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Day one of the third annual Outside Lands Music Festival has come to a close and I must say I have never felt more relaxed after a full day of sunshine (well ... clouds), stage-hopping, beer-guzzling (well ... wine tasting), picture taking, TP-stashing, and, most of all, straight up rocking. Maybe it was the cosmic noodling of San Francisco's legendary Phil Lesh and Bob Weir or the whiffs of herb blanketing the Polo Fields, but somehow I walked out of Golden Gate Park unfrazzled and without any desire to punch anyone.

This is one of the tamest music festivals I've been to. And that, my friends, is a good thing. What an improvement from Outside Lands' first year, when fences came ripping down and Radiohead's sound went out... twice. This year the capacity was a comfortable 60,000 and the lineup was diverse enough to keep the hip kids on one side (The Strokes) and the OGs on the other (Further).

Editor's Note: Listen to a selection of the songs mentioned here on a playlist at the end of this post, or click through to listen to all of the artists listed here on Rhapsody. If you're not a member, click here and listen to all of your favorite music as much as you want — whenever and wherever you want!

Everyone's got Arcade Fire pegged as an arena rock band, dropping names like Springsteen and U2 as inspirations for their ambitious, outsize sound. But this overlooks just how weird that sound is, what a shambolic patchwork of eras, moods, instruments and feelings it consists of -- the fact that it works for arenas is what makes this band so captivating. On their third full-length, The Suburbs, they tackle urban sprawl with an intimate portrayal of not just sameness and shopping malls, but also the nostalgia and jadedness that comes with it all. They also tackle an even more robust sound that had us pointing to myriad influences. Below, we look at some albums that we think helped ignite the Fire this time around.

Editor's Note: Listen to a selection of the songs mentioned here on a playlist at the end of this post, or click through to listen to all of the artists listed here on Rhapsody. If you're not a member, click here and listen to all of your favorite music as much as you want — whenever and wherever you want!

We've got another round of must-hear indie releases for you to dig into. If you heart California, there are great new albums from Best Coast, Admiral Radley, Wavves and Baths to pop in for your next road trip down the Pacific Highway. If you're feeling nostalgic, check out Ariel Pink's fantastic '70s-style set, Dean & Britta's Andy Warhol soundtrack, or the all-star tribute to Shel Silverstein. And if you're feeling a touch of summertime blues, listen to beautiful compilations featuring the likes of Sparklehorse, Danger Mouse, Isaac Brock, James Mercer and more.

In case you've already gone through all our new alternative releases from a few weeks back and are still yearning for more, we've gathered together a hefty selection of more new indie albums to sink your teeth into. Check out releases from Foals, Blitzen Trapper and The Gaslight Anthem, plus newcomers Suckers, Villagers, Active Child and more. Get a taste of each album with the playlist at the end of this post, or if you're really ambitious, we dare you to listen to everything — that's the beauty of Rhapsody, after all. Not a member? Sign up here.

Blitzen Trapper
Destroyer of the Void (Sub Pop)
In a nutshell: On its fifth full-length, the Portland group unabashedly speaks in the tongue of '70s rock: ghostly harmonies, murky prog-rock tangents and harmonica-speckled acoustic ballads.
For those who like: Collecting vinyl, the occasional prog jam, George Harrison, C.S.N.Y.

Listen to all your favorite artists whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. If you don't have one, click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we're all about.

We don't care what the calendar says, it's summertime in our minds and that means one very exciting thing: Live music! Outside! So get out your festival survival kit: the sunscreen, the earplugs, the toilet paper and (big gulp) plenty of cash, because we've gathered up a guide to some of the hottest festivals and tours this season. Can't decide if you want to put down the big bucks for a ticket? Just give the artists a listen on Rhapsody, of course!

Ever since Kanye kick-started hip-hop's love affair with Coldplay, we've seen more and more hip-hop stars getting chummy with the alt and indie rock bunch. Jay-Z loves him some Grizzly Bear (and Coldplay). Members of the Wu-Tang Clan, plus Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris and other hip-hop honchos, formed Blakroc with the Black Keys just last year. Current breakout star B.o.B got a little help from Paramore's Hayley Williams on the chart-climbing "Airplanes"; he also revealed to us his own little crush on Coldplay, along with bands like Broken Bells, MGMT and Green Day on his celebrity playlist.

