Sep 23, 2014 By Laura Studarus Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

It’s the night after Future Islands’ network television debut on The Late Show, and David Letterman is trying not to laugh. “Let’s dance!” he declares, after a joke about a candy store falls flat. The shot cuts to footage from the band’s performance, featuring frontman Samuel T. Herring’s theatrical, sidestepping dance moves.

Sep 22, 2014 By Austin Trunick Ben McKenzie

Fox’s Gotham takes an approach to the Batman mythos that’s unique outside of comics: it doesn’t feature Batman at all. The new television series takes place many years before the Caped Crusader watched over Gotham and focuses on the mythical city itself; on the young hero and villains that fans will recognize as Gotham’s future power players.

Sep 19, 2014 By Frank Valish Web Exclusive

After playing in various bands throughout their youth, Angus James and his brother Oliver (Ollie) began writing songs over the Christmas holiday in 2012. When the first two songs they had written, “Nowhere” and “Don’t Hang Around,” were discovered by British blog Crack in the Road, Angus (guitar/vocals/keys) and Oliver (guitar/vocals) recruited their other brother Thom (drums), as well as Isaac Jones (bass) and George Abram (a non-musical fifth member of the band who assists in writing and does the band’s artwork) and started a proper band.

Sep 19, 2014 By Austin Trunick Terry Gilliam

For nearly 40 years, Terry Gilliam has been the archetypal cult filmmaker. Starting out as an animator and member of British comedy troupe Monty Python, he moved into filmmaking on their classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Terry Jones.

Sep 19, 2014 By Austin Trunick Rose McGowan

Throughout her acting career, Rose McGowan has had the chance to watch and learn from the many great directors she’s worked with. Now, for the first time, McGowan has taken on the new role of director on a movie set. Her debut short film, Dawn, is set in an idyllic America of the early 1960s. A young girl, is bored with her sheltered life. She makes eyes with a good-looking at a filling station. As she lets the boy and his delinquent friends into her life, she finds the world to be a much darker place than she’d bargained for. At just 17 minutes long, it’s a strong debut; a subversive bit of old-fashioned, pop-melodrama with a scary, Blue Velvet­-esque undercurrent.

Sep 18, 2014 By Mark Redfern Franz Ferdinand

Today is a historic day in Scotland as it is the day the nation votes on the Scottish Independence Referendum. The people of Scotland get to vote on whether or not to secede from the United Kingdom and have Scotland become its own country. Here various Scottish musicians weigh in on the subject.

Sep 17, 2014 By Zach Hollwedel Web Exclusive

Grant Morrison has been writing comic books for over 35 years, and his output and impact on the medium since have been incredible. Morrison has contributed to Animal Man, New X-Men, Spawn, Doom Patrol, JLA, and myriad other titles over his impressive career.

Sep 17, 2014 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

The Guest is the latest feature from director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett. Their 2013 home invasion flick, You’re Next, made the two filmmakers household names among horror fans, but their creative collaboration spans eight films, including segments of the V/H/S and ABCs of Death anthologies. One of the unique aspects of their partnership is the way they use music to communicate ideas to each other during the writing phase of a project. While developing The Guest, Adam and Simon were mainlining a steady diet of vintage goth tracks and 1980s synth music. This playlist was culled from artists and songs mentioned during our conversation, and includes several tracks that appear in the film itself. Hit play, sit back, and check out our interview with Adam and Simon.

Sep 16, 2014 By Intro and Moderation by Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

It’s hard not to be a third wheel when listening in on a conversation between Sharon Van Etten and The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. Having met while Van Etten was recording 2010’s Epic in a Philadelphia studio near Granduciel’s house, the two songwriters share not only a friendship and a mutual admiration of each other’s work, but also a set of memories collected while touring together in 2012.