May 2008 Archives

by Chuck Eddy

Three-goofball Hamburg trio Scooter have been huge in Germany for 14 years, and intermittently big in the U.K. (where they recently knocked Madonna off the top of the album chart) for part of that time. Their Wikipedia entry says they’ve sold 14 million records. I first heard their name in a Eurocheese roundup piece I edited five years ago for the Village Voice, wherein Barry Walters intriguingly compared them to ‘70s glam-rock heroes Slade, though for some reason that didn’t inspire me to investigate them further. Now that I’ve finally started to, I’m wondering what the heck took me so long.

by Chuck Eddy

Both the Birthday Massacre’s very good 2005 album Violet and their possibly even better 2007 album Walking With Strangers had primarily purple covers with innocent children and bunnies on them; on the latter, the kids were trick-or-treating. Scary! Pictures of the band suggest they are five androgynous boys (a bassist, drummer, keyboardist and two guitarists who both double on synths) and one only slightly less frail girl - Chibí, she calls herself - who wears pigtails and tattoos and platform shoes and Lolita dresses and sings in an extremely sweet voice. Has there ever been a cuter goth band, anywhere?

Song: Leaving Hope
Album: Still
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Selected by: Stephanie Benson
Date: May 30, 2008

Trent Reznor wrote "Leaving Hope" in the midst of battling a near-fatal drug addiction. Instead of channeling his agony into the familiar NIN machinist dissonance, he weaves delicate piano and soft static through an instrumental that sparkles, echoes and fades with just the subtlest hint of hopefulness. 

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by Eric Shea

Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between "Toby Keith" and Toby Keith. One is a larger than life persona, standing for truth, justice and his own particular ass-kicking brand of the American way. The other is a learned and opinionated lover and fan of country music with a deep passion for Nashville's rich legacy. It shows in his underrated subtlety of his own songs as well as in this Rhap Session, where he talks about some his favorite songs and songwriters.

by Angela Bruno

Grammy-winning Colombian pop star Fonseca made a name for himself by following in the great tradition of vallenato revivalists like Carlos Vives. His third album, Gratitud, still delivers those classic sounds and vivid love stories but also takes on a more experimental slant, channeling influences like Guns N' Roses and Metallica. In an exclusive interview with MTV Tr3s, Fonseca shows that he's a simple man ("If I can get some Seinfeld, I'm a big fan of Seinfeld") who just wants to hit the road: "It’s like magic," he says. "When things go live ... it has a special magic that happens with music and being on stage. For me, it’s like the best price I can get for doing what I do and it’s my dream come true. When I was a kid ... I was already dreaming about being on stage and that was my biggest dream." Fonseca also speaks on Colombian cohorts Shakira and Juanes and their giant philanthropic efforts with ALAS (the non-profit Shakira launched with Gabriel García Márquez to fight poverty in Latin America) and Paz Sin Fronteras.

Further Reading:
Exclusive Entrevista: Fonseca Loves Red Kicks

Song: Practice What You Preach
Album: Practice What You Preach
Artist: Testament
Selected by: Jen Guyre
Date: May 29, 2008

With the thrash resurgence in full effect, it’s time to step back and honor some of the great originators -- which brings us to Testament. The O.G. Bay Area masters married hardcore swagger with metal licks in the ‘80s, churning out large doses of speed-crazed riffage and catchy choruses. The rest is recurring history. 

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Episode six of John Norris Interviews … is a sit-down with a trio of potty-mouthed Frenchmen who call themselves, appropriately enough, the Teenagers. The next-phase, new-wave, dance craze that Quentin Delafon, Dorian Dumont and Michael Szpiner favor has at its core the new French sound, as perfected by the Kitsune stable from which the Teenagers emerged. But, as they tell John, its lascivious intent also has more than a hint of that most classic of all Gallic musical exports: Serge Gainsbourg. (Ummm, and a little bit of Spank Rock too, if you ask us.) So, sit back, relax and let the men with the sexy accents spin you a pop-culture-infested yarn.

by Chris Ryan

RollingStone.com have endured broken strings and abandoned solos to bring us their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All-Time. The list pays equal homage to both thunderous riffs and smoldering solos, epic warhorses, blues barnstormers and pugnacious punk. The RS folks were looking for one key element: "a solo or jam that takes you higher every time you hear it; the final power chord that pins you to the wall and makes you hit 'play' again and again." Word! Sounds like "Statesboro Blues" to us.