From indie powerhouses Broken Social Scene, The National and The New Pornographers to bluesy rockers The Black Keys and electro-punks LCD Soundsystem, the alternative landscape has seen some pretty decent releases over the last few weeks. We've got the latest and greatest from these artists and more. Tune in, turn on and play up. Not a Rhapsody member? Sign up for a free trial.

Day three had everyone looking a bit haggard and since I estimated I was at least 10 years older than the average Coachellian, I was actually quite happy with this. People were slowing down to my speed and not giving me as weird of looks for stretching in between sets. As my photographer said, "Young people do drugs; old people do yoga." The drugs were clearly running low as even the spryest of youngsters opted to join in a savasana or two.

So the day was much more laid-back, and the highlights came in spurts. Like De La Soul (below), who made clear: "Just in case you think we are the New Kids on The Block, we are De La Soul."




And the award-winning actress/chanteusse Charlotte Gainsbourg (left), who was maybe a bit timid without producer buddy Beck to guide her through "Heaven Can Wait," but sweetly unassuming with a strong back-up band that helped boost her hushed coos. Florence and the Machine (below), who had the Gobi tent bouncing and overflowing by the masses. Jonsi, whose falsetto grabbed me all the way from another stage. Combined with huge, powerful percussion, the Sigur Ros singer completely blew minds with his vocals, so ethereal and light it seemed quite possible they could levitate the crowd.


But top props go to Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace, featuring Flea and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, who just killed it for 90 minutes straight. For those who think Radiohead is a snore (blasphemy!), they may be surprised to learn that Yorke's got some serious dance moves. Flea flopped around like a hyperactive kid whose dipped his hair in kool-aid one too many times, and it seemed awkward next to the solemn Yorke on opener "The Eraser," but soon the singer broke through his shell and they both started flapping their limbs around like giddy ravers. Atoms For Peace's new material certainly has more dance appeal than Yorke's solo debut and the band offered up a few new songs to prove just that. But the best was a simple acoustic elegy, "Give Up the Ghost," where he recorded his own vocal loop right up there on stage for us. Radiohead fans got a few extra treats as well: A gorgeous acoustic version of "Airbag" and just Thom and his piano for "Everything in Its Right Place." How fitting of a title that is.

The biggest not-so surprise was Sly Stone's postponement, which grew later and later until after headliners Gorillaz took the stage. Reports say Stone went off his rocker, ranting about a lawsuit against his ex-manager before half-finishing one song after the other. I'm kind of glad I wasn't there to see that. Depressing.



All that said, here's my last confession: I said I hated festivals about two days ago. Well, I still do. But I'll probably be back again next year, bitching about traffic, water, prices, those damn kids, because it gives me some of the best stories, some of the best moments of my life, and, of course, some of the best live music bragging rights that'll last a helluva lot longer than the small annoyances of this 72-hour alternate reality.

Major Confession(s): I hate crowds. I hate large gatherings of people. I hate being herded like cattle. I hate the obligatory "moo" from the few "clever" cattle. I hate being knocked over, pushed around, stepped on, spit on, pointed at, shouted at. I hate sitting in a car for three hours… at one mile an hour. I hate festivals. I really do.

This is my fourth year as a very willing participant of the Coachella experience, but honestly, I hate it -- approximately 90 percent of it. See, I and my fellow festivalgoers are certified masochists. Why else would we go through such hazing rituals as having apathetic "security" burrow through our survival kits, taking away our most basic of necessities -- our food, our water, our sanity -- to then thrust us into Lord of the Flies: The Desert Days. But as the masochist's creed goes: It's the pain that allows us to reach the highest peaks of pleasure. The pain is the key: It's the stimulus that shoots very fleeting moments into the receptors of your brain marked "unforgettable."


I may have spent more hours in the car listening to some very crappy radio than I did listening to some of my favorite and possibly soon-to-be favorite bands live. I may have missed Sleigh Bells, Yeasayer, She & Him, Gil Scott-Heron, a half a dozen others, but that's okay: On Day 1 of Coachella 2010, my brain reserved room for these cherished moments.

