August 2009 Archives

AMC's Mad Men is a show that people either love, hate or have never watched. We love it over here at Rhapsody's "all things 1950s and '60s" desk, and we even put together a playlist of songs from the show's first season, which was its most musically rich (so far). There are actually a couple of modern numbers mixed in here (including the show's theme song by RJD2), though mainly the playlist gives you a good idea of the E-Z listening jazz and pop that was a vital part of the early 1960s.

Play the Mad Men playlist now  and be sure to sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership today.  

Song:  Living For the Night
Album: Hot Mess
Artist:  Cobra Starship

To gear up for MTV's VMAs on Sept. 13, we're kicking off two weeks of free downloads from this year's nominees. Today's freebie: Best Pop Video contender, Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad," featuring Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester. Best Direction. Sponsored by Radio Shack.

When none other than Diddy starts spitting over vintage-styled, Chicago-inspired jack tracks, you know that house music's capital is on the rise. But don't take Diddy's word for it, as entertaining as it is to hear him grumbling, "You can't even get into your thing on a four-minute version" on DJ Hell's upcoming track "The DJ." (Radio Slave clearly knows what Diddy's talking about: his remix clocks in at an incredible 28 � minutes long.)

House music's always been in for the long haul, and this summer it more than pulls its weight as the familiar, disco-driven sound of classic deep house -- pioneered by producers like Phuture, Larry Heard, Jesse Saunders, Frankie Knuckles, Pal Joey, Moodymann, Theo Parrish -- seeps back into dance music, from the basement dives to the megaclubs. We put together a playlist of 50 of 2009's hottest house anthems to keep you moving into the dog days of summer.

Check a selection below, or sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership and listen to the full playlist as well high-quality audio all your favorite house and electronic as much as you want and anytime you want.

On Saturday, August 29, Michael Jackson would've been 51 years old. Obviously this is a very bittersweet occasion. As news that Jackon's death was ruled a homicide, and the obvious loss that we all felt with his passing, it's tempting to get bogged down in a sadness. But, we'd like to take this opportunity to celebrate his life and his music. Below, you'll find a sample of some of his best songs, and you can listen to a full playlist right here. And, of course, you can always sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership to get the full experience: dozens of playlists, radio stations, blog post and, of course, all of his best work in high-quality audio. So, kick back, throw Thriller on repeat and celebrate one of the best who ever did it.

Song:  Living For the Night
Album: Twang
Artist:  George Strait

The Academy of Country Music's Artist of the Decade George Strait offers up another slice of soulful country balladry with hit single "Living For the Night."

Song:  Celebration
Album: Celebration
Artist:  Madonna

Madonna reinforces her three-decade reign over the dance floor with her newest single "Celebration."

After years of erratic, career-destroying behavior (including Bobby Brown-marrying and alleged crack-smoking), Whitney Houston seems finally poised for a much-needed comeback with the release of her new album I Look to You, which drops next Tuesday. But resurrecting one's career from the ashes of one's craziness can be a tricky business. So while we wait with our fingers crossed for Whitney, we thought we'd see how she measured up to some of pop music's other great comebacks.

Check out our picks, and be sure to click through to the "further listening" tab, where we link to high-quality audio of all the great artist mentioned here. And be sure to sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership so that you can listen to all these artists as much as you want (no restrictions, and it's all perfectly legal) as well as collect and share playlist, listen to non-stop radio and get recommendations based on your listening history.

Song:  21 Guns
Album: 21st Century Breakdown
Artist:  Green Day

Get "21 Guns," Green Day's great power ballad from their hit album 21st Century Breakdown.

single-phile: The latest singles, dissected and discussed

A savvy businessman, an industry player with an ear for up-and-coming talent, and, of course, one of the most quick-witted, silver-tongued emcees in the game, Jay-Z is many things -- and most of them are synonymous with hip-hop credibility (no matter how many times he "retires"). But Beyonce's (alleged) hubby is also one of the music industry's best and brightest pop stars, a label that has not so often been synonymous with hip-hop credibility. Which brings us to another of Hova's claims to fame: perhaps more than any other contemporary emcee (with the exception of Kanye, who helped orchestrate many of Jay's hits), he has managed to strike an impressive balance between chart-topping pop viability and hip-hop respectability, to prove over and over again that the twain shall meet (and that they weren't really all that disparate to begin with). This is a man who knows his way around a hook -- and isn't afraid to use it to reel you into his flow. On this week's single-phile, we take a listen to some of Jay-Z's biggest pop songs, including several high-profile guest shots and his latest, "Run This Town," off his upcoming The Blueprint 3.

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds.

ARTIST: Margaret Cho RECORD: Pet Sounds

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Wavves

La Roux

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

Song:  Run This Town
Album: Run This Town
Artist:  Jay-Z

Not only does the power trio of Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West undoubtedly "Run This Town," they could take over the world with this powerhouse single.

At Rhapsody, we love Frank Sinatra. We have every official album Sinatra ever recorded in one easy-to-find place, as well as the Frank’s World radio station and a series of blog posts that deal exclusively with the man. So, yes, we have a passion for Old Blue Eyes and his music.

So when the news went out that Martin Scorsese was planning a biopic of Frank Sinatra, it was met with both relief and anxiety. Relief because Scorsese is a brilliant director who has shown a rare ability to artfully use popular music in his movies. Anxiety because Marty could knock out the music and just make the movie about (overblown) mob connections, the vocalist's alcohol-fueled altercations and his endless list of celebrity girlfriends.

It's not that Sinatra’s life story can’t be told -- it's just that if the movie doesn’t actually deal fully with his art, then it doesn't have a reason to exist. It should be about music.

Rhapsody loves comedy. We offer great comedy playlists and an entire section devoted to stand-up, as well as a professionally programmed radio station. With funnyman Patton Oswalt releasing My Weakness Is Strong, we decided to look back at some of the greatest comedy routines of the past 50 years. Check out our picks below, listen to a sampler playlist at the bottom of the post and be sure to listen, collect and share all of your favorite comedy and music tracks with your free Rhapsody membership.

Song:  Fireflies
Album: Ocean Eyes
Artist:  Owl City

Get a free download of the single “Fireflies” from the fast-rising electro-pop artist Owl City.

Ah, 1999, we hardly knew ye: we were so caught up in preparing for the looming millennial ball drop that we dropped the ball on savoring the waning days of a thousand-year stretch that began with the founding of Norway and ended, as usual, with Dick Clark holding court in Times Square, as I'm pretty sure he'd done every year since around the time of the Norman Conquest. (The big difference at 1999's New Year's Eve parties was that people seemed to be listening to a lot more Prince, for whatever reason.)

Blame the Y2K bug for our inattention. But at least we danced. Oh, how we danced. Basement Jaxx, Underworld, the Chemical Brothers, Moby and other relics of the rave era were enjoying proper pop credibility. Dr. Dre was "Still D.R.E.," while Britney was, well, still Britney, but without the "b*tch." Le Tigre proved that riot grrrls were down with the disco. And the underground was teeming with activity, from U.K. garage to minimal techno. Relive it all with our five-hour playlist of the best dance tracks that 1999 had to offer. Don't you deserve a break from the "oughts"? Thought so. Check a sampling below, and get the whole thing here at Playlist Central.

When your peers have last names like Cyrus and Jonas, pulling ahead of the pack might seem frustrating, if not impossible. But Demi Lovato seems poised to do just that. The young star scored quite an introduction with last year's Camp Rock and hasn't slowed her roll yet, following that mega-hit with more movies, her own Disney show (Sonny with a Chance) and a Jonas-helmed debut album. For her second album, Lovato upped the ante, working with idol John Mayer to create a record that really shows off her wide range and mature pop-rock vocals -- but still appeals to her young fans. Serious, driven and with just a hint of bad girl (or at least passionate artist) about her, the star discusses future plans (hint: Camp Rock 2!!!), musical goals and, of course, a few of her famous friends. Check out an exclusive playlist at the end of the interview that features Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Mayer and more, and click here to join Rhapsody and have unlimited access to high-quality versions of the newest tracks from all today’s top pop stars.

Today, Saturday, August 29, Michael Jackson would've been 51 years old. Obviously this is a very bittersweet occasion. As news unfolded that Jackon's death was ruled a homicide, and with the obvious loss that we all felt with his passing, it's tempting to get bogged down in sadness. But, we'd like to take this opportunity to celebrate his life and his music.

Below, you'll find a sample of some of his best songs, and you can listen to a full playlist right here. And, of course, you can always sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership to get the full experience: dozens of playlists, radio stations, blog posts and, of course, all of his best work in high-quality audio. So kick back, throw Thriller on repeat and celebrate one of the best who ever did it.

Song:  Every Breath You Take
Album: Synchronicity
Artist:  The Police

Get a free download of the Police's classic hit "Every Breath You Take."

August is a slow month for record releases, so I thought I'd highlight some upcoming news. Don't worry, we've got plenty of new music for you as well -- scroll down for a playlist featuring the Hyperdub debut of Global Communication's Mark Pritchard and Sa-Ra's Om'mas Keith; breakbeat maven Si Begg and bleep veterans Unique 3; an Autechre new remix of the Black Dog; offbeat house from Who Made Who and DJ Koze; a new Boys Noize-approved banger from D.I.M.; club-ready remixes of classic Fatboy Slim; a brief introduction to the Troubled Mind of the Gaslamp Killer, the newest signing to Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder imprint; and a new track from downtempo stalwarts Zero 7.

America lost a genuine cultural treasure when on August 7, 2009, Mike Seeger succumbed to cancer. Though he lacked the high profile of his half-brother Pete, who is more or less considered the patron saint of the American folk revival, Mike is in many ways the greatest artist and musician to have emerged from the extended Seeger clan.

Seeger’s work as a sound explorer, archivist and music historian forms a large chunk of his reputation. He rediscovered and recorded the work of several obscure Southern and Appalachian troubadours, including the now-legendary Dock Boggs. In the last years of Boggs' life, Seeger had become his booking agent and closest confidante. Seeger also played a pivotal role in the bluegrass revival of the 1960s. Along with fellow folklorist Ralph Rinzler, as well as other East Coast “citybillies” utterly obsessed with the music, Seeger helped resuscitate the careers of both Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.

This is how record companies work: if you ask about getting an old movie soundtrack re-released for Rhapsody -- say, that of Pretty In Pink or The Breakfast Club -- they will tell you that it is nearly impossible to do.

Then, writer/director John Hughes passes away, and two days later the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club shows up on Rhapsody. It's amazing how a tragic death changes everything.

 Hughes really did love pop music; apparently he made and passed out a number of mix tapes for cast, crew and friends back in the 1980s. When I was a kid I loved Hughes' comedy writing in the National Lampoon magazine. His first produced script -- Vacation -- was taken from a story he wrote for that lamented monthly. From there, Hughes quickly went on to direct movies as well as write them.

The theme song from The Breakfast Club, Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me," went to No. 1 back in 1985 and seems to have weathered the decades pretty well. Sadly, I can't say the same for the rest of the soundtrack, which is chock full of tunes seemingly designed by a computer program that creates music for generic late 1980s teen comedies.  

But there were a number of good songs in John Hughes movies, including gems by 1980s New Wave giants like the Psychedelic Furs, the Smiths, Suzanne Vega and Echo and the Bunnymen.

Here's a playlist I made of songs from John Hughes movies.

I'd say that Pretty in Pink contains the highest ratio of top-quality songs, but Sixteen Candles is the John Hughes movie that holds up the best. The nice surprise in going through his films was that a number of quality oldies and novelty tunes showed up.


 

Song: Drive
Album: Heartbeat City
Artist: The Cars

Get the Cars' hit "Drive" from 1984's Heartbeat City.

Song: Rock Lobster
Album: The B-52s
Artist: The B-52s

The B-52's were one of the coolest, weirdest bands to come out of the new wave explosion. Evidence: "Rock Lobster." Download it for free and you're on your way to being just as cool.

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds.

ARTIST: Parachute RECORD: Love Is Hell

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Wavves

La Roux

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

Song: Burning Down the House
Album: The Best Of Talking Heads
Artist: Talking Heads

Boogie like it's the '80s with the classic Talking Heads' track "Burning Down the House."

Song: Uprising
Album: Uprising
Artist: Muse

The bombastic Brit rockers release their first single -- a little bit Queen, a little bit Blondie's "Call Me" -- off upcoming The Resistance.

If you're reading this and you were actually at Woodstock (the 1969 version, not the one with Limp Bizkit), then congratulations: You defied the odds and learned to use the Internet! Isn't it a strange place? Like, there are naked people everywhere on this thing! Talk about free love! Plus, there's free music, free movies -- it's like the '60s never ended here in good ol' cyberspace. In recognition of this fact, and perhaps also the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock itself, we've compiled the following assortment of playlists, albums and pictorials -- our own little '60s rock compendium. So tune in, turn on and click through.

EXPERIENCE: Check out our list of Woodstock's 20 Most Essential Albums and listen along.

PLAY: An Introduction to the Mud-Caked Joys of Woodstock.

