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South Park Sessions: Thao & Mirah

2011-09-26T17:44:20Z

South Park Sessions is a new Rhapsody TV project wherein we invite our favorite musicians out to a lovely park near our San Francisco offices for a stripped-down, intimate, (hopefully) sunshine-filled private show. Indie-folk sirens Thao & Mirah were kind enough to take the plunge and go first. And so, live from South Park in SF, here's an exclusive performance of "Hallelujah," a highlight from their self-titled debut album. Enjoy.

The power of one woman with a mic and a guitar is a force to be reckoned with. Now double that. Thao Nguyen (of The Get Down Stay Down) and singer-songwriter Mirah do just that on their debut, adding tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus as producer for a trifecta of Bay Area female fierceness. The quirkier spots point to Garbus, like the clickety-clackety punch of opener "Eleven"; her eccentric touches balance beautifully with Thao's subtle grit and Mirah's softer inclinations. Whether they try on waltzing folk, sun-kissed acoustic, loopy pop or big-band jazz, it all fits like a glove. [Stephanie Benson]

September 11, 2001 Scrapbook

2011-09-07T17:04:36Z

We all reacted to the horrible events of September 11, 2001, in our own ways — wherever we were, whatever we were doing, whichever CD or radio station or fizzy pop single we first reached for to help us cope. Here, Rhapsody's editors offer their own musical perspectives, from saber-rattling country to hopeful worship music, from pop-punk bromides to plaintive protest songs, from the momentary tentativeness of comedy to the fieriness of hip-hop to the transcendence of jazz. As Sonny Rollins put it, "Maybe music can help. I don't know, but we have to try something." Here's what we tried.

Sifting Through the Ashes in New York City

I was in Park Slope, Brooklyn, that morning, about to board the subway for work in Lower Manhattan, when my roommate told me I should turn the TV on. After the second plane hit, I went up to the roof of our apartment building and watched the smoke. Cars were dusted with ashes as far south as where I lived. I spent the day switching between staring at TV news and trying to drown out the hell in my head (and the fear that the Army might call me back up) with desolate ambient doomsday metal: Neurosis, My Dying Bride, Amorphis droning about mushroom clouds.

]]> Village Voice, where I worked as music editor and within days would put together a special section devoted to the attacks. Lower Manhattan looked like a ghost town.

Over the next few months, I sorted through more than a thousand submissions of 9/11-inspired songs and chose 18 to appear on a Voice album I curated to benefit World Trade Center victims. Artists participating: Moby ("Memory Gospel"), Cornershop, The Mekons, Joseph Arthur, future Tea Partier Moe Tucker ("Fired Up"), Andrew W.K. ("I Love NYC"), Afrikaa Bambaataa, ex-Slit Ari Upp, Sheila Chandra, Hakim, Gogol Bordello ("Baro Foro"), Uri Caine, Loudon Wainwright III, Peter Stampfel's Du-Tels, Atmosphere, Baaba Maal, Matthew Shipp, and Lenny Dee (with his noise-techno DJ Skinhead collaboration "Extreme Terror"). The range of that music — crossing styles and continents, with particular attention paid to the Middle East — was intentional. But it did not make the coming decade any less divisive. — Chuck Eddy

Alan Jackson and the Ultimate Post-9/11 Anthem

On November 7, 2001 — less than two months after the September 11 attacks — Alan Jackson performed a brand-new song at the CMA Awards. He quickly moved the audience to tears, and "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning") soon became the quintessential post-9/11 song for many.

Jackson later explained that he wanted to write a song that wasn't vengeful or patriotic, but simply encapsulated how he felt on that day. He obviously hit the emotional nail on the head, as "Where Were You" went on to top both the country and pop charts. Many artists wrote post-9/11 songs immediately after the attacks, but very few bothered after Jackson weighed in. As Lon Helton, country editor of the now-defunct trade publication Radio & Records, put it, "Alan Jackson's song stopped about 150 guys in their tracks. They heard it and just put down their pens."

Traditionally, country music goes hand-in-hand with conservative patriotism and tales of war. Perhaps that's because, as Josh Thompson writes of his country brethren in the song "Way Out Here," "We got a fightin' side a mile wide but we pray for peace/ 'Cause it's mostly us that end up serving overseas." In any case, Jackson's wasn't the only song to reverberate. Check out our playlist of post-9/11 country songs, and patriotic songs that took on new significance in a post-9/11 world. — Linda Ryan

Playlist: Country's Best Post 9/11 and Patriotic Songs

Retail Therapy: Jay-Z, Nickelback and 9/11's Other New Releases

Slayer put out an album called God Hates Us All on September 11, 2001. You couldn't make this stuff up. But the album that ends with the triptych of "War Zone," "Here Comes the Pain" and "Payback" was hardly that day's most notable release.

For excellence, head straight for Jay-Z's The Blueprint, arguably his crowning achievement and a critical/commercial juggernaut so massive he's made two (inferior) sequels. For notoriety, it's gotta be Mariah Carey's Glitter soundtrack, a titanic debacle that once threatened to ruin her career. And then there's Bob Dylan, who loosed the critically adored Love and Theft upon the world that morning, full of apocalyptic imagery that made him look eerily prophetic: "What did Dylan know and when did he know it?" wondered Greg Tate in the Village Voice.

Elsewhere, you had au courant nu-metalheads P.O.D. offering Satellite, and the major-label debut from a modest little Canadian dude-rock outfit called Nickelback: Silver Side Up is home to "How You Remind Me," maybe the No. 1 song to blare at the gym while newly patriotic bros upped their bench-press reps and imagined taking on the Taliban themselves. If you found all that a little ridiculous, so did Ben Folds, whose wry solo debut, Rockin' the Suburbs, lampooned the mooks incessantly.

Of course the single most famous record affected by the events of 9/11 was actually The Coup's Party Music, a politically incendiary party-rap classic that wasn't due out for a month but caused a stir in the aftermath anyway: the (quickly changed) cover image depicted members Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress blowing up the World Trade Center. Prog-metal giants Dream Theater encountered a similar problem: their Live Scenes from New York was out that day, with a cover featuring a flaming apple topped by the Twin Towers. (That version is now a collector's item.)

Personally, diving back into all of this, the September 11, 2001, record that strikes me as most poignant now is probably the least ominous-feeling: They Might Be Giants' Mink Car, a minor entry in the relentlessly clever Brooklyn duo's catalog, but listening now to the simultaneously goofy and melancholy dance pop anthem "Man, It's So Loud in Here" is oddly affecting. A few months later, I went to a T.M.B.G. show in Columbus, Ohio, that was interrupted by a full power outage; in the hour-long wait until a backup generator arrived, they did a few songs unplugged, after cofounder John Flansburgh shushed the restless crowd by noting, "We come from a place that's dealing with far worse problems than this one." — Rob Harvilla

Top of the Charts: The Biggest Songs That Week

It's a somewhat macabre business, musically re-creating 9/11 with a playlist of the top songs on the charts that week. After all, none of us wants to relive that tragedy — or, worse, to pickle and preserve it into some kind of musical commemorative plate that's cut off from the real-life pain and loss that our country experienced that day. But in another sense, looking back at the music of the week of September 11 is more like creating and then unearthing a time capsule, an aural document not only of a formative moment in American history, but also of American culture at that time. So what can we learn about ourselves from the top songs the week of September 11, 2001? Well, even as the United States went through one of the most traumatic experiences in its history, we still found inspiration to think about love; to dance to the diverse sounds (from hip-hop to country) that make up the palette of American pop; and to be joyful, with a little help from fellow Americans like Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Usher, Missy Elliott, Sugar Ray and more. — Rachel Devitt

Playlist: A Musical Snapshot of September 11, 2001: The Songs on the Charts

The Statue of Liberty Shakes Her Fist, and a Country Goes to War

From the day Al-Qaeda hit its targets, I imagined Brooks & Dunn's hard-rocking patriotic country hit from that summer, "Only in America" — out three months at that point, and one of my favorite 2001 singles — becoming an exceptionalist anthem; in the next half-decade, it would be used by both Republicans and Democrats in presidential campaigns, and by Oliver Stone in his World Trade Center movie. But it's still not the country song that people most associate with 9/11.

That would, of course, be Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (The Angry American)," which would come out in May 2002 and go on to top the country charts. It was impossibly rousing (I've sung it, badly, in karaoke myself); impossibly ridiculous in its violent imagery ("the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist," then "we put a boot in your ass, it's the American way"); and impossibly offensive in its jingoist propagandizing if you wanted it to be But it was — like it or not — a song that had to be sung, because all wars of magnitude need war songs of similar magnitude, and who better to sing it than probably the greatest male singer of the 21st century's first decade?

Keith — a self-proclaimed conservative Democrat who has claimed he never supported our preemptive adventure in Iraq — initially played it only for troops, the story goes, but eventually put it out after a Marine Corps Commandant told him it was his duty to inspire the men and women in uniform. In some ways, it was undoubtedly pure opportunism: though he later named a 2003 album Shock'n Y'all, and though he has recorded a handful of red-state editorials since, they really aren't Keith's main stock in trade, or even what he's best at.

As warmongering country goes, "Courtesy" wasn't alone: Darryl Worley's 2003 No. 1 hit "Have You Forgotten?" deceitfully pretended Iraq was responsible for September 11; Hank Williams Jr.'s 2002 "America Will Survive" updated his three-decade-old urbanite-baiting anthem "A Country Boy Can Survive" for current-event consumption; and Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins both fought their own good fights. But "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" is the one that defined its time, for all time — and, ultimately, defined its artist. Toby Keith will never live it down. But there's a lot the rest of us will never live down, too. — C.E.

The Dixie Chicks and the Perils of Post-9/11 Political Controversy

Not since Chicago's infamous 1979 Disco Demolition Night has there been such a vociferous backlash to a body of music. Back then, it was an entire genre. In 2003, the target was more precise: the Dixie Chicks.