Further Reading:
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs

by Chuck Eddy

When it comes to this year’s hip-hop discussion, not only do I feel somewhat out of the loop - I’m not even sure where the loop is anymore. My hunch is that 2008 hasn’t been stellar for the genre, though not for the reasons one Paul Kix recently suggested in an extraordinarily nincompoopish Salon essay: dude, if you only discovered rap in 1989, no wonder you believe dance novelties are evil, and I hereby sentence you to two weeks of learning to do the Popeye. Believe me, the impulse "get funky make money" has been there since the Sugarhill days. And if anything, what makes 2008 sub-par so far is that we didn’t get a “Chicken Noodle Soup” or “Vans” or “Lip Gloss” or “Cupid Shuffle” yet. Gotta say, though - those new albums by Trina and The Lady Tigra sure don’t sound wack.

Song: The Whistling Song
Album: Wild Animals
Artist: The Pinker Tones
Selected by: Sarah Bardeen
Date: May 28, 2008

Furia and Manso sample what sounds like an old Italian dance song, remix the heck out of it, grab a live singer and somehow end up with ... soul music? Nothing says summer like this incredibly sweet slice of hybrid pop.  

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by Toshitaka Kondo

Being a hater is usually frowned upon in hip-hop, but anyone feeling some sort of way toward DJ Green Lantern a.k.a. The Evil Genius could be excused. The Rochester, New York, native has toured and DJ'ed for legends Jay-Z and Eminem, produced hits like D-Block’s “Mighty D-Block (2 Guns Up)” and Ludacris’ “Number One Spot,” and dropped classic mixtapes including Jadakiss’ The Champ Is Here. And during this era of marginal rap record sales, The Evil Genius has aligned himself with one of the most powerful brands in the video game industry with his contributions to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV, which sold six million copies worldwide in its first week. He produced and put together Liberty City Invasion (Music From and Inspired By Grand Theft Auto IV), a soundtrack featuring Busta Rhymes, Clipse, Jim Jones, Fabolous and others. Rhapsody was able to get Green Lantern on the phone to talk about working on Grand Theft Auto IV, whether he's still signed to Def Jam, and The N*****r Tape, his upcoming mixtape with Nas.

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Aimee Mann, @#%&*! Smilers (Rhapsody Premiere)
Aimee Mann's new solo album is full of subtle, somber, contemplative, country-tinged tales of sorrow and regret. Features author Dave Eggers whistling and Mann's usual acerbic wit.

The Walk Up, Down on Pacific (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Tightly wound power pop not unlike a moodier version of The Futureheads or a less-dour Interpol. Down on Pacific is this New York City band's debut full-length album.

Joshua James, The Sun Is Always Brighter (Rhapsody Premiere)
James makes beguiling folk-rock in the vein of David Gray and Sarah Bareilles. The Sun... is full of lilting, hushed melodies and melancholy lyrics.

MTV News recently caught up with My Morning Jacket as they prepped the release of their fifth studio album Evil Urges. In this video, Jim James and the boys talk about simultaneously defying and satisfying their fans' expectations and changing up their sound 10 years into their fruitful career.

by Chuck Eddy

This time, a much more dancey bunch than usual -- at least if you don't mind dancing to weird groups from Continental Europe, or Manhattanites in headdresses. Also, obscure regional rockers, a couple of Canadians and a fellow who turns his trash pile into music.

Song: Closer
Album: Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit
Artist: Slum Village
Selected by: Angela Bruno
Date: May 27, 2008

Sexy. Maybe a little too sexy? (Never.) Explicit. Enticing. Caribbean-flavored. Featuring Dwele. “Candy Rain.” Paris for French toast? Why not? Perfect for the dance floor. Perfect for the after party. Perfect for a lovefest. Perfect for the encore. Perfect for the morning after. 

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Song: Purple
Album: The Lost Tapes
Artist: Nas
Selected by: Sam Chennault
Date: May 23, 2008

For this outtake from the I Am sessions, Nas builds a character study on a fading street don with some serious PR issues: “The hood love you but behind your back they pray for the day/ A bullet hit your heart and ambulances take you away.” Throughout, the QB emcee demonstrates the attention to imagery and wordplay that made him one of hip-hop’s greats.

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by Justin Farrar

To declare Matthew Dear this generation’s Brian Eno just begs for angry responses from incredulous readers. But there’s some truth to the idea, however controversial. Like Eno, one of his heroes, Dear blurs the lines between electronic music and avant rock, experimenting with just about everything under the sun. When using his Audion moniker, he unleashes minimal techno that as relentlessly crushing as a meat mincer – crank the Suckfish collection for the neighbors sometime. As just Matthew Dear, meanwhile, he has blossomed into one of indie pop’s most unique voices. 

Song: Overdrive
Album: Free Gold! 
Artist: Indian Jewelry
Selected by: Justin Farrar
Date: May 22, 2008

A perfect shoegaze ballad – hazy and dreamy and gooey, with female vox drifting through clouds of warm static. But here’s the deal: Indian Jewelry are sinister noise rockers and jittery psych-o-delic explorers. So no matter how gorgeous “Overdrive” is, it’s gonna prick you with a thorn – or three.

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by Chuck Eddy

Canadian hesher-rock band Helix put out their first album in 1979, and placed only one album in the U.S. Top 100 -- in 1984, when Walkin’ on the Razor’s Edge climbed to No. 69. Pennsylvania hesher-rock band Dirty Looks debuted in 1984, and their highest charting album, Turn of the Screw, hit No. 118 in 1989. In The Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal, genre scholar Martin Popoff gives five Helix albums scores of 7 or 8 out of 10; no Dirty Looks LP gets a score higher than 6. Years later, surprisingly enough, both bands have new albums out on Perris Records. And Helix are still more fun.

Song: Time to Pretend
Album: Oracular Spectacular
Artist: MGMT
Selected by: Stephanie Benson
Date: May 21, 2008

Sixteen years ago, MTV premiered The Real World, a spankin' new television concept revolving around, well, you know, the "true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house ..." Who knew it'd be the start of what some believe to be the brilliant brand of reality programming (and what others believe to be a sign of the apocalypse). Scripted or not, audiences don't seem to care. People like The Hills' Heidi and Spencer make us feel a little saner. For reality stars and us "social observers," it certainly has been a "Time to Pretend."

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by Chris Ryan

Surprise bummer attack for those who like their DIY indie-punk concerts to double as celebrations of public space. The Washington Post is reporting that Fort Reno Park, the longtime home for countless free summer shows featuring bands from D.C.'s thriving independent music scene, will be closed indefinitely due to unhealthy levels of arsenic found in the soil.

This Democratic primary is getting a little long in the tooth, no? Shame we don't just handle our business the way MTV's hip-hop braintrust decides the hottest MC in the game: get the superdelegates around a table and have them make disparaging remarks about one another's opinions. Only one leaves crowned most flammable MC. Check out this year's Rhyme Elections as they happened as we present MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game.

Further Reading:
2007's Hottest MCs In The Game

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Mogwai, Young Team (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Mogwai's post-rock-via-post-shoegazer debut full length album gets reissued with bonus material. Featuring a staggering live version of "Mogwai Fear Satan."

moe., Rhapsody Originals
Some of moe.'s finest grooves, heard they way they should be: live and alive, with improvisation aplenty. Featuring "Lazarus" and "New York City."

Song: Jonestown
Album: Annihilation Time III: Tales of the Ancient Age
Artist: Annihilation Time
Selected by: Jen Guyre
Date: May 20, 2008

California skate punks Annihilation Time pair '70s rock chops (think Thin Lizzy) with '80s hardcore swagger (think Black Flag). The result is a thrashing beer-soaked assault.

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Not many Southern California punk rockers can stake claim to a career as varied as that of John Reis. Since 1990, the man fans better know as "Speedo," a nickname he picked up in his second great band, Rocket From the Crypt (his first being Drive Like Jehu, the third Hot Snakes -- both with Rick Froberg), has rarely taken a breather from making smart, fun, driven rock music. And when he's not making it, he's putting it out on his label Swami Records. Lately, he's at it again. Speedo has picked up veteran Snakes-men Gar Wood and Jason Kourkonis, added bassist Tommy Kitsos (a.k.a. Titus Gangbangus) to form his newest great band, the Night Marchers. All these things and more were on his mind when Speedo sat down with Rhapsody in early May.

Further Reading:
The Night Marchers: Marching Onward (Aversion)

Further Viewing:
The Night Marchers, "In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ)" 

by Chuck Eddy

by Jen Guyre

Song: Satellite
Album: Young Liars EP
Artist: TV on the Radio
Selected by: Matty Karas
Date: May 19, 2008

Man-made satellites have been floating in space for half a century. The Soviet Union launched the first in 1957; the United States followed a year later. Satellites of love. Satellites of war. Satellites of science. Satellites of creation. They help us communicate, and they all but guarantee that, eventually, our communication will break down.

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by Angela Bruno

Believe you me, a lot of chair-dancing goes on 'round these parts, primarily because the PLAY braintrust is dance deficient. With all this music at our disposal, there is nary an arena for us to unleash all this rhythmic potential energy. But right now, we are gonna wax kinetic and actually get up out of our rolly chairs (or at least inspire you to do so) and shake it, pop, lock and drop it, sweep it, twerk it and probably receive a summons from the HR department. Right now, we're all about the dance to grime/dubstep producer/rapper Wiley's "Rolex Sweep" (see above clip) -- part Macarena, part blinding migraine, part two-snaps-and-around-the-world don/diva swirl. After the jump, we recall some recent dance crazes (other than the Soulja Boy) and a few others that make us ponder the days of dancing in the courtyard during recess, Yo! MTV Raps, and where all the years have gone -- along with the fluid that once lubricated our cubicle-worn joints.

by Toshitaka Kondo

In 2007, it was easy to group Rich Boy with the so-called “ringtone rappers” who ruled the hip-hop and pop airwaves, given his ubiquitous ode to Cadillacs and wheels “Throw Some D's.” However, the fact that Rich Boy was partnered by one of music’s hottest producers, Polow Da Don (responsible for Fergie’s “London Bridge,” Ciara’s “Promise” and Usher’s “Love In This Club”), should have made it plain that the Alabama MC was no flash in the pan. Any further skepticism was put to rest with “Let’s Get This Paper,” a passionate diatribe against police brutality and the injustices of the legal system, the video of which he funded with his own money. Building on that momentum, Rich Boy recently released the mixtape of mostly new material  Bigger Than the Mayor, featuring Shawty Lo and Rocko. While his protégé was busy shutting-up critics, Polow has also had an eventful year: there’s been the hits, an attempted robbery, and accusations that he’s been borrowing melodies and sounds (for “Love in the Club”) from Apple’s Garage Band software. Polow and Rich Boy both seemed to be in excellent spirits when Rhapsody got them on the phone to discuss the dos and don’ts of their creative process, as well as who they will and won’t work with.

by Chuck Eddy

Song: Natural High
Album: Vanessa Paradis
Artist: Vanessa Paradis
Selected by: Nick Dedina
Date: May 16, 2008

Today, a French model bringing a dash of the Velvet Underground to a Motown and Ike & Tina-style rocker would make a big impact on the American indie-rock circuit. But back in 1992, the college kids were too busy drooling over their grungy flannels to give this a shot. Vanessa Paradis is still making good music, but her fine collaborator here, Lenny Kravitz, has long since learned just to give the people what they want (and not a dash more).

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by Chuck Eddy

More than two decades after the initial sasquatch-like stirrings of Green River and Skin Yard, 17 years after Eddie Vedder updated David-Clayton Thomas’ constipated bellow for the modern world, it was inevitable that country music would eventually absorb the vocal lessons of corporate grunge. There have been hints this would happen: so-called “red dirt” country-rockers like Cross Canadian Ragweed and Renegade Rail have long flaunted Candleboxing moments; Travis Tritt and Jack Ingram have somehow respectively managed to salvage songs by Nickelback and Hinder; post-Vedder-esque ‘90s grunt-soulster Darius Rucker now has an amiable hit called “Don't Think I Don't Think About It” on the country chart. The latest bellwether, to my ears, is a fast-rising co-ed Georgia country-pop trio whose name explicitly if incongruously pays tribute to the slavery-era South.

by Chris Ryan

When you hear "Crosby Loggins," your initial reaction is probably a lot like mine: "Oh! It looks as if the fallen angel Lucifer has sent a satantic musical torture device across the river Styx, taking the form of a duo comprised by Kenny Loggins and David Crosby! Now we will all claw our ear drums out of our heads to avoid hearing the inevitable apocalyptic medley of 'Marrakesh Express' and 'I'm Alright' from the Caddyshack soundtrack. Awesome!" Apparently this is the wrong assumption to be operating heavy machinery under. No, Crosby Loggins is merely the son of Kenny Loggins, and he is the winner of MTV's Rock the Cradle reality show/competition.

Song: Nothing but the Taillights
Album: Nothing but the Taillights
Artist: Clint Black
Selected by: Linda Ryan
Date: May 15, 2008

Clint Black's "Nothing but the Tail Lights" is an anthem-for-the-ladies barnburner that proves the adage, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

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by Chris Ryan 

Lightspeed Champion is the new musical project from former Test Icicles frontman Devonte Hynes. Where the Icicles were a kinda pleasantly juvenile thrash-rock party, Champion is a pleasingly ecclectic take on the solo-DIY singer-songwriter thing. Hynes recorded his first album with the Saddle Creek Records crew (members of the Faint and Bright Eyes taking on session-cat duties), and the resulting Falling Off Lavender Bridge wouldn't sound out of place in that label's catalog. Check out an acoustic performance of the song "Dry Lips" (from ... Bridge) above, via the good folks at Yahoo Music.

Song: Nijaay 
Album: Made in Dakar 
Artist: Orchestra Baobab
Selected by: Sarah Bardeen
Date: May 14, 2008

These guys made a career of massaging African pop, American soul and Cuban son into an organic whole throughout the '70s. Now they're back, and they sound, in our modest opinion, like heaven. Youssou N'Dour guests on this track.

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by Chuck Eddy

It could be months before I get to the bottom of the new Ashlee Simpson album, at least if in-depth Internet analyses of it like these are any indication. What seems indisputable so far is the following: Bittersweet World is Ashlee’s third really good long-player, and it’s still not as good (and nowhere near as emotionally intense) as her previous one. I’m not positive yet that its three best songs are the three that have already been singles (or single-like entities), but I’m leaning in that direction.

What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Lawson Rollins, Infinita (Rhapsody Exclusives)
Lawson Rollins is a guitar virtuoso best known for his work in the duo Young & Rollins. His solo debut features Latin and Middle Eastern sounds, along with vocals from Brazilian legend Flora Purim.

Blackstrap, Steal My Horses and Run (Rhapsody Exclusives)
Ultra-cool, ultra-dark Swedish garage rock. Blackstrap conjures up the rebel without a cause attitude of Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream.

Song: Lucky 
Album: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.  
Artist: Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat
Selected by: Nate Cavalieri
Date: May 13, 2008

This is a match made in heaven -- or at least in Orange County. With their heads in the clouds and their toes in the sand, sandy-voiced It-girl Colbie Caillat and perennially fresh-faced pop kid Jason Mraz sing about being lucky to have each other. It's highly polished yacht rock for a new generation of would-be long-boarders.

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In the newest installment of "John Norris Interviews ..." John sits down with No Age, a Los Angeles duo dead-set on dragging indie rock back to its DIY-ing, fannel-flying, lo-fidelity glory days. He talks to drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist/vocalist Randy Randall about the intersection of noise and pop, the all-ages L.A. performance space The Smell (which gave the band its start) and the joys of being vegan.

Further Reading:
Indie Rock's Non-Awful Year (PLAY)

Further Viewing:
More "John Norris Interviews..." (PLAY)

by Jen Guyre

A show of photographer Peter Beste’s Norwegian Black Metal prints at New York City's Steven Kasher Gallery is a porthole into this under-documented sector of extreme music. Bogged down by violence and crime in the media, black metal has been the topic of much debate and scorn over the last two decades. But through the lens of documentary photographer Beste, members of Gorgoroth, Immortal, 1349, Dimmu Borgir and many other notorious bands are shown in and out of their satanic context, vulnerably and intensely depicted behind the scenes.

Song: On March the Saints
Album: Down IIII: Over the Under
Artist: Down
Selected by: Jen Guyre
Date: May 12, 2008

Inspired by the turmoil of Hurricane Katrina, doom-metal supergroup Down wrote a groove oriented, slow-chugging, Southern-fried hit -- replete with hometown pride -- in honor of the Crescent City’s perseverance and the almighty Saints.

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by Angela Bruno

(Photo: Bao Nguyen via Brooklyn Vegan)

These days, it seems that Nordic sisters are doing it for themselves. Think the electro-pop Madonna of Sweden, Robyn. Or robo-funk chanteuse Kissey Asplund, who smolders over Dilla Donuts-like beatcraft. Or Copenhagen grime emcee Lucy Love. But right now, focus on Precious-Moments-eyed (you know, that longing, sad innocence) Swedish pop singer Lykke Li, who (as Pitbull would say) bojangled her way into the hearts of stateside fans (and this here blogger) with her resonant lyrics and awkward, dance-like-no-one's-watching shoulder shimmy. Last night at the Bowery, in between sets by fellow Swedes Anna Ternheim and El Perro de Mar, Lykke put on an on-point show. And the crowd definitely had a lot to say.

In this exclusive Video Rhap Session, Washington D.C. newcomer Wale stops by to talk about the importance of record sales and why he's ashamed to be a rapper.

Further Reading:
Wale Q&A (PLAY)
Rap's Come-Up Kids (Rhapsody.com)

Song: All That I Got Is You
Album: Ironman
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Selected by: Sam Chennault
Date: May 9, 2008

Few songs are as beautifully bittersweet as Ghostface’s 1996, five-minute memoir of growing up poor in a single-family home. There are roaches in the cereal, four to a bed and friends laughing as a young Ghost goes to “Tex house with a note stating, ‘Gloria, can I borrow some food I'm dead broke.’” Throughout the “snotty nosed” winters, Ghost’s mother blunts a childhood “sharper than cleats” as she “wipes the cold out my eye.” As Mary J. coos the coda, try to not tear up.

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by Chuck Eddy

So if it’s only May, and I can already tolerate four widely acclaimed indie-rock albums, does that mean 2008 is a good year for indie rock, or just that I’m lowering my standards? Then again, Times New Viking's Rip It Off diddles more bashfully and averagely than critics (including yours truly in this Billboard review) have given it credit for, and the world-beat pop of Vampire Weekend has its own well-dissected issues. And now, we’ve got Nouns by No Age and Hold On Now, Youngster by Los Campesinos!, which are both, um, okay. I guess.

by Chris Ryan

Gavin DeGraw has defined himself by defining who he doesn't wanna be. And while he's made his name by lending his muscular, soulful rock songs out to movies and TV (most successfully to the post-teen drama One Tree Hill), he's held on to his success by sticking to a rigorous tour schedule. In this exclusive Rhap Session, DeGraw talks about what he's learned on the road and in the studio, and how the big screen (and little screen) can giveth and taketh away.

by Nate Cavalieri

Some information about Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's lost and lone solo album Pacific Ocean Blue popped up in January in Rolling Stone, and for a brief moment, there was even a video of one of the record's tracks, "River Song," floating around YouTube. Even so, we didn't really understand the full-bore, imminent radness of the re-release until hearing a couple of tracks on Buddyhead (they were swiftly removed). The post justly gushes about the reissue and features an interview with the record's producer Gregg Jakobson. In any case, the anticipation is reaching a fever pitch, and we have the re-release date of June 17 circled and underlined in big, bold marker on our calender.

Kill the oppressive boredom of the days between now and then by observing hirsute MTV personality Mark Goodman interview Brian and Carl backstage at Live Aid in 1985, or listening to Shuggie Otis' once-lost now-rescued classic Inspiration Information.

Song: Nobody
Album: Four Women: The Nina Simone Anthology
Artist: Nina Simone
Selected by: Nate Cavalieri
Date: May 8, 2008

Poor little Nina has nobody at all in this classic tune by Alex Rogers and Bert Williams. Accompanied by a bed of lush strings, her voice never sounded better.

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by Toshitaka Kondo

Most unsigned rappers haven’t done remixes with Lily Allen, toured with Mark Ronson, or hung out with Lindsay Lohan. Then again, Wale (government name Olubowale Victor Akintimehin) wasn't just any another unsigned rapper. The D.C. native also graced the cover of URB magazine, had every blog that matters (and some that don’t) singing his praises, and received glowing endorsements from Jay-Z, Black Thought and Just Blaze. Above all else, he breathed fresh air into a genre that many have declared to be suffocating creatively. Need proof? Look no further than “W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.,” where he spits over Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” Thanks to all this, Wale is no longer unsigned hype. First, he signed to Mark Ronson's Allido Records, and in March, he signed to Interscope. His Seinfeld-inspired The Mixtape About Nothing is due out soon, and his debut album is slated for a late 2008 release. Rhapsody got a hold of a very busy Wale. Here, he talks about less-than-supportive D.C. radio stations, hanging out with Jay-Z, and working with The Roots.

by Chuck Eddy

This time out: A guitarist named Punky who isn't as punky as the punks; the Taylor Swift of 1999; and assorted sonic and conceptual innovators from Australia, Japan and Bangladesh.

Song: Things I Did When I Was Dead 
Album: Nouns
Artist: No Age
Selected by: Garrett Kamps
Date: May 7, 2008

Maybe you like No Age – maybe you like jacked-up guitar skronk and spastic-fantastic drumming underpinning lo-fi vocals – or maybe you scratch your head and wonder what all the literal fuss is about. Either way, it's hard not to like this tune off their latest. Built from a repeated guitar line and some ghostly percussion, it shows off No Age's pretty side. Yes, they have one.

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What’s new? What’s good? What will you find here that you won't hear anywhere else this week? Sit back, relax and click through to the premieres, the originals and the exclusives available only on Rhapsody! This week:

Old 97s, Blame It on Gravity (Rhapsody Premiere)
Rhett Miller and the boys are back with more rollicking alternative country. Angelic harmonies about devilish deeds sung over garage rock you can line dance to.

Filter, Anthems for the Damned (Rhapsody Premiere)
More industrial-dance barrages and post-shoegazer soundscapes from Richard Patrick and Filter. Features the single "Soldiers of Misfortune."

by Chuck Eddy

Phil Vassar might be the current male country star who goes out of his way least to present himself as “country." The cover of his best album - his self-titled one, from 2000 - positioned him and his piano in what appears to be a classily lighted and shadowed urban studio apartment; he's wearing an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt with a black T-shirt underneath, but what it looks like is a bathrobe.

by Chris Ryan

Check out the above MTV News video and watch John Norris get the low-down on lo-fi from bands like Times New Viking and No Age. And be sure to check out (or revisit) our extensive round-up of the noise-rock underground from a few weeks ago.

Further Reading:
The Return of Indie Rock by Justin Farrar (PLAY)

Song: Like to Get to Know You
Album: Greatest Hits
Artist: Spanky & Our Gang
Selected by: Rachel Devitt
Date: May 6, 2008

"I'd like to get to know you" is quite possibly the politest pickup line ever. But, hey, that's just Spanky & Our Gang. The vocals are sweet, the production is pleasant and the folk-pop grooves are so mellow, they're almost catatonic. And we mean catatonic in the best, Sunday-football-nap way.

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by Jaan Uhelszki

For Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, overnight success was years in the making. After paying dues in ensembles ranging from rock to klezmer, Tunstall went to bat for herself, building a reputation as a dynamic live performer and vital wordsmith, crafting lived-in, autobiographical sketches. 2007's Drastic Fantastic followed up her 2004 breakthrough solo debut Eye to the Telescope. In this exclusive Rhap Session, she talks about letting songs simmer in her head, musical influences and turning 30.

Song: Mexican Radio
Album: Sassy
Artist: Kinky
Selected by: Sarah Bardeen
Date: May 5, 2008

One hundred and forty-six years ago today, General Ignacio Zaragoza's motley crew defeated the vastly superior French army at Puebla, and Mexico as we know it was on its way to being born. We could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a traditional ranchera -- "Mexico Lindo y Querido" or something along those lines -- but we think Kinky's madness-inducing remake of Wall of Voodoo's '80s classic gets closer to the heart of contemporary Mexico than anything we've heard lately. It's a furious piece of work, wheeling along at breakneck speed and crashing into accordions, chickens and synthesizers in a way that evokes the country's magic and its contradictions: Mexico is simultaneously modern and stubbornly rural, border-crossing but deeply rooted in place, insular and cosmopolitan ... and always multilingual. Kinky turns this song's inherent kitsch into a brilliant visceral statement on communication, translation and a lot more. It also, quite simply, rocks. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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On this exclusive Video Rhap Session, Virginia superproducer Danja stops by to talk about working with T.I. on his upcoming album, Paper Trail, his feelings on Britney Spears' 2007 VMA performance, and the formula  behind his contagious beats.

by Jen Guyre

Japanese experimentalists Boris have pushed noise rock and ambient drone into many different realms over their 16-year career, and with the addition of 2008’s Smile, they show how the possibilities are practically limitless. Floored by down-tuning master craftsmen The Melvins early on in their musical career, Boris, named after a song from Bullhead, set out to create music that defied standards in the name of originality. Vocalist/guitarist Takeshi, guitarist Wata and drummer Atsuo have garnered worldwide appreciation for their work and etched Boris' name in the experimental tablature with albums like Absolutego, Pink and numerous collaborations with Japanese musicians and drone-metal heroes. With the help of a translator, Atsuo tells us about Boris’ humble beginnings, philosophies and the delicate form of their impressive art.

Song: My Mistakes Were Made for You
Album: The Age of Understatement
Artist: The Last Shadow Puppets 
Selected by: Nick Dedina
Date: May 2, 2008

Younger scrappers will notice the vocals by the Artic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. Old doffers will hear this atmospheric Artic Monkeys side project and think of the Walker Brothers and groovy soundtracks by Ennio Morricone and John Barry. Either way, the mental image is Sean Connery-era James Bond – grab a Bond girl and plunge into a world of intrigue, melodrama and sophisticated seediness. “Innocence and arrogance combined in the filthiest of minds.”

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by Angela Bruno

They say all that glitters is not gold. But all that simmers may just be damn good. The birth of Santogold, nee Philadelphia native, Brooklyn transplant Santi White, was a slow-cooked process, over low flame, that ran the course of a few creative reincarnations. And her self-titled debut is fork-tender – the right textures (dub, new wave, electro, cryptic siren songs) matched with the right flavors (production by Switch, Diplo, the late Disco D, more). By now, you may be familiar with her chronology: music major; A&R intern; frontwoman for the ska-punk band Stiffed; and currently, true-to-the-hype mash-up innovator. She penned/produced Res' slept-on debut How I Do, worked with Mark Ronson, wrote Lily Allen's "Littlest Things" and a couple of tracks for Ashlee Simpon, opened for Björk – and she's M.I.A.'s homegirl. Rhapsody spoke to Santi a few months before Santogold dropped. Here, she delivers the goods on taking control of her career, bucking race/gender roles, mind-melding with Darryl of Bad Brains, kicking it with M.I.A. and Spank Rock, and much, much more.

by Chuck Eddy

This is an example of how you can be both an obsessive music listener and totally out of it these days: Finger Eleven, who are apparently a band from Canada, have this song called "Paralyzer" that's been in the Billboard Hot 100 for 47 weeks now; it climbed as high as No. 6. They also apparently had another real big smash called "One Thing" in 2004. But even though I spend most of my waking hours keeping up with new music, and even though I spent most of the past year working at Billboard of all places, I had no idea at all what Finger Eleven or "Paralyzer" sounded like until last week. To my surprise, it's pretty good.

Song: Melody Day
Album: Andorra
Artist: Caribou 
Selected by: Stephanie Benson
Date: May 1st, 2008

From the opening chord forth, Caribou's Dan Snaith gives you absolutely no time to gather a breath or jot down all the instruments in play on this amped-up mix of flowery psychedelia and sunny pop. Manic chimes, beats, bass and twittering flutes will keep your heart fluttering and your senses swirling.

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