a new song, “(We Like To) Do It With the Lights On,” from their first album in five years, Islomania , set to arrive June 11th on Royal Mountain Records. “Do It With the Lights On” is a catchy bit of dance-pop led by an irrepressible bass line and a vocal performance from Nick Thorburn that flits between blasé, charming, and exuberant: “Dance to the song, on and on,” he sings, “We do it with the lights on/We like to do it with the lights on/Bang on a gong, on and on/We do it with the lights on.” The track also arrives with a video, directed by Tim Nackashi, that finds Thorburn performing the song and dancing alongside Gigi Todisco, who also handled the choreography. Related Stories Breaking: Islands We Don't Need Andrew Cuomo Related Stories Tom Petty's 50 Greatest Songs Grateful Dead Albums: The Best of the Rest In a statement, Thorburn said of “Do It With the Lights On,” “After quitting … [Read more...] about Islands Preview First Album in Five Years With ‘(We Like To) Do It With the Lights On’

For this year’s annual Women Shaping the Future issue, we asked 12 of today’s top musical acts to talk about the women who have inspired them most in their lives and careers. Here, Angel Olsen shares why she’s always telling people to listen to more of R&B/disco/roots veteran Candi Staton ‘s music. I moved to Chicago from St. Louis in my early twenties. The winters were really tough, and I’d have to get up at 5 a.m. to go open the cafe where I worked. Candi’s music was something I would turn to every day on my way to work. Now, when I listen to her music, I always think about Chicago. It was the first time in my life that I was really introduced to different kinds of music, and Candi was a big slice of that. I had moved in with this guy who became my long-term boyfriend, and he introduced me to jazz and soul. I remember being really drawn to her music. A lot of people try to get me into other singers, but there’s something about her vocals — maybe it’s just that I can … [Read more...] about Angel Olsen: No One Sings Quite Like Candi Staton

On Welcome to Chechnya , VFX supervisor Ryan Laney introduced game-changing tools with huge implications for the future of documentary filmmaking. Directed by David France, the HBO film spotlights anti-gay purges transpiring in Chechnya in the late 2010s, following LGBT refugees as they make their way out of Russia, with the help of a network of activists. In telling this story, France would have to address a pair of almost paradoxical drives. Because he wanted viewers to invest themselves, emotionally, in the stories of survivors, he knew he needed to give the doc a human face. At the same time, he realized early on that he would have to develop a method of disguise, which would protect the identities of his vulnerable subjects. Related Story 'Welcome To Chechnya' Director David France Talks Dangerous Risks And Lifesaving Hope Of LGBTQ Docu Ultimately, Laney would help the director to fulfill both of these objectives by placing “digital prosthetics” … [Read more...] about How VFX Supervisor Ryan Laney Developed Game-Changing Technology For ‘Welcome to Chechnya,’ Shielding Identities Of LGBT Refugees

The mistreatment and persecution of the LGBTQ community in Chechnya has been an ongoing issue, but in March 2017 a glaring spotlight was put on the Russian republic as reports of gay and bisexual men being abducted, tortured, beaten and even killed at the hands of authorities started coming to the forefront. Oscar-nominated director David France did not waste any time in deciding to confront this issue head-on with the documentary Welcome to Chechnya , which debuts June 30 on HBO . In a place where there are no protections for those in the LGBTQ community and where they are openly mistreated and oppressed, France already had a volatile landscape to navigate. In the documentary, he follows a group of undercover activists in Chechnya who risk their lives to rescue victims and provide them with safe houses and visa assistance to escape an oppressive system. We are introduced David Isteev, the Crisis Response Coordinator for the nation-wide Russian LGBT Network as well as Olga … [Read more...] about ‘Welcome To Chechnya’ Director David France Talks Dangerous Risks And Lifesaving Hope Of LGBTQ Docu

The Super Mario Bros. animated movie has been confirmed for 2022. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is a producer on the highly anticipated project. In addition to the new Mario news, Nintendo has also revealed plans to extend their "visual content" over the next few years, which is giving fans hope for a project involving The Legend of Zelda . According to a new business report from Nintendo, the Super Mario animated movie's production is moving along "smoothly," and they're looking to expand. You can read a portion of the report below. "Another way we are delivering Nintendo entertainment to a wider audience is with the Super Mario CG-animated movie, which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2022. Production is moving ahead smoothly, thanks to the collaboration between Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, known for the Minions movies, and Nintendo's Representative Director and Fellow, Shigeru Miyamoto, who is serving as co-producer. The movie will be … [Read more...] about Super Mario Animated Movie Gets 2022 Release Date, Is The Legend of Zelda Next?