Jay-Z:
The dynamic crowd-pleaser plowed through his hits to the point of vocal-cord fatigue, but it didn't stop his flow one bit. Plus there was his his band: the horn section, the drummer, the turntablist are all masters in their own right. And then there was that inevitable, slightly uncomfortable feeling of irony: On the big screen we saw the East Coast rapper -- arms up, godlike -- overlapping a shot of thousands of West-Coast-middle-class-sunburned arms swaying as he urged us to sing along, "It's a hard knock life for us," and then dropped interludes of The Doors and Oasis, just in case we don't know out hip-hop. For all the masculinity on Jay-Z's -- and pretty much everyone else's -- stage though, it was a siren that stole the show, perhaps even the night. Beyonce even made Hova himself blush just a little when she giddily joined him for a performance of "Forever Young." Cutest royal couple ever.

Echo & The Bunnymen:
The Doors' ghost makes another appearance in the form of a great "Roadhouse Blues" cover.


Them Crooked Vultures:
TCV are the premier jam band for the slightly older, classic-and-desert-rock loving, still-occasionally-like-to-headbang set (i.e. me). Highlights: John Paul Jones busting out a 10-string bass. Dave Grohl bashing his drum kit like Animal from the Muppets. "Gunman," referred to by Josh Homme as their "dance number." Homme, all James Dean-like, sitting down for a smoke, admiring JPJ plinking through a killer keyboard solo.


Vampire Weekend: Dapper indie rockers honoring their love for Peter Gabriel…

The music of Gorillaz and all their cronies is yours to listen to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. If you don't have one, click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

They may be animated, but the various members/collaborators of Gorillaz are some of the most connected artists in rock, alternative, hip-hop, world music and beyond. From Outkast to New Order, Mike Patton to The Shins, we plot the degrees of separation in the magical world of Gorillaz. Take a look at our intricate visual and enjoy this massive playlist of the over 70 artists featured.

This release week is a big one for the indies, and boy are there some goodies. To make things easy for you, we've rounded up a good lot of 'em to feast your ears upon. Indie rock deities Pavement top off the week with a best-of compilation; Liars and Ted Leo & the Pharmacists continue to dominate; and younger bands including Frightened Rabbit, the Morning Benders, Titus Andronicus, and jj are keeping the veterans on their toes. Listen to all of the albums listed below, to your heart's content, on Rhapsody. Not a member? Sign up for a free trial.

Forget $5 footlongs, how about $5 albums? We dug through Rhapsody's seemingly endless supply of indie music and picked out some noteworthy albums for our latest MP3 sale. Get the one and only release from Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock's Ugly Casanova; "Kiss the Lipless" with the Shins; head down to the woods with Sleater-Kinney; or hit the creek with Iron & Wine. These albums and more are marked down to $5 for just one week only, starting today! Grab them all here. And don't forget, you can listen to all of these artists and more with your Rhapsody subscription. If you're not a member, sign up today for your free trial account.

Spoon had a pretty incredible '00s (seriously, four great albums). So for their first release in a new decade -- also their first self-produced effort -- Transference is just what the title promises: a transferring of all that the band has learned and defined into a sound that is as familiar as it is fresh. Slight piano bumps, soft hi-hat hits, lo-fi guitar, the occasional echo, and the rare fuzz effect ebb and flow with the same patience and ease as Britt Daniel's coos. This is Spoon as you know and love them: minimalist, smart, catchy, always playing it cool.

Since we've been digging Transference, we've decided to put it on sale in our MP3 store for just $5.99 this week. That's like the cost of a, um, serving spoon?

BUY IT HERE FOR $5.99.

Jay Reatard was the archetypal punk rocker: ridiculously talented, prolific, smart, totally weird, nihilistic, paranoid, tortured -- qualities worthy of worship balanced with traits most of us shamefully try to hide instead of embrace. Sadly, the multi-talented musician, born Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr., passed away on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, at the young age of 29.

An ace guitarist and singer-songwriter, Lindsey helped boost the garage rock scene in his hometown of Memphis, where he began recording at the tender age of 15. His first project was the Reatards (initially just him playing guitar, singing and adding his own DIY percussion). He went on to record and play with numerous local artists and bands -- Lost Sounds, Final Solutions, