TV | The mysterious film reel shows an entirely different world: the U.S. actually wins World War II. The country isn't divided into the Great Nazi Reich and the Japanese Pacific States; the two realms divided by the neutral Rocky Mountain states. This is the premise of Amazon's new original series THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. The first two episodes are now streaming, and the full, 10-episode season is set for a Nov. 20 release. Based on the popular dystopian/sci-fi novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, this story begins in 1962. A young woman in San Francisco suddenly comes to possess the aforementioned film reel, an illicit item passed between members of the resistance. She then travels to the neutral zone to deliver it to another agent. But, of course, nothing is as it seems.
MUSIC | Los Angeles electro-industrial rockers HEALTH broke onto the scene back in 2007 when Crystal Castles remixed their track "Crimewave." Though often pegged in the subgenre of racket or noise music — HEALTH's previous albums are definitely frantic and fast — the band's latest record, DEATH MAGIC, takes a more melodic approach. The clattering drums and throbbing electronic beats of past records are still there, but the monotonic vocals are soft in contrast to the frenetic guitars and synth carrying each song forward. DEATH MAGIC shows a refined application of lyrics to melody, attesting to time spent perfecting their sound.
GAME | Hurry, climb aboard your bubblegum-pink spaceship — it's time to save the world from evil space robots and constellations turned to living beasts! Fire up the lasers and don't bump into bad guys, or your ship will start to crack. In the long-anticipated LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS SPACETIME, the co-op space shooter released earlier this fall by Asteroid Base, you and a (human) friend, or you and an A.I. space pet, are tasked with traveling through the galaxy to save its adorable animal residents who've been imprisoned by "Anti-Love" forces. With randomly generated levels on each mission and cool customization options for your spaceship, Lovers — available for Xbox One, PC, Mac and Linux, stays fresh, frantic and fun. ♦