RADIO: Press play and enjoy hours of Bic Worthy moments with our Classic Rock Concerts radio station.

ANALYZE: Too cool for Woodstock? See Chuck Eddy's proposal for an alternate roster.

ROCK OUT: Listen to all of Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock set.

GROOVE: Sway along to Janis Joplin's entire Woodstock set.

Gorgeous Johnny is finally out. Sweet. I’ve been waiting three years for a new album from the Skygreen Leopards. Their last, 2006’s Disciples of California, is so good it had me writing all kinds of wacky copy about Jerry Garcia fronting Television Personalities in a dive bar in Santa Cruz. (Oh, wait a minute. Maybe that was Mickey Dolenz and the Go-Betweens?)

Disciples strikes the perfect balance between 1980s twee and rootsy, West Coast folk-pop. Since its release I’ve stumbled across more than a few indie bands exploring similar turf. I dig a lot of them, particularly San Diego’s Donkeys, whose Living on the Other Side is just splendid. But for the most part very few of them can do what the Leopards do. Even with the Donkeys, you can point to a specific guitar lick or riff and say “That’s so Neil Young” or “Man, that sounds a lot like ‘Ripple.’” What makes Disciples special, in contrast, is how the album channels the golden age of California pop, folk and country without ever aping it, without ever sounding like a Monkees tribute band or the Grateful Dead, Jr. Ultimately, the Leopards are more about capturing the feeling of that era rather than its actual sound.

Now having said all that, Gorgeous Johnny finds the Skygreen Leopards backing away from their love of classic California. I mean, it does have its moments, like the Smile-inspired vocal magic of “Goodnight Anna” (the album’s third best song after (1) “Can Go Back” and (2) the title track). But overall, Gorgeous Johnny is way less pastoral, way less wandering-the-countryside-on-a-Saturday-afternoon music. In fact, it’s really kind of urban. Like one of America’s half-dozen classic flatiron buildings, it’s lined with finely detailed ornamentation. The album’s artwork gives all this away. Where Disciples’ cover is a dusty country road (albeit one with a gigantic skull hovering at its end), this new record sports a colorful painting of a city block full of towering apartment buildings.

Though the Leopards’ artistic core are singer-songwriters Glenn Donaldson and Donovan Quinn, the recent addition of multi-instrumentalist Jason Quever helps explain the sound of the new album. This dude is the brains behind Papercuts. If you dig richly textured dream pop, then check out their latest release You Can Have What You Want, released this past spring. Quever, unlike Quinn and Donaldson, doesn’t sound as if he writes songs while strumming a guitar underneath the protective canopy of a redwood forest. He’s more of a composer-type, one who probably develops ideas on the piano. Of course, I’m just guessing here, but I think I’m on to something. A good chunk of Gorgeous Johnny feels more composed, more baroque -- more rococo. (Ha! That word rules.) Several songs unfold like mini-suites stitched together from two or three song fragments. The most striking just might be the oddly titled “SGL’s et al.” It opens with piano and handclaps drowning in echo, that whole recorded-down-the-hall effect. This ends abruptly, giving way to Quinn mumbling like Lou Reed after staying awake for 36 straight hours. He’s saying something about the band getting in the van and driving to the sea. Gradually, Quinn melts into a hazy, droning chant involving a little strummed guitar and about three or four hushed voices. It’s really quite... gorgeous.

Then again, so is the rest of this more-than-worthy follow-up.

PS - You in need of even more Skygreen Leopards? Then check out their Rhapsody celebrity playlist! It’s packed with all kinds of good stuff: The Kinks, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Clientele, Lou Reed, Outrageous Cherry and more.

It is hard to think of one person who has shaped so much of popular music, in so many different ways, as the legendary Les Paul.

Since music was so central to Paul's life, we thought nothing would be more appropriate than a playlist of the great man's music to play as you read on.

Les Paul played beautiful guitar that influenced jazz, country, EZ listening, electronic experimentation and rock ’n’ roll. He invented the solid-bodied electric guitar (a massive seller, the Les Paul Gibson is still favored by many famous guitarists like Jimmy Page). Paul also helped create many modern recording techniques (including multi-tracking). He led a weekly television series with his wife Mary Ford (with whom he had dozens of hit singles) for most of the 1950s. When he shattered his arm in an accident, Paul had the nearly immovable limb set in the “guitar playing” position so he could still perform. He won two Grammys at age 90 -- for new material. Wow. Les Paul ruled!

Beloved by fans and (especially by) his fellow musicians, Les Paul played a weekly club gig until he passed away at age 94. If you need a life to serve as an example, you may want to ask yourself, “What would Les Paul do?”

Song: Too Many Rappers (featuring Nas)
Album: Too Many Rappers (featuring Nas)
Artist: Beastie Boys

News of Adam Yauch's cancer has forced the Beastie Boys to delay the release of their new album. For now, they've given us a peek of it with "Too Many Rappers," featuring Nas.

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds.

ARTIST: 3OH!3 RECORD: It's Not Me, It's You

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Wavves

La Roux

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

Mocky's new album, Saskamodie, makes great use of the Paris studio in which it was recorded, channeling the spirit of artists who have previously recorded there -- Nina Simone, Serge Gainsbourg -- into a wonderfully warm and intimate take on '60s lounge pop. The presence of friends and co-conspirators like Jamie Lidell and Feist only enhances the Canadian musician's ample, obvious talents as a songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist.

Mocky's recent performance in his current hometown, Berlin, didn't feature any of those names, and the setting couldn't have been more different from the celebrated Paris studio. The show took place at Badeschiff, an artificial beach along the banks of the Spree river, where the band performed beneath a plastic tarp while the crowd sat in folding hammock chairs or sprawled on damp sand. Berlin's clockwork summer showers had begun shortly after soundcheck and let up, more or less, right about the time the band came on stage. (Serendipity, or something more?)

Song: Wrong
Album: Sounds of the Universe
Artist: Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode may be '80s icons, but they've proven their stamina time and again, especially with tracks like "Wrong" from their latest, Sounds of the Universe.

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds.

ARTIST: Gloriana RECORD: Nico

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Rachel

Tom

Mike

Megadeth

Song: Acting Out
Album: Guilty Pleasure
Artist: Ashley Tisdale

High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale is branching out and "Acting Out" on this track from her new album, Guilty Pleasure.

Song: Soap on a Rope
Album: Chickenfoot
Artist: Chickenfoot

Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith make up new supergroup Chickenfoot. Get "Soap on a Rope" from the band's debut album.

Song: Here We Go Again
Album: Here We Go Again
Artist: Demi Lovato

With hit tracks like "Here We Go Again," Demi Lovato pulls ahead of the Disney pack.

To discuss their latest effort Grey Britain, we caught up with Laurent Barnard and Lee Barratt, the noble guitarist and drummer of the U.K.'s fiery hardcore/ punk exports Gallows.

single-phile: The latest singles, dissected and discussed

What a week, pop fans! Not one, but two fierce, fabulous, formative pop divas have dropped new singles this week. So, naturally, we thought it best to pit them against each other. In this corner, we have Madonna, whose "Celebration" anticipates her upcoming Greatest Hits collection. And in this corner is none other than Ms. Whitney Houston, coming out of a decade or two of struggle and scandal with a new attitude and a brand new comeback single called "I Look to You." Although they aren't typically all that closely associated with each other, these two dueling divas have experienced some rather fascinating career parallels: They are close in age (Whitney's 45 and Madge is 50) and career contemporaries (both got their start in the early '80s) with an impressive number of hits under their respective belts (Whitney's had 11 No. 1 hits and Madonna's had 12). More than quantity, however, it's the quality of their singles -- and the analogous career trajectories they trace -- that makes this battle royale so compelling. And logical. Totally, totally logical. Off we go!

San Francisco's Om label is celebrating 15 years with the aptly titled Om 15, a double-disc compilation featuring label long-timers (J-Boogie, Lance De Sardi, Mike Monday [pictured], Pezzner) as well as illustrious guests from across the dance scene: Spirit Catcher, Radio Slave, Atjazz, Christian Prommer, even Bugz in the Attic's Daz-I-Kue, a broken-beat heavyweight who's been relatively quiet in recent years. Reflecting Om's uptempo and downtempo poles, the comp divides roughly into two parts. You'll find various shades of deep house, tech-house, disco-house and even hip-house (thanks Daz!) on Disc 1. Disc 2 is mellower, but it's surprisingly varied and surprisingly invigorating, with rootsy dub (Idan K & the Movements of Rhythm), starry-eyed deep house (Charles Webster and Samantha James) and shades of '90s ambient. Listen to the entire compilation embedded in the playlist below.

To commemorate the occasion, the label put together an exclusive playlist for Rhapsody. Om Records: 15 Years in 15 Tracks blazes through the label's history with tracks from Naked Music NYC, People Under the Stairs, King Kooba and more. For an even fuller overview, check out our own massive playlist featuring over 100 tracks from the Om archives, and read about five classic Om albums after the jump.

Alexisonfire’s latest release Old Crows, Young Cardinals, is a hardcore fan’s wet dream. The songwriting demonstrates exactly what this Canadian quintet has to bring to the table and is Alexisonfire’s most thought out and impressive release to date. Featuring 43 minutes of non-stop, explosive, rock ecstasy, Old Crows may very well be the all-around best release to come out of the hardcore genre this year. Combined with string-bending hammer-ons, backed by raucous drum fills, Dallas Green and George Pettit’s mixture of angelic and demonic vocal styles create an almost perfect collection of tracks that when performed live, will assuredly be fueling circle-pits around the globe. Alexisonfire might possibly be the best band you’ve never heard of. With four full-length releases behind them, two of which went Platinum in Canada, one of which went Gold and Old Crows, Young Cardinals, which peaked at #2 on the Canadian charts, it’s a mystery as to what has kept them from climbing to the top of US rock charts, until now. The guys recently sat down with Rhapsody to discuss the death of punk rock, how Nickelback has influenced their band and exactly what has kept them from exploding onto US rock radio.

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Time To Die was released on August 4, 2009.

ARTIST: The Dodos RECORD: Ocs 3+4

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

St. Vincent

La Roux

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

Song: I Run To You
Album: Lady Antebellum
Artist: Lady Antebellum

Get Lady Antebellum's tender hit ballad, "I Run to You," from the country trio's hit debut album.

Wailing solos, catchy hooks, sing-along choruses, ventures into heartfelt balladry: there's a lot to be said for the sonic style of hair metal. To look at the fashion -- between the sleazy cross-dressing, the leather-denim-spandex combinations and the studded spikes and shiny belts -- there are so many key elements. But hey, there's a reason it's called HAIR metal, am I right? So many creative coifs came and went with the rise and fall of '80s pop metal. From pretty procurements to crazy creations, let's take a look at the excessive hair that dominated a decade and thus named a movement.

Listen to our all-new hair metal radio station Big Hair while reading on.

Song: Ignorance
Album: Ignorance
Artist: Paramore

Two years after releasing hit album Riot!, the fiery Hayley Williams leads the Grammy-nominated Paramore on punchy new single "Ignorance."

Joakim

Twenty years after the "Second Summer of Love" -- the English rave heyday of 1988-'89 -- the movement's fashions may have mostly faded from view, but its sonic hallmarks are as durable as ever. Here are five records that play fast and loose with the sounds of classic electronic dance music, reminders of the halcyon days just before the Internet changed everything, when smiley faces were round and yellow and "tweeting" was for rave whistles.

England's Warp label turns 20 this year, celebrating a journey that's taken them from acid-house upstarts to stalwarts of the indie avant-garde. Read up on classic albums, dig in to our playlist of favorite songs and tune in to our custom Warp radio station, featuring exclusive tracks you won't hear anywhere else on Rhapsody.

Hear: Your fave Warp songs on our exclusive radio station

Listen: Warp's most celebrated songs in one killer playlist

Essential: The artists that defined the Warp era

Rocks: Warp kicks out the jams

The "Other": Journey to the exotic fringes of Warp Further Reading: Stay informed with Philip Sherburne's Concentric Pleasures column

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Baatin of legendary indie hip-hop group Slum Village passed on August, 2nd, 2009. The loss was unexpected and monumental for the underground hip-hop community. At the age of 35, Baatin had been an integral part of one the most enjoyable and influential indie hip-hop groups of the past decade. Mayer Hawthorne's On the Record was conducted a week before Baatin's passing, and confirms the lasting appeal of Slum Village's masterwork.

ARTIST: Mayer Hawthorne RECORD: Fantastic Vol. 2

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

St. Vincent

Ladytron

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

Song: Shining Down
Album: Shining Down
Artist: Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco, the "Superstar" emcee, re-teams with Matthew Santos on "Shining Down," a dramatic single that's both icy cool and hotly passionate.

Woodstock obviously featured a handful of undeniably great bands, plus the occasional world-shaking performance by B-listers (Ten Years After's "I'm Going Home.") But those were exceptions. Maybe if the lineup had more fully captured the scope of rock and pop music in 1969, the result would have been more exciting, and less a tedious snoozefest. So here's a modest proposal for an alternate roster -- with every artist replaced by somebody comparable but cooler.