There are numerous examples of entertainers suffering the consequences of their outspoken opposition to America's post-September 11 actions and policies, but none compare to what happened here. While the Texas-based country trio was on tour in England, singer Natalie Maines famously declared that the band was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," setting off a firestorm of controversy that still resonates more than eight years later. In fact, the band's saga so thoroughly saturated pop culture that it resulted in a famous Entertainment Weekly cover, a full-length documentary (Shut Up and Sing), and the phrases "Dixie Chicking" and "Dixie Chicked" permanently joining the vernacular.

The trio, once music's top-grossing "girl group" thanks to No. 1 albums like 1999's Fly and 2002's Home, was subsequently blacklisted from most country radio playlists. More conservative — or patriotic, depending on your politics — pundits actively encouraged Dixie Chicks CD-burning parties. Ticket sales in many concert markets plummeted, and the group received death threats.

In 2007, the Chicks swept the Grammy Awards with their album Taking the Long Way, taking home statues for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and, oddly, Country Album of the Year. Despite this, they haven't made a new album since, and neither Natalie Maine's solo single (a cover of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows") nor Emily Robison and Martie Maguire's offshoot band Court Yard Hounds has gained any real traction. No band's trajectory was more drastically affected by the cultural climate after September 11. — L.R.

Playlist: The Dixie Chicks Best Of

Rap Struggles to Respond

It may be unfair to single out rap artists for their response to the tragic events of September 11. Artists in every discipline, from music to movies to literature and visual art, have struggled to express themselves in this defining moment. But in a genre that prizes topicality and ghetto realism, whether it's a carefully edited documentary or an exaggerated form of musical verité, the halting way rappers chose to address the World Trade Center attacks is particularly glaring. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, there was mostly silence. The rapid-reaction MP3 infrastructure that swirls around any major event today didn't truly exist yet, so most of the late-2001 release slate didn't mention it, including Jay-Z's The Blueprint (famously released on September 11) and Dilated Peoples' Expansion Team. However, contemporaneous work took on new significance, including Cannibal Ox's diary of New York squalor The Cold Vein, Trick Daddy's condemnatory "Amerika," and DMX's street-revolutionary anthem "Who We Be." Advance artwork for The Coup's Party Music featured Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress blowing up the Twin Towers with a radio tuner, but it was quickly replaced after the attacks and before the album's November 6 release.

The lone exception to this disquiet was Sage Francis' "Makeshift Patriot." Recorded and released several weeks after the attacks as a free MP3, it has a reportorial perspective as he compares the terrorist-manned planes to Trojan horses and recounts how "the fallout was far beyond the toxic clouds where people were like debris."

By the end of the year, stray references to September 11 began to appear. "Who the f*ck knocked our buildings down?/ Who behind the World Trade massacre? Step up now," rapped a newly patriotic Ghostface Killah on Wu-Tang Clan's "Rules." On his anti-war song "Rule," Nas took a more expansive view, rapping, "Lost lives in the towers and Pentagon, why then/ Must it go on/ We must stop the killing."

This approach prevailed during the next few years, as September 11 became a throwaway metaphor for urban blight and American resilience. "This that 9/11 music right here, man," bragged Jim Jones on "Ground Zero" from The Diplomats' Diplomatic Immunity. (Ironically, The Diplomats also called themselves The Taliban.) On "A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier," Jay-Z compared a street hustler's life to someone serving in the armed forces. "They're both at war," he observed. "Off to boot camp, they're both facing terror/ Bin Laden been happenin' in Manhattan."

While music about September 11 has mostly disappointed, the subsequent War on Terror — along with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — inspired a wave of memorable critiques against President Bush. "Bin Laden didn't blow up the projects/ It was you, n*gga/ Tell the truth, n*gga," chants Mos Def on Immortal Technique's "Bin Laden," which — along with Jadakiss' "Why" and Mr. Lif's "Home of the Brave" — advanced the conspiracy theory that the Bush administration orchestrated the September 11 attacks as a Faustian global power grab.

Meanwhile, September 11 as an event unto itself has largely gone unanalyzed. Perhaps hip-hop artists are more comfortable with using the U.S. government as a stock villain for all the hardship that has befallen us since that day, from never-ending wars to economic catastrophe, than imagining the complex forces that irrevocably changed 21st-century American life. — Mosi Reeves

Playlist: Hip-Hop Artists Respond To 9-11

American Idiots: Punks Find Politics

In 1994, Billie Joe Armstrong slashed at a thrift-store sofa and sang about masturbation's fabled affect on one's retinas. It may have seemed dim and silly to some, but it gave the older folks, worried they were raising a generation of slackers, a reason to fear punk again. Green Day went on to release a handful of semi-successful albums, but it seemed Dookie would forever be their creative crest. Then September 11 happened. And a decade following their breakout album, Green Day rediscovered their role as a punk band — because a new generation needed it. A rock opera that resulted in both Grammy love and a Broadway musical, American Idiot may not have sounded like the stoned-out anarchist thrash the Berkeley band started with, but it was every bit as punk in its intent.

The album, Green Day's seventh, came out three years and 10 days after September 11, and one month and 12 days before the 2004 presidential election. The timing was not arbitrary. Told through the Average Joe "Jesus of Suburbia," American Idiot didn't speak directly to the events of September 11, but instead embodied America's sociopolitical climate and overall malaise in the tragedy's aftermath. Its emotions hit every stage of grief — from denial to anger to depression — all while a love story unfolds. It's not a commentary on terrorists, President Bush or weapons of mass destruction. It's about the trickle-down effect of all of that — what the majority of us battle with and question daily. Love, in our seemingly insignificant lives, is hard enough to define and find in peacetime, so how does the "information nation of hysteria" deal with it in a time of war and an "age of paranoia"? — Stephanie Benson

A New Era of Protest Songs

In the days after September 11, 2001, Americans did what they do best: rallied together to support our fellow citizens and started the hard work necessary to pick up the pieces after the tragic events of that day. But in the weeks and months that followed, as the government unveiled its own response, people also began tapping into another important American legacy: dissent. Musicians were no different. As President Bush engaged the country in a multinational war that many felt was wrongheaded, artists from Nas to the Dixie Chicks, Pink to Pearl Jam began penning songs criticizing the government.

The history of American popular music is also, in many ways, a history of protest song and musical resistance. Sometimes that resistance has been to cultural mores, like the sexual taboos challenged by classic blues artists and early rock 'n' rollers. In other eras, music has served as a critical voice of protest against social inequality, like the songs of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement that helped to dismantle racist policies and attitudes. And at other times, music has helped to shape a movement that rises up to critique the government and affect change, like the anti-war repertoire of the 1960s and '70s. The post-September 11 protest-song movement didn't ever reach the cohesive magnitude of the Vietnam era, in part because the country was so divided about which direction we should take. But the songs in this playlist nonetheless helped to remind pop music of its activist roots and keep alive the politics of dissent. — R.D.

Playlist: A New Era of Protest Songs

Gilbert Gottfried Helps Us Laugh Again

Comedians the world over are trained to find the humor in humanity's darkest moments, but after September 11, even the raunchiest, raciest and most irascible of them found themselves at a loss for words. "Too soon!" became a meme all its own, with jokers across the country being scolded for even attempting to take up the subject. Perhaps most notably, there was Gilbert Gottfried, who performed in New York City at a Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner just three weeks after the tragedy.

After nearly getting booed off the stage for a joke mentioning air travel and the Empire State Building, Gottfried launched into his own improvised version of the now-famous bit "The Aristocrats," immortalized in the movie of the same name. Gottfried's version of the joke achieves new heights of vulgarity, which is saying something. In the apoplectic procession of foulness that spews forth (we're not even going to try to quote it), not to mention the uproarious laughs that follow it, one hears a definite catharsis. Comedians are never considered heroes — it goes against their very nature — but on this one particular night, for an audience that hadn't laughed in weeks, Gottfried saved the day. — Garrett Kamps

Christian Music Stars Soothe, and Grieve

The reverberations of September 11 were felt throughout Christian music, with shows canceled, artists stranded out on the road and everyone left asking each other, "What now?"

Even on a day when every detail seemed momentous, a few stories stood out. First was the fact that Michael W. Smith's Worship album came out that very day, a coincidence that would seem God-ordained in retrospect. The music would prove to be a spiritual balm for an emotionally raw nation: while it certainly would've been a hit regardless, the grim circumstances surely helped the record go double-platinum.

Then there's the horrifying tale of singer Tammy Trent. The terrorist attacks and subsequent grounding of all flights left her stuck in Jamaica, where her husband, Trent Lenderink, an experienced diver, had drowned on September 10 — authorities were still searching the water for him that morning. Trent's family had made arrangements to join her in Jamaica, but of course their flights were cancelled. The experience of being alone and grieving in a foreign country as her home was under attack continues to color the music she makes today. Even her name harkens back to her late husband: when the high school sweethearts married, they agreed that her new last name of Lenderink didn't roll off the tongue, so she took her husband's first name as her stage surname, never realizing it would one day serve as a reminder of him and his continuing role in her career. — Wendy Lee Nentwig

Sonny Rollins, Helping the Show Go On

Try to imagine what he looked like, 71 years old at the time, grey-haired and disheveled, likely taken away from coffee or oatmeal or whatever a saxophone colossus has for breakfast. You gotta think that Sonny Rollins, whose Tribeca apartment was a few blocks away from the World Trade Center, was probably just as scared as everyone else. But here's the thing: when the television cameras caught him that morning, it wasn't startling to see his surgical mask or his slouching posture as he boarded the evacuation bus; it was the fact that he had the presence of mind to grab his horn.

Five days later in Boston, in one of those examples of how the clichéd "show-must-go-on" gene lives in the DNA of all performers of his longevity, Rollins recorded his first live record in 18 years, Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert. Released years later, it won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Solo in 2006.

Which solo? A tune whose title seemed particularly poignant considering the circumstances: "Why Was I Born?" Rollins wails out an intro by himself in skittish, fragmented bits and pieces, halting and too muscular to be comfortable, in the million-things-at-once gale on which he's built a career. It's the kind of moment that Stanley Crouch speaks of in Rollins' New Yorker profile, saying, "If jazz improvisation is a kind of democratic expression, then Rollins may well be our greatest purveyor of utopian feeling."

Is Without a Song utopian? Hardly. It has a few familiar pitfalls of late-career Rollins — some banal Calypso grooves, an ensemble that includes some downright lame conga solos — but the circumstances of the record make it a document of a great musician wrestling to exist under baffling circumstances. "Maybe music can help," he grumbles after introducing the band halfway through the set. "I don't know, but we have to try something." And by trying, he achieved something colossal. — Nate Cavalieri

Kevin Fowler's Chippin' Away: An Extended Look

2011-08-05T20:00:34Z

Texas native Kevin Fowler has been happily pitting his rock-infused honky-tonk against Nashville's pop hooks and spray-on tans for more than a decade. For a while, he was one of Texas' best-kept secrets -- and with two failed attempts at aligning himself with major-label muscle, it looked like it might stay that way. Bloodied but unbowed, Fowler is nonetheless back for another round - and Chippin' Away just might be the KO he's been waiting for.

Lyrically, Chippin' Away covers all the requisite bases. Songs about trucks? Check. Songs about pretty girls? You betcha. Songs about drinking? In abundance, my friend. And while the subject matter might not break any new ground, Fowler sings them all with the nervous excitement of a freshman at senior prom.

Fowler's current single, "Hell Yeah, I Like Beer," starts as a bar pick-up song, and quickly morphs into an anthemic affirmation of love for the crisp, golden amber. One listen to this fist-pumping ditty and beer lovers will surely start quoting such lines as "It's good for your heart, it's good for your mind/ It's good for getting through a lonely old night." Or perhaps, "Everybody knows you shouldn't drink too much/ So why's it always seem like there's never enough/ Hell yeah, I like beer." Whether this happens under the influence or not is entirely up to you.

There are plenty of first-rate songs on Chippin' Away, including the heartland rocker "That Girl," the good-time twangin' tune "Girl in a Truck," the heartfelt tearjerker "Daddies and Daughters," and the loud and rockin' "Beer Money." In a year already filled with a bounty of decent country releases, Chippin' Away, is one of the best to date. And it's available a full week early, only on Rhapsody.

Click here to listen to Kevin Fowler's Chippin' Away

The Leak: Steven Curtis Chapman's re:creation

2011-08-02T20:46:55Z

During his nearly 25-year career, we've watched Steven Curtis Chapman grow from a baby-faced, be-mulleted Kentucky boy to the winner of more than 50 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, including seven wins for Artist of the Year. Through it all, he's always been honest and open as he chronicled his own journey through song, resulting in music so universal it easily became the soundtrack for our lives, too. His new album, re:creation, finds Chapman revisiting some of his classic tunes, giving them a creative overhaul and a more organic, stripped-down sound. Time and experience have given these old lyrics new meaning, as well. In addition to nine revamped fan favorites, the record also delivers four brand-new tracks and a classic cover — and Rhapsody has it all for you to experience now, a week before the album is available anywhere else.

Hear our exclusive leak of Steven Curtis Chapman's re:creation.

Also, read more about it in our recent interview with Chapman.

The Leak: Luke Bryan's Tailgates and Tanlines, A Rhapsody Exclusive

2011-08-02T16:56:48Z

Luke Bryan makes you want to own a truck, and that's the highest praise you can give a country artist in 2011. He's mentioned his preferred mode of transportation in nearly every song he's released (key track on his 2007 debut, I'll Stay Me: "We Rode in Trucks"), a trend that continues on his third album, the appropriately named Tailgates and Tanlines. Scantily clad ladies dance upon a truck (or a tractor, whichever they prefer) on the smash hit "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)"; later, he uses one to flee civilization and trawl for catfish down in the swampy, deserted "Muckalee Creek." Practically every other song finds him attempting to bed some foxy Southern lass in the sort of bed you can't buy at IKEA. The dude is a one-man auto-industry bailout.

He's also bright, cheerful, affable and not at all unsavory in, say, the Toby Keith vein. (See Keith's recent "Get Out of My Car" for a taste of his rapport with the ladies.) Tanlines is tremendously appealing pop-country with surprising muscle, not to mention a tricky combination of sexy and wholesome, adult and almost childlike. "Tangle me up like Grandma's yarn," Bryan drawls to the shaking country girls. Lines in other, equally triumphant choruses include "Girl you make my speakers go 'boom boom'" and "I got a catfish line goin' 'bump bump.'" He reminisces: "In that moonlight/ I saw her tanlines." He woos: "You're lookin' so damn hot." He mourns: on the solemn post-mortem love song "I Knew You That Way," he claims to know his lover "Like teardrops know the words to 'Amazing Grace.'"

]]> I Know You're Gonna Be There" is a legitimately sad and legitimately pathetic tale of lovelorn despair, and "Muckalee Creek" kicks off a mini-suite of surprisingly dark, bluesy, brooding isolationism: "Let the stock market do what it's gonna do," he growls (well, sort of) as he tends to his bumping catfish line and shuts out the rest of the world. (He even turns off his phone!) "You Don't Know Jack" (as in Daniels) is a careful portrait of the ravages of alcoholism, but Bryan's not afraid to look unsympathetic at the onset: "He asked me for a dollar/ I said, 'Go get a job.'"

No one reared on previous poppy Bryan hits like "Someone Else Calling You Baby" or "Rain Is a Good Thing" will walk (or drive) away from this record disappointed, but it nonetheless lets him branch out, try on a few more baseball caps, hit a few emotional notes he's never attempted before. The best part is, you get to hear him hit them first: Tailgates and Tanlines is available on Rhapsody a full week before its official August 9 release. Click below to hear it now — don't spoil it for your friends, or do, if you prefer. We hope you like it as much as we do.

Listen to Luke Bryan's, Tailgates and Tanlines

Rhapsody Radar, Interview: SMOD

2011-06-22T17:05:27Z

Welcome to Rhapsody Radar, our series highlighting 24 up-and-coming artists we're thrilled about, augmented with all manner of playlists, videos and other such ephemera. Today we've got an exclusive interview with Sam Doumbia of Malian rap trio SMOD. Enjoy.

Even over email and through a French-to-English translator, Sam Doumbia of SMOD has a lot to say, and a compelling way of making people want to listen. It's a rather useful skill for a hip-hop artist to have. It's also not all that surprising, his being so outspoken and charismatic—after all, he's the son of Mali's Amadou and Mariam, the blind couple who've worked magic on Afro-pop. But he and his band are in the process of carving out their own legacy, one that's steeped in the power of hip-hop to simultaneously critique and celebrate, but laced throughout with new innovations in African musical traditions. In the process, they're changing the African hip-hop game, and bringing it to the attention of people around the world.

Here, Doumbia talks with Rhapsody about working with Manu Chao (who produced their new, self-titled album), the complicated influence of West Africa's griot tradition on contemporary hip-hop, and musical life in his hometown of Bamako, Mali.

Rhapsody: Tell us the story of how you came to make music together.

Sam Doumbia: We all met in high school in Bamako and started jamming in the classroom when the teacher was away. The jam session got deeper when we hit Faladié, a popular neighborhood where you could meet MC's just around any corner. The SMOD crew basically got stronger and stronger by battling with Faladié MC's every night.

]]> R: This is your third album, but only your first to get release in the U.S. and Europe, right? How has your sound evolved/changed since the first album? What did you want to say with this album?

SD: The beginnings of SMOD were very much influenced by U.S hip-hop heroes like Tupac or Wu-Tang. But little by little, it appeared clearly to us that real hip-hop being a reflection of reality, gangsta rap was not a faithful reflection of our African identity. Therefore, our style evolved naturally, including elements of traditional Malian music more and more. Malian-style guitar and bambara song sketches are now powerful stylistic features in SMOD's music. Each song has a different meaning, but the main goal of this album is to express today's African youth stages and hopes.

R: What was it like working with Manu Chao? He can have a pretty strong thumbprint—a distinctive sound. Was it difficult to balance that with your own musical ideas?

SD: We had a ball working with Manu, he's very humble and open-minded. There was never any conflict between us. Simplicity in music is a common goal that we share with Manu.

R: I know you created and recorded much of the album on your parents' terrace. Is that symbolic? What kind of influence have Amadou and Mariam had on you musically? As a group and as a person?

SD: The 7th heaven terrace in Bamako is the spot where we rehearse. This is also where we first met Manu Chao. That's where our music sounds best, so why should we go elsewhere to record it?

In Mali, tradition and family is the root of every achievement. We are blessed to be part of such a beautiful musical family, and will do our best to perpetuate Amadou and Mariam's heritage. As a group we've always enjoyed the musical company of Amadou and Mariam. As far as I am concerned, my parents are real proud to see me extending Malian music to new territories and genres.

R: What other musical influences have influenced you? Or artistic influences in general?

SD: Apart from hip-hop music, we listened to all great Mali artists such as Oumou Sangaré, Ali Farka Touré or Salif Keita. We also love reggae music, rock and folk music. We are deeply connected with all African artistic expression like dance and griot tradition.

R: You've had a video censored by ORTM and you have several songs that criticize government actions. Do you consider yourself a political group?

SD: Yes, being part of the new African generation, SMOD wants to see some changes happening on the African continent. This is why we dare to criticize our leaders that often don't make the right choices. They tend to keep on defending their own interest instead of those of the people, thus letting Africa remain in a state of dependence.

R: Do you still consider yourself primarily a hip-hop group? You call your sound Afro-Rap—describe that for us.

SD: Afro-rap or hip-folk is the meeting of hip-hop and Malian folk music, the turntables being replaced by DJ Sam with Mandingue-style guitar. But beyond styles and labels, our goal in music is to remain spontaneous and the voice of the people, therefore SMOD will always be a hip-hop group.

R: What do you want listeners outside of Mali to know about hip-hop in Western Africa? What misconceptions do we maybe have about African hip-hop?

SD: We want listeners to make up their own conception of African hip-hop by listening a wide range of it, and if possible, by going themselves to Africa. Some people might think that African hip-hop is a poor copy of American hip-hop—the reality is that the new generation is just starting to re-appropriate itself the African roots of hip-hop.

R: I've read some interviews where you talked about the connections between the griot tradition and hip-hop in Africa today. Can you speak to that a little bit?

SD: The griots have been for ages the voice of the people in Africa. They were the only ones, for example, able to criticize the princes and kings when necessary. Nowadays, some griots seem to be real busy making money praising influential people, therefore hip-hop artists are today much more representative of what the griots used to be.

R: What's Bamako like, musically? Paint a picture.

SD: Bamako today is full of music. There are so many great artists, young and old, that keep on re-inventing traditional music. Everyone should come and check it out!

R: We're featuring SMOD and this interview as part of a new series called Rhapsody Radar—up-and-coming artists we think should be on everyone's radar. What does SMOD bring to the table in the music scene of 2011? What sets you apart?

SD: By mixing its African roots with hip-hop, SMOD comes up with a new flavour and definitely manages to bring back some spontaneity and freshness into the game.

Summer Spectacular Survival Guide

2011-06-14T17:01:41Z

Summer is here, and we all know what that means: beaches, barbecues, road trips, soaring temperatures, plummeting inhibitions, and generally lots and lots of what our good friends LMFAO refer to as "party rocking." We've put together the ultimate Summer Spectacular to guide you through it: learn what your favorite summer jam says about you and thrill to our epic, decades-spanning summer jam playlist, from "Heat Wave" to "Umbrella." Take a bluegrass-steeped road trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway. Explore our 10 favorite sticky Southern rock albums. Behold the literally (well, sort of literally) hottest heavy metal album covers of all time. Transport yourself with our surf-and-seagulls beach-centric playlist. Discover our favorite records of 2011 (so far). And most importantly, enjoy our exclusive leak of LMFAO's new album, Sorry for Party Rocking. Then go party rock yourself.

	Watch LMFAO answer your questions about shufflin' through the hard times and baby unicorns in LMFAO vs. The Box			The Best of 2011 (So Far): Killer records from Adele, Antlers, Raphael Saadiq, Blind Boys of Alabama and more
	Hotter than Hell: From Slayer to Deicide, kneel before the hottest heavy-metal album covers of all time			What Your Summer Jam Says About You: Take our eerily accurate personality test
	Ultimate Summer Jams: From "Heatwave" to "Umbrella," a decades-spanning playlist of the hottest hits			Road Trip: Journey through the heart of Appalachia with Del McCoury, Bill Monroe, Carolina Chocolate Drops and more
	Hot Southern Nights: 10 killer Southern-rock albums for a sticky, humid summer			Sounds of the Surf: The finest in beach-sound FX, brought to you by PJ Harvey, Otis Redding, M83 and more

TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light

2011-04-05T14:55:51Z

There's always been a restlessness to TV on the Radio's music, an immediacy that captures a timely sentiment and makes it timeless. In their decade of existence, the Brooklyn experimenters have often trudged through dim sociopolitical musings, while their whirlwind of avant electro-rock and soul-funk almost always has them sounding like they're in the midst of some natural disaster. Lead vocalist Tunde Adebimpe's deep howl is like the foghorn to fellow singer Kyp Malone's high siren, their vocals enduring the hypnotic squall of battered beats, swirling guitars, horns, woodwinds and synths mostly provided by fellow members Dave Sitek, Jaleel Bunton and Gerard Smith.

On their fourth album, Nine Types of Light, TVOTR hint at a slightly brighter new decade; even the title suggests an escape from the darkness. One significant word in particular keeps biting at Adebimpe's tongue: love. He questions and battles and ultimately embraces that four-letter monstrosity in nearly every track: "I'll defend my love forever," he sings in "Second Song" as Malone's manic falsetto makes its presence felt, and heavy beats and horns dance in delight to such a heroic proposition. "You're the only one I ever loved," he stoically claims on "You," keeping his balance over loopy rhythms and zigzagging synth lines. Yet the sweetest proclamation of devotion comes in first single "Will Do": "But I'll be there to take care of you if ever you should decide/ That you don't want to waste your life in the middle of a lovesick lullaby," Adebimpe cries, like a Romeo waiting for his Juliet to wake up, already.

Of course, this wouldn't be a TV on the Radio record without a few apocalyptic fantasies. "Killer Crane" and "Forgotten" are somewhat ominous ballads whose underlying drones are stretched taut like a rubber band that never slackens. Then there's the more agitated "Repetition," a feverish stomper about history's lessons unlearned. But nothing is quite as cynically upbeat as "No Future Shock," an actual dance tune that implores you to "shake it like it's the end of time."

But even through the foreboding and doom, love’s light keeps shining through. In "Keep Your Heart," Adebimpe wearily wonders, "If the world all falls apart/ How am I going to keep your heart?" By song's end, he's certain he will.

Jersey Shore Survival Guide

2010-07-13T17:00:55Z

It seems like just yesterday that Jersey Shore burst onto the scene with its special mixture of spray tans and living, breathing bobbleheads. Now Angelina, J-WOWW, Snooki and their oily paramours are back for a little fun in the Miami sun. Rhapsody offers a sneak peek of the new season with our premiere of the Jersey Shore Soundtrack, Season 2. Also, be sure to check out our guide to all things New Jersey, including a playlist of Jersey anthems, a killer selection of hock house jams and our exclusive "In Da Club" radio station.

	Find the rhythm with these classic jock jams		Sweat it out with our In Da Club radio station
	From the Boss to Bon Jovi, revisit these classic New Jersey anthems		Hot fun in the sun with these summer and disco house hits

Summerfest Day One: Usher, Cheese Fries and the Poptimist's Perspective

2010-07-01T07:01:09Z

Ah, Summerfest. A wonderland of cheese fries, overpriced Miller products and classic rock jam sessions. At least at first glance. Rhapsody's here in Milwaukee, hanging out at the massive, annual festival, an 11-day extravaganza featuring more than 800 bands. Our own Classic Rock Crate Digger, Justin Farrar, is spearheading the Summerfest coverage, and quite frankly, it seems to be very much his territory. Over the course of day one, we chatted up excited Moody Blues fans (everyone's favorite "Nights in White Satin" played tonight), interviewed Puddle of Mudd and got lost in one of Umphrey's McGee's epic grooves. But hold onto your favorite Gaga t-shirt, pop fans: there's a place for us here, too. In fact, Summerfest has quite a lot of spaces for fans of pop (not to mention just about everything else). My goal over the next few days is threefold: One, I want to dig out the pop nooks and crannies in the Crate Digger's coverage. Two, I want to see if we can find common ground between the rockers and the popsters. And three, I want to try to figure out what makes the World's Largest Music Festival -- the "Big Gig," as it's known -- just so big and so well-attended year after year. Oh yeah, and I want to eat some cheese fries. Like, a lot of them.

Let's start with the pop fare. Summerfest's range varies widely. The headliner for the entire festival is Tim McGraw -- and then the country coverage all but drops off until July 4, when Carrie Underwood takes the stage. Tomorrow features a bunch of good hip-hop. And today, tucked into a day that seemed to be overrun with jam bands and post-grunge outfits, was none other than Usher. That's right: the R&B singer known for his fly dance moves, impeccable style and ability to make the ladies say "Yeah!" rocked Milwaukee's Marcus Amphitheatre tonight. And oh, what a show. Opener Lyfe Jennings managed to get the crowd both warmed up and in a thoughtful mood, performing new material from his upcoming album like "Statistics" (which encourages women not to fall into the booty call trap) and older faves like "S.E.X." Then Mr. Raymond took the stage.]]> the big show of the day. As early as 4pm, a good 75% of the people we talked to were there primarily to see Usher. And by early evening, the grounds were jampacked with tweens, teens and hip young types sporting homemade T's professing their love for Mr. 8701 (our fave: the grandma decked out in an Usher polo shirt).

Point Two: Usher is sexy -- and he knows it, bless his heart. Whether he was making eyes at the Jumbotron camera or staging a one-man wet T-shirt contest (featuring a dumped bottle of water -- and then a six-pack), the guy had everyone in the crowd (ladies and and gents) in the palm of his fingerless gloves. And we won't even get into the, uh, horizontal mambo he did with a mic stand. Suffice it to say, it's enough to make a girl wonder why we only ever hear so much about how "hyper-sexual" female pop stars are. Usher makes that Miley Cyrus video for "Can't Be Tamed" look like an episode of "Hannah Montana." (Three words: Nearly crotchless pants. OK, they just had big old holes in them, but a girl can dream.)

Which brings me to point number three: Usher is an incredible performer, folks -- the whole pop star package. He dances (those swiveling hips! that side-winding moonwalk!)! He costume-changes (three different all-white outfits -- and then a last-minute change to all-black for the encore performance of smash hit "OMG")! And oh yeah, he sings. Usher's performance, which spanned his rather lengthy career, showed off both his stylistic and vocal range. Moving effortlessly from the post-new jack of his early career to the robo-pop and sturm-und-drang soul of his latest album, he belted, crooned and sweet-talked his way through a 90-minute set featuring new and old hits like "Nice and Slow," "U Got It Bad," "Love in This Club," "U Remind Me" and "There Goes My Baby." And just about all of it sounded really, really good.

The devoted crowd apparently agreed: They whistled and cheered, sang along with just about every song and jumped when Usher told them to jump. It was quite a sight to see: The first section and lawn were sold out, and the second section nearly was. This consummate performer has some serious fans in Milwaukee.

So how does Usher overlap with Umphrey's McGee? Is there common ground between classic rock and contemporary pop, set lists and dance breaks, jam sessions and melisma, on the Summerfest grounds? Tune in tomorrow for more poptimistic analysis -- and of course, more breaking news from Summerfest!

Rock Star Recipes: Holiday Edition 2009

2009-11-24T21:32:22Z

Hawk Nelson
It wouldn't be the holidays without eating, gift-giving and more eating. We put the word out to some of our favorite artists -- A Fine Frenzy, 30h!3, Zac Brown, and many more -- and they got back to us with their favorite holiday recipes, including photos. So preheat your ovens, throw on one of our holiday playlists and enjoy the culinary stylings of Rhapsody's own Top Chefs.

Label Spotlight: Metal Blade Records

2009-07-15T16:00:02Z

Founded in 1982, Metal Blade Records was young metal fan Brian Slagel's DIY solution to the absence of metal music in record stores across the nation. In a time of tape-trading and word of mouth propelled by a burgeoning underground scene, he saw an opportunity missed by major labels to get metal out to the masses, and nearly 30 years later Metal Blade is still thriving and bringing metal to your doorstep. Boasting an eclectic roster, from Florida death metal legends Cannibal Corpse to Polish black metal heroes Behemoth, as well as Christian metallers Whitechapel, thrash apprentices Lazarus A.D. and heralded deathcore outfit Job For a Cowboy, Metal Blade is a veritable heavy music institution. Here's a taste of some Metal Blade essentials, available for streaming exclusively on Rhapsody. ]]>

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Killswitch Engage: Starting Over

2009-06-30T23:00:00Z

Killswitch Engage have been growing in strength since their first self-titled album was released a decade ago. Now, as they unveil their fifth album, they find themselves at the top of their game. Co-produced by Adam D. and Brendan O'Brien, the second coming of Killswitch Engage displays the powerful combination of technical musicianship and catchy melodies that these frontrunners forged and cultivated. Listen to the new record here, plus take a look at our thoughts on the album, read our Q&A with members Mike D'Antonio and Justin Foley, dive into Mike D's top 10 essential albums, and listen to playlists featuring the best of Killswitch and their Massachusetts contemporaries.

BROWSE: Check out Rhapsody's review of Killswitch Engage (II).

INTERVIEW: Check out our exclusive chat with KsE's Mike D'Antonio and Justin Foley.

EXPLORE: Dig into Killswitch's "Top 10 Essential Albums"

HEAR: Listen to a playlist of essential Killswitch Engage jams.

PLAY: Blast this Massachusetts Metalcore playlist.

RADIO: Hear what's new and awesome in metal with "Fury".

]]>

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Q&A: Metric

2009-04-16T14:54:00Z

From left to right: Joshua Winstead, Emily Haines, Joules Scott Key, James Shaw

After spending time apart focusing on other projects (Broken Social Scene, Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton), Metric unite for their first album in nearly four years with new release Fantasies. We got a chance to talk to guitarist Jimmy Shaw about the band's time apart, their writing process, how songs pass the "road test" and the Beatles vs. the Stones. Plus we got to pick his brain about such topics as fantasies, Fleetwood Mac moments, soaring pterodactyls and underground roller-coasters. Yeah, it's not all shop talk here.

Rhapsody: So, how do you guys celebrate a new release?
Shaw: Actually, last night it was a combination of champagne, a drink that we made up on tour called the Ginger-E (a mottled ginger, lime and tequila) and a chocolate fondue. I'm not going to lie to you.

Rhapsody: Did you practice some of the new songs at live shows to see how the audience would respond to them?
Shaw: It's funny the way we did it. We booked a tour and we did a lot of writing in 2007 ... By the end of that year we felt like we were really close to having a finished record. So, we booked a U.S. tour and played 30 days all across the U.S., and it was totally awesome. And we had a great time. By the end of it, we looked at each other and said, "I don't think this is good enough." We put it through the road test and most of it didn't pass … We virtually went back to the drawing board and started again. That's when Emily [Haines] went down to Buenos Aires and everybody sort of disbanded for a minute. I went into the studio and wrote some tracks. At that point it was more like knowing what you want to do by process of elimination. And that's how most of the songs on this record were actually written.

]]> Rhapsody: How does a song pass the road test?

Shaw: I guess it's just a song gets better and better and you get more excited to play it and every time you do, the song itself gels more and the crowds are reacting better and better. I think there's something that happens when you have a new piece of music and it's just exciting to have a new piece of music. And the first time you play it, it's cool 'cause it's the first time, and then by the third time it's, "Oh god that section's really not working." You only want to push so far. If your roof keeps falling in on your house, there's only so many times that you try and fix it before you get an entirely new roof or move and get a new house.

Rhapsody: You guys worked on this album in various locations. How did the different surroundings affect your sound?

Shaw: The first place that we started was a studio called Bear Creek; it's about 30 minutes outside of Seattle, and it's like a 10-acre farm. It's the longest family-run studio in America. A family called the Hadlocks started it in the late '70s. It's just such a rad place; it's so beautiful. It's an old converted barn. That's where we wanted to start the writing of the record because we wanted to have the theme be highly organic. We basically had a totally tripped-out Fleetwood Mac moment. It was really fun -- to soak in the woods, play with acoustic guitars and basically pretend we were hippies for 10 days. And then cut to a year later where we're in Toronto and it's winter and we're in my studio, which is out behind my house, like an old converted auto shop. And that's when all the dance-rock elements really started to play a role. It was winter in Toronto and the only way you were going to get your ya-yas out of it was to make some rock 'n' roll … It's the place where you actually have to dance to get warm.

Rhapsody: You've said the sound of the record was more based on the idea of soaring pterodactyls than that of another band. Where does that imagery come from? What do you mean exactly by that?

Shaw: I may be stretching to actually try to quantify what I'm talking about because it is totally esoteric. It doesn't have that much basis in reality; the fact is that we are all crazy enough to know what I was talking about in the studio. I think it's somewhere along the lines that the idea that it's a pterodactyl means that it's timeless and it's prehistoric, yet it's futuristic. It's not now, it's not like a dirty pigeon, it's something that comes from a different era. And the idea that it's breaking out of its egg and looking over the edge of a cliff was symbolic for us of where we're at in our career. We felt like in the middle of making this record we're sitting on the edge of this canyon; we do know how to fly but we're a little bit scared to take that first jump. Just the idea of shutting off the Earth and leaving your safety place and just soaring down into the canyon, the future, to the unknown, the possibilities.

Rhapsody: How do you think this record differs from any of your previous albums?

Shaw: I think it differs in a sense that it's more refined. We took more time to do it. And we didn't stop ourselves from exploring anything. We never censored ourselves or stopped ourselves from doing anything that had any sort of sense of practicality. For the first record, we only had studio time for so long and it was all kind of mapped out -- it was more of "let's go in and record it and it will be done." With that, it was much faster, and we booked a tour right in the middle of it. It was supposed to be two weeks but ended up into 10. And we came back with a three-week deadline and had two songs done. There was not a lot of experimentation involved. With this one, we allowed our brains to wander and go wherever it wanted us to go and not really worry that it was taking us too long.

Rhapsody: What was your biggest fantasy as a kid?

Shaw: I don't know; that's a hard one. Okay, when I was a little kid, I met this guy who lived next door to my grade school. His name was Roman and he was this weird little kid and he told me that there was an underground roller-coaster under my neighborhood. We spent two summers -- I'm talking years of my life -- searching for this roller-coaster. There were all these underground parking lots, and at the corner of these parking lots would be a locked door that probably went to a furnace room but we were like, "That's the door, we're going to figure out how to open it." That was like the longest-standing fantasy for me, that there was an underground roller-coaster in my neighborhood.

Rhapsody: You guys have your own separate projects like Broken Social Scene and other things like that. How is that both an advantage and disadvantage when you come back together to work as Metric?

Shaw: I think it would be really hard for us to find a disadvantage. Really what it does is it keeps everybody inspired. Imagine this: everybody has some dream and it's completely unrealistic. Within the confines of their monogamist relationship, every time they thought that they went out there to experiment they were allowed to. In music, we are allowed to. That's what it's kind of like for us. It doesn't emotionally detract from Metric whatsoever. There's never a moment where Metric has a show booked and someone's like, "No, I can't do that, I'm going to do that instead." Metric is always priority No. 1, and whenever Metric needs you, you are in this band 100 percent.

Rhapsody: One more question. I'm going off a lyric from "Gimme Sympathy": Who would you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

Shaw: Can I say the Kinks?

Listen to the entire interview here.

House and Om (and a free MP3)

2009-03-19T16:00:00Z

Om Records may be a San Francisco institution, but the label's sensuous aesthetic has always seemed better suited to more tropical climes. (Whether downtempo or deep house, there's typically little fog in the skies of any given Om release.) Hence the Om: Miami series, an annual love letter to Miami's springtime bacchanal known as Winter Music Conference. Following editions from 2006, 2007 and 2008, Om: Miami 2009 brings together cuts from roster stalwarts like Mark Farina and Fred Everything with floor-tested selections from Om's circle of friends and allies, including Sebo K's runaway hit "Diva" and M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade's Laurie Anderson-sampling "O Superman." Mixed, as ever, by the appropriately named DJ Fluid, the set emphasizes subtle blends over DJ acrobatics; while the tracks are made for dancing, the subdued session works just as well at home or at the office (where you may be sitting online browsing last-minute airfares to Florida).

If you are going to Miami, Om is planning an 11-hour shindig on Saturday, March 28, at Karu&Y, where the big draw will be an exclusive performance from the long-dormant Kruder & Dorfmeister. Rounding out the bill, Radio Slave, Mark Farina, Diplo, Chromeo, DJ Sneak, Mike Monday, Colette & Heather, Hipp-E and Charles Webster are just a few of the names making the night a worthy addition to your WMC plans. (Presale tickets are available here).

To celebrate the event, Om is giving away a free MP3 of Mike Monday's buoyant tech-house gem, "Salieri Complex (Club Mix)." Get it here, along with more of the week's free MP3s.

Listen Up to Lazarus A.D.

2009-03-03T20:04:36Z

This thrashing four-piece from Kenosha, Wisc., are not your average resurgence band. Sure, they've got the skate-punk-meets-metalhead swagger in spades, plus a rep for total liver destruction like their hard-partying predecessors and contemporaries, but Lazarus A.D. -- Dan Gapen (guitars/vocals), Jeff Paulick (bass/lead vocals), Alex Lackner (guitars) and Ryan Shutler (drums) -- are leaving the thrash-by-numbers sound for other new schoolers.

Instead, these guys boast a modern inflection on a classic style, leaving pummeling thrashers like "Last Breath" to demonstrate their fealty, slow burners like "Absolute Power" to show their forward thinking, and juggernauts like "Forged in Blood" to see where they meet in the middle.

If you're a die-hard thrash fan, you might remember Lazarus as the only unsigned band on Earache's kick-ass 2008 compilation Thrashing Like a Maniac. After being signed by Metal Blade Records, Lazarus A.D's debut The Onslaught is available exclusively here for streaming. You're welcome.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Lily Allen, P.O.D.

2008-12-02T16:29:02Z

Lily Allen, "The Fear" (Rhapsody Premiere)
Lily Allen's new single might have a shiny, pulsing electro-pop feel, but at it's core, it's got a heart of darkness.

P.O.D., Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
The Christian rap-rock ensemble at their furious live best. Features renditions of fan favorites like "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation."

Rhapsody Exclusives: T-Pain

2008-11-11T16:10:40Z

Rhapsody Exclusives: Katy Perry, Anberlin & More

2008-10-28T15:14:31Z

Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold (Rock Remix)" (Rhapsody Exclusive)

Anberlin, TK (Rhapsody Premiere)

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Rhapsody Exclusives: Coheed and Cambria, Little Big Town

2008-10-21T19:45:00Z

Coheed and Cambria, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusives)
On this exclusive four-track EP, New York progressive rock/emo quartet Coheed and Cambria strip down fan favorites and let their strong songwriting and tight musicianship shine.

Little Big Town, Rhapsody Orignals (Rhapsody Exclusives)
Little Big Town reel off harmony-laced favorites such as "Fine Line" and "I'm With the Band" with precision and charm.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Kid Rock, The Pretenders & More

2008-10-07T15:21:16Z

Kid Rock, Complete Catalog (Rhapsody Exclusive)
One part Skynyrd, one part LL Cool J, Kid Rock is an old-school emcee wrapped up in a Southern-rock package. We are proud to be the new exclusive home of his digital catalog, including his latest release, Rock N Roll Jesus, featuring the hit "All Summer Long."

Pretenders, Break Up the Concrete (Rhapsody Premiere)
Chrissie Hynde and co. return for their ninth full length, a set of songs that combine Hynde's tough-girl lyrics and a decided rockabilly sound.

Walter Meego, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Human emotions break through the synth-poppers' computer sheen on this live set. Features "Girls," "Keyhole" and more.

Jarboe, Mahakali (Rhapsody Premiere)
'Tis the season for something sinister. The experimental siren returns with her 14^th solo album. Featuring Pantera's Phil Anselmo.

Rhapsody Exclusives: F*cked Up, Jolie Holland & More

2008-09-30T15:25:00Z

F*cked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life (Rhapsody Premiere)
One of the most invigorating punk rock bands of the decade. In a rule-breaking genre, they break all the rules.

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Americana's dark angel warbles through a new effort of maudlin story-songs and jazz-inflected folk.

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Twenty-something albums later, Anglo-Dutch experimentalists still ooze equal parts ambient electronics and headspace echoes.

Streetlab, Streetlab (Rhapsody Premiere)
This New York electronic duo are veteran remixers. This eponymous EP will be music to the ears of Justice fans.

Mary Mary, The Sound (Rhapsody Premiere)
The gospel-R&B sister act return to praise and raise up on this high-gloss mixtape. A fine blend of finesse and inspiration. Features the David Banner-assisted "Superfriend.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Dungen, David Byrne, Brian Eno & More

2008-09-23T20:32:02Z

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:

Dungen, 4 (Rhapsody Premiere)
The Swedish psych-rock revivalists return. 4 is a more jammy sounding affair than previous outings, with an almost improvisational feel permeating the music.

David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens... (Rhapsody Premiere)
Two of the most groundbreaking and influential artists in modern music reunite (for the first time since 1981's My Life In the Bush of Ghosts). Everything... is a mature album full of elegant, atmospheric pop.

Jesus & Mary Chain, The Power of Negative Thinking (Rhapsody Premiere)
The Power of Negative Thinking is an 82-track collection of B-Sides, single versions, alternate takes and remixes from the legendary post-punk/noise-pop icons.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Incubus, Beyonc� & More

2008-09-16T15:18:02Z

Incubus, VH1 Rock Honors: The Who (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Incubus cover two classics from the Who ("I Can See for Miles" and "Can't Explain") on this exclusive live EP recorded at the VH1s Rock Honors concert.

Rihanna, "Vogue" (Live From Fashion Rocks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Beyonce, "At Last" (Live From Fashion Rocks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Keith Urban, "You Look Good in My Shirt" (Live From Fashion Rocks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Beyonc�, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (Live From Fashion Rocks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Solange, "I Decided" (Live From Fashion Rocks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
These exclusive tracks were recorded live at the annual Fashion Rocks Awards show. Check out some of pop's biggest stars covering some of the most stylish, sexy songs of all time.

Lesley Roy, "Unbeautiful" (Rhapsody Exclusive) This Irish-born singer-songwriter applies her smoky growl to this quiet-loud power ballad full of longing and regret.

Jazmine Sullivan, Bust Your Windows (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Check out the brand new single from Missy Elliot's Philadelphia soul prot�g�. This former gospel singer is certainly a rising soul star.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Cut Copy, No Age & More

2008-09-09T15:01:11Z

Cut Copy, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
The Australian electro-rock trio floss all their bright neon ghost colours on this live EP. The band plays four songs, including a sumptuous version of "Hearts on Fire."

No Age, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
An epic exclusive live EP from the critically adored Los Angeles noiseniks. This guitar-and-drums duo kick up a storm of near-shoegazer noise over their garage barrage.

Jessica Lea Mayfield, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, (Rhapsody Premiere)
This Ohio singer-songwriter has a plaintive, dreamy voice that calls to mind a more country-stained Chan Marshall (Cat Power). With Blasphemy..., her debut album, was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

Phil Vassar, "Prayer of a Common Man" (Rhapsody Exclusive)
In honor of Feeding America's National Hunger Action Month, Rhapsody is proud to be the exclusive online home for country artist Phil Vassar's new single, "Prayer of a Common Man." Part of the proceeds will go toward Feeding America's charitable work.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Santogold, Tokio Police Club & More

2008-09-04T18:04:43Z

Santogold, FNMTV (Rhapsody Exclusive)
One of the breakout stars of the year, Santogold performs her rollicking hip-hop-reggae-pop hybrid live on FNMTV. This exclusive single features "L.E.S. Artistes" and "Creator."

Tokyo Police Club, FNMTV (Rhapsody Exclusive)
These Canadian post-punks deliver an atmospheric and moody take on the garage rock of the Strokes on this live single. Recorded at FNMTV and featuring their fan-favorite, "Graves."

Donnie Klang, Just A Rolling Stone (Rhapsody Premiere)
Diddy's blue-eyed soul prot�g� makes his full-length debut. Filled with come-hither lyrics and bedroom beats and featuring the Wham!-sampling "Pretty Girls."

Tricky, Knowle West Boy (Rhapsody Premiere)
The trip-hop pioneer returns with a decidedly modern sound, aided by acclaimed producers Switch and Bernard Butler. Features the single "Council Estate."

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Rhapsody Exclusives: Lil' Wayne, Jonas Brothers & More

2008-08-27T20:30:07Z

Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Maroon 5, It' Won't Be Soon Before Long (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Miley Cyrus, Breakout (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Panic at the Disco, Pretty Odd (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Lil' Wayne, The Carter III (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad (+ FNMTV Bonus Tracks) (Rhapsody Exclusive)

Some of the biggest and best albums just got bigger and dare we say it ... (yes, we dare) BETTER. The teen pop of Miley and the Jonas Bros, the R&B and hip-hop of Rihanna and Lil' Wayne, and the rock of Maroon 5 and Panic at the Disco have all expanded their waistlines a little. We've added exclusive live tracks to the artists' latest albums, culled from their performances on FNMTV.

]]> Hawthorne Heights, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
The emo-pop sensations get live on this electrifying exclusive. Features three songs from their new Fragile Future LP and a classic from The Silence in Black and White.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Death Cab For Cutie & More

2008-08-19T19:11:52Z

Death Cab For Cutie, KFOG Private Concert (Rhapsody Exclusive)
On this exclusive EP, Death Cab For Cutie get all hush-hush (even more than usual) with five acoustic takes on some of the finer songs from their last two albums.

Delta Spirit, Ode to Sunshine (Rhapsody Premiere, Exclusive)
This newish San Diego band plays an intoxicating brand of soul-rock that calls to mind everyone from the Strokes to Dexy's Midnight Runners to Traffic.

Backyard Tire Fire, The Places We Lived (Rhapsody Premiere)
No Depression-style country played with a deft and subtle touch. Backyard Tire Fire spin yarns about the heartbreak found in everyday life.

J.J. Grey & Mofro, Orange Blossoms (Rhapsody Premiere)
Firey blues-rock from the Florida panhandle. J.J. Grey & Mofro concoct a sticky, syrupy sweet mix of Southern rock and soul.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Clipse, Stereolab & More

2008-08-12T15:46:58Z

Clipse, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
On this exclusive live EP, Clipse perform three songs from their critically adored Hell Hath No Fury, lighting up the Austin, Texas, stage with tales of the highs and lows of the drug game.

Stereolab, Chemical Chords (Rhapsody Premiere)
With their ninth studio album, the analog-synth wielding, Krautrock-rocking, French-language-singing Marxists revise their well-worn, much-loved template with some of their best songs in years.

Ha Ha Tonka, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
This Missouri outfit are making a name for themselves as a rowdy barroom indie rock band. On this exclusive live EP, they kick out the jams (well, four of 'em) from their debut album, Buckle in the Bible Belt.

Alex Woodard, Alex Woodard (Rhapsody Premiere)
Tried and true American folk-rock in the vein of Mellencamp, Petty and Dylan. Alex Woodard ties his literate, narrative-driven lyrics to a jet-engine rhythm.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Janelle Monae, Jennifer O'Connor & More

2008-08-05T15:35:00Z

Janelle Monae, Metropolis (Rhapsody Premiere)
With pipes like Shirley Bassey and a decidedly Ziggy Stardust-way of looking at things, Janelle Monae bursts on to the scene with this bizarre-but-funky concept record about an alien/robot in love with a human.

Jennifer O'Connor, Here With Me (Rhapsody Premiere)
Brooklyn-based alt-country siren presents a polished version of the urban rock'n'twang sound. Here With Me features buoyant numbers full of tasteful playing and gorgeous harmonies that float for miles.

Various Box-Sets (Rhapsody MP3 Deal)
So, a few weeks ago, we here at Rhapsody inadvertantly ran a heavily discounted box-set promotion (your friendly neighborhood message board may have made note of it). At first we said, "ooops;" but it worked out so well, we decided to do it again, on purpose. So for a limited-time only, we want to offer you MP3 box-sets from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, Black Sabbath, and Thelonious Monk, at a great big discount. It's not like we're giving it away - but its close.

]]> Pop Levi, Never Never Love (Rhapsody Premiere)
One part Sonny Crocket, one part Beck, one part Big Lebowski; Pop Levi's post-pop-pop is limber, funky and forward-thinking, channeling everything from Prince to Zeppelin.

Amy Kuney, Birds Eye View (Rhapsody Premiere)
Amy Kuney has an arresting musical personality that combines a sort of childlike innocence with a decidely mature literacy in her lyrics. Her folk-pop is for the young and old at heart.

James Otto, Rhapsody Original (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Exclusive live EP from the Washington state native features searing, raw versions of such Otto country classics as "Ain't Gonna Stop" and "For You."

Rhapsody Exclusives: Lil' Wayne, Sugarland & More

2008-07-29T15:11:40Z

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:

Lil' Wayne, FNMTV Live (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Weezy, the Robitussin-fueled mystic of New Orleans and super of the Carter, brought his particular brand of wildly popular gibberish/genius to the FNTMV stage. And we have the raw evidence to prove it happened: two exclusive live tracks ("A Milli" and "Lollipop") recorded under Pete Wentz's adoring gaze and accompanied by the screams of America's youth.

Sugarland, The Rhapsody Interview (Rhapsody Exclusive)
They're like Fleetwood Mac without the substance and spousal abuse. They're like the Dixie Chicks with a more varied gender breakdown. They're country. They're rock. They're pop. They're Sugarland. Get the inside scoop on the biggest band of the summer in this exclusive Rhapsody Interview. It's information for your ears.

G. Love, Superhero Brother (Rhapsody Exclusive Bonus Track)
The drinking man's Beck is back with another summer breeze to make you feel fine. Our exclusive version of Superhero Brother includes the bonus track "Dreamz."

Kidz Bop Kidz, Vol. 14 (Rhapsody Exclusive Bonus Track)
What's that sound? It's the usually inspirational (but occasionally creepy/Omen-esque) sound of of children belting out your favorite pop hits! It's Kidz Bop Kids! Nothing spells "W-H-A-T?!" like innocent future leaders of America giving their take on not-that-innocent tracks like Danity Kane's "Damaged."

Rhapsody Exclusives: Conor Oberst, Neil Halstead & More

2008-07-22T17:00:00Z

Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst (Rhapsody Premiere)
In the cowboy dramedy Rio Bravo, alcoholic gunslinger Dean Martin sang that a cowboy's three good companions were his rifle, his pony and himself. Well, two outta three ain't bad, and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) is at his best when he's all by his lonesome. This is his first official solo album, and it's packed with tales of sad-eyed ladies and desolation row.

Neil Halstead, Oh! Mighty Engine (Rhapsody Premiere)
The man behind the stoned-country bliss of Mojave 3 and the shoegazer cacophony of Slowdive. His new solo effort (the follow-up to 2002's Sleeping on Roads) is about as heavy as a summer breeze and just as pleasant. The song "Elevenses" might be about hobbits, so ... at least he's got that going for him.

The Wombats, Ones to Watch Playlist
These Scousers, whose indie hit "Let's Dance to Joy Division" has delivered them into a strata of celebrity somewhere between the average United States postal worker and Queen Elizabeth, are using their new-found fame to spread the word about an important issue: their favorite songs. Check out their playlist, featuring tracks by Animal Collective, the Refused, Band of Horses and (yes, gold star for you) Joy Division.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Albert Hammond Jr., Thriving Ivory and More

2008-07-09T15:17:13Z

Albert Hammond Jr., �C�mo Te Llama? (Rhapsody Exclusive)
"Vacation" is not a word in the vocabulary of the Strokes' rhythm guitarist. �C�mo Te Llama? is Hammond Jr.'s second solo album, and it's filled with wiry psychedelic pop.

Thriving Ivory, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Thriving Ivory's widescreen rock 'n' roll comes to life on this Rhapsody Original. Your favorite tracks from their self-titled debut full-length, like "Runaway" and "Angels of the Moon," rendered perfectly.

The Raconteurs, "Salute Your Solution" (Rhapsody Exclusive)
The latest single from the Raconteurs uncovers the snarling hard-rock skeleton underneath the power-pop of their new album Consolers of the Lonely.

Delta Goodrem, Delta (Rhapsody Premiere)
The Australian piano-pop chanteuse makes her U.S. debut with this confident, assured self-titled album. Often reminiscent of Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan.

Wanted: New Danny Elfman Tune

2008-06-27T16:14:36Z

Today sees the release of the new Angeline Jolie film Wanted, a non-stop, CGI-affected thriller about a secret coven of assassins and their brand new recruit ... or something. The film is not only an opportunity for people who like to see Angelina Jolie curve bullets and show of her various expressionistic, vaguely Celtic tattoos, it's also a chance for folks to hear Danny Elfman's film score -- and, for the first time in a while, a new rock tune from the former Oingo Boingo frontman, "The Little Things." And being generous people -- and not assassins -- Rhapsody wants to give it to you for free.

]]> You can motor over here to exclusively download "The Little Things." And while you're at it, why not vote in the Wanted Video Mash-up contest. Rhapsody provided would-be film editors with some Wanted footage and Elfman's track and let them run free through the editing meadow. The winner of the contest (as selected by Elfman, himself) will receive $150 and the opportunity to have their video featured on the Wanted DVD. Nice, huh?

Further Listening:
Danny Elfman, "Little Things" from the Wanted soundtrack (Free Download)

Further Voting:
The Wanted Video Mash-up Contest

Rhapsody Exclusives: Scarlett Johansson, Thriving Ivory & More

2008-06-24T19:31:05Z

Scarlett Johansson, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Scarlett Johansson brings the lush, widescreen covers of several Tom Waits classics to life. Her smoky voice will make you hear these songs in a whole new way.

Various Artists, Red Records: The Color of Jazz (Rhapsody Premiere)
A fine compilation from the Italian jazz imprint featuring the work of Chet Baker, Joe Henderson and Charlie Rouse.

Thriving Ivory, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
A thunderous live set from Bay Area rock troupe Thriving Ivory. Raw emotion and trembling vocals matched by powerful pianos and roaring guitars.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Missy Higgins, Alejandro Escovedo

2008-06-17T20:37:40Z

Alejandro Escovedo, Real Animal (Rhapsody Premiere)
A Tex-Mex mix of Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen, Escovedo is a street poet with a true rocker's soul. Real Animal is co-produced by Bowie-collaborator Tony Visconti.

Missy Higgins, "Steer"/"100 Times Around The Bends (Live)" (Rhapsody Premiere)
The buoyant modern folk of Missy Higgins comes to life on this single. The B-side "Steer" was the number one single in Australia.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Sons & Daughters, Martha Wainwright & More

2008-06-10T14:47:00Z

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:

Sons & Daughters, Rhapsody Originals
The spiky, petulant post-punk anthems of Sons & Daughters come to life on this Rhapsody Originals live recording. Features the X-esque "Gilt Complex."

Martha Wainwright, I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too (Rhapsody Premiere)
Wainwright's second album is a gorgeous, literate record about heartbreak. Features Pete Townshend and Donald Fagan, as well as brother Rufus Wainwright.

]]> 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.

My Brightest Diamond, A Thousand Shark's Teeth (Rhapsody Premiere)
The operatic indie-pop of Shara Worden takes an epic shape on A Thousand Shark's Teeth. Like Tori Amos fronting Smashing Pumpkins.

Dan Tyminski, Wheels (Rhapsody Premiere)
Tyminski is best known as a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station and the voice behind the modern version of "Man of Constant Sorrow." Wheels is his solo debut.

Ben Sollee, Learning To Bend (Rhapsody Premiere)
Not your everyday singer-songwriter, Sollee's folksy tunes and soulful voice are accompanied by his dexterous cello playing. A haunting album.

New Mastersounds, Plug & Play (Rhapsody Premiere)
Powered by the spirit of the Northern Soul and English "New Funk" scene, New Mastersounds throw down the funk with the best of them.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Pela, Liam Finn & More

2008-06-03T18:50:17Z

Pela, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
This up-and-coming Brooklyn indie-rock band drops four live songs ion this exclusive EP full of heart and soul. For fans of Springsteen and H�sker D�.

Liam Finn, Rhapsody Originals (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Liam Finn, son of Crowded House auteur Neil, plays four live songs of lilting beauty and quiet poetry on this exclusive EP.

Sloan, Parallel Play (Rhapsody Premiere)
Sloan's latest has a snarling punk edge that's been lacking from their last, more refined LPs. A welcome return to juvenile delinquency.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Aimee Mann, Joshua James & More...

2008-05-27T18:46:11Z

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.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Mogwai, moe.

2008-05-20T14:52:00Z

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."

Rhapsody Exclusives: Lawson Rollins, Dan Zanes and More

2008-05-13T20:29:21Z

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.

]]> Dan Zanes, Nueva York (Rhapsody Premiere)
The only children�s music singer-songwriter indie-rock parents have a crush on gets multicultural (all the songs are performed in Spanish) and takes a political stand (pro-immigration). �No solo para los ni�os!

Sonny Landreth, From the Reach (Rhapsody Premiere)
Landreth's cajun-flavored blues rock is bolstered by a dazzling array of guest stars from Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler to Dr. John and Jimmy Buffet. A beguiling rock 'n' roll gumbo.

Various Artists, Soca Gold 2008 (Rhapsody Premiere)
From Trinidad with love. Welcome to the only soca album you need to hear this year, featuring all the biggest tunes that lit up February�s Carnival. Seventeen tracks of pure fire!

Orchestra Baobab, Made in Dakar (Rhapsody Premiere)
One of Senegal�s finest exports has been all work since reforming in 2001, perfecting the Afro-Cuban grooves that made this band the musical bridge between West African soukous and Cuban son. More melodic joy than you�ll know what to do with.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Filter & Old 97s

2008-05-07T04:20:00Z

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."

Rhapsody Exclusives: Leona Lewis, Last Shadow Puppets

2008-04-29T16:16:49Z

Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love (Shapeshifters Vocal Remix)" (Rhapsody Exclusives)
Leona Lewis' mid-tempo slow dance gets turned into a fiery dance-floor revival. The Shapeshifters cut and paste Lewis' X-Factor-winning vocals over a hot club beat.

Last Shadow Puppets, The Age of Understatement (Rhapsody Premiere)
A collaboration between Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of the Rascals, The Last Shadow Puppets make startling baroque-pop in the vein of Scott Walker, Ennio Morricone and John Barry.

]]> Morning Benders, Talking Through Tin Cans (Rhapsody Premiere)
Sun-kissed melodies and wistful vocals glide over a sound stuck somewhere between The Shins and The Monkees.

Firewater, The Golden Hour (Rhapsody Premiere)
Firewater's Tod A. has "never cared for authority," and he's made an album of rebel music drawn from global-punk's sonic palette.

Baby D, A-Town Secret Weapon (Rhapsody Exclusive)
The underground Atlanta sensation may be currently incarcerated, but his music is still living out loud. Featuring Shawty Lo and Gucci Mane.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Kid Sister, Estelle

2008-04-23T15:32:02Z

Kid Sister, Pro Nails-Super High Shine (Rhapsody Exclusive)
With Kid Sister, tacky is the new cool. An ecstatic electro-hip-hop paean to the ecstasy of a well-done manicure with no less than Kanye West, the Lee Press-On Don, on the hook.

Estelle, Shine (Rhapsody Premiere + Exclusive Track)
The British singer/rapper gets by with a little help from the States; Swizz Beats, Wycleff and Will.I.Am add some Yankee flavor to this confident sophomore album

Julieta Venegas, El Presente (Rhapsody Exclusive)
This accordion-wielding Latin-pop dynamo offers up a live, acoustic take on her song "El Presente," culled directly from her forthcoming Unplugged album. Soulful, eccentric and real.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Lyrics Born, The Death Set

2008-04-15T20:25:32Z

Lyrics Born, Everywhere at Once (Rhapsody Premiere)
Welcome to an album where all your friends drive low-riders. Lyrics Born's latest solo salvo outside the walls of Blackalicious is situated deep in the bucket seats of some Bay Area funk. A fantastic hybrid of modern rap and classic R&B.

Play It Now

]]> The Death Set, Worldwide (Rhapsody Premiere)
The Death Set's electro-rock is situated somewhere between the cut-and-paste rock of the Breeders, the happy hour hip-hop of Spank Rock and the shouty indie of Le Tigre. Worldwide is the debut full-length from one of the best bands to come out of the fertile Baltimore music scene.

Play It Now

Rhapsody Exclusives: M83, Long Blondes

2008-04-09T02:55:00Z

M83, Saturdays = Youth (Rhapsody Premiere)
What happens when a synthesizer-wielding Frenchman with a proclivity for shoegazing noises and ambient beats decides to create a paean to a cinematic �80s he never lived? And make it a pop album no less? Strap in as M83 is joined by Romanovs� singer Morgan Kirby and electro-pop producer Ewan Pearson for a ride both Molly Ringwald and an average Berlin raver could appreciate.

The Long Blondes, Couples (Rhapsody Premiere)
There's no doubt that the world would be a better place if we had more women rocking. And that if they flashed the garage/pop/new wave hooks of this Sheffield, U.K. quartet (+ funny-named dude drummer), we could end global climate change, cure cancer and find lost puppies. What we would not be able to do is figure out romantic relationships, because the women would be singing about �em all the time. Like they do here. Which, come to think of it, only makes it more fun.

Rhapsody Exclusives: Van Morrison, more

2008-04-01T23:19:13Z

by Chris Ryan

Marie Digby, Unfold (Rhapsody Premiere)
And you will know her by the trail of her YouTube clips. The Internet sensation makes her official debut with this set of beguiling pop songs.

Van Morrison, Keep It Simple
Morrison goes into the mystic once again on his 33rd studio album. Keep It Simple does just that; sticking to blues vamps and hushed Celtic Soul ballads, with live-sounding production that suits Morrison's.expressive, legendary pipes.

]]> The Wombats, The Wombats EP (Rhapsody Premiere)
Like the Arctic Monkeys' clubbing cousins, The Wombats, straight outta Liverpool, drag you kicking and screaming to the indie club night with incessant rhythms, choppy guitars and songs about moving to New York.

The Foals, Antidote (Rhapsody Premiere)
Produced by Dave Sitek of TV On the Radio, Foals, a four-piece from Reading, England, make jumpy, paranoid dance-rock in the tradition of Gang of Four, The Slits and Rapture.

Free MP3s: Young MC, Panda Bear, Tone-Loc RMXD

2008-03-31T22:23:08Z

by Piotr Orlov

We all know by now that remixing classic songs -- like remaking classic films -- is the folly of the foolhardy. (Fatboy Slim's take on "Sympathy for the Devil" or Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes -- choose your pop-culture poison?) But every once in a while, a mash-up combo comes along that you can not argue with -- at least not before you've had a little taste, and maybe not even then. And whaddaya know, not only have we got a trio of said combos, pitting a few well-worn tracks vs. some of today's rhythm specialists, they're all free as air! How's that for a deal?

From the vaults of Delicious Vinyl Records, the late '80s/early '90s Los Angeles label that helped define hip-hop's New School, come remixes of their biggest artists: First off, B-more breaks specialists Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir pull up to the bumper of Young MC's stone-cold "Know How" and pimp into a 21st century ride. Then, Peaches, our favorite Canadian tart, drags Tone-Loc and his multi-platinum R-rated anthem "Wild Thing" into a XXX hot-tub orgy. You know you wanna hear that! (And a full album of Delicious Vinyl remixes is on the way...)

]]> And if you're still with us, we've got an even more random treat: you may know Panda Bear as, by turns, a member of America's finest avant-garde rock band (Animal Collective) or as a solo artist whose debut ('07's Person Pitch) united the magic of two Brians (Eno and Wilson) on one of last year's pop masterpieces. All the more surprising then that Panda's "Comfy in Nautica" gets the remix treatment from XXXChange, the producer behind the beats of Spank Rock's porn-rap classic Yoyoyoyoyoyo. The Baltimore boys sticking together and all that, I guess. (I wonder what the David Simon RMX would have sounded like?)

Oh, and if you're in the market for more free music, check out Rhapsody's Free Weekly MP3s page for tracks by Neon Neon and others.

Further Listening:
Young MC, "Know How (Theme by Aaron Lacrate & Debonair Samir)"
Tone-Loc, "Wild Thing (Peaches RMX Radio Edit)"
Panda Bear, "Comfy in Nautica (XXXChange Remix)"
Rhapsody Free MP3s

Rhapsody Exclusives: Madonna & Justin, Black Tide

2008-03-18T19:56:42Z

by Chris Ryan

Madonna (feat. Justin Timberlake), "4 Minutes" (Rhapsody Exclusive)
Madonna has enlisted the talents of Timberlake and Timbaland to up jump her boogie and help out with beats, rhymes and her scheduled creative reinvention. The result is a blistering track that makes up for its vagueness, in regards to how they plan on saving the world, with a beat that'll rescue you from a boring night out.

Play It Now

Black Tide, Light From Above (Rhapsody Ones to Watch)
The young guns from Florida drop metal sing-a-longs of their own ("Warriors of Time") as well as pay tribute to their heroes with Metallica's "Hit the Lights."

Play It Now

Rhapsody Exclusives: Sheek Louch, Devotchka & More

2008-03-12T15:19:29Z

by Chris Ryan

Sheek Louch, Silverback Gorilla (Rhapsody Premiere)
The comic relief of NYC tough-guy clique The Lox, Sheek Louch comes into his own on his second solo effort. Silverback ... features Dipset collabos, an homage to Houston and plenty of the Yonkers bad boy's patented bluster.

Play It Now

Devotchka, A Mad & Faithful Telling (Rhapsody Premiere)
Devotchka offers another beguiling set of pan-global folk-rock. A gorgeous record for fans of Calexico, Gogol Bordello and Dresden Dolls.

Play It Now

]]> Big Dipper, Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology (Rhapsody Premiere)
Born out of the fertile Boston indie scene of the mid-'80s, Big Dipper played muscular, noizy, earnest rock in the vein of Mission of Burma. They finally getting their due with this affectionate and comprehensive comp.

Play It Now

Pete Francis, Iron Sea and the Cavalry (Rhapsody Premiere)
Pete Francis, a former member of the folk-jam band Dispatch, delivers his fifth solo full-length loaded with soulful, rootsy wonder. The rock numbers rumble and the folk tunes whisper.

Play It Now