Stars Beat Leak By Hawking New LP Online

While record companies search for a solution to the "dowloading problem," Canadian indie-pop band Stars have come up with their own plan: the honor system.

Mere days after finishing their upcoming release, In Our Bedroom After the War, Stars are putting the album up for legal download -- more than two months before its scheduled September 25 release date (the physical CD and album will still come out on that day). In a post on their label's site, Stars explained, "It's our hope that given a clear, legal alternative to downloading music for free, you will choose to support the creators.

Savvy way to neutralize the inevitable leak or career suicide?

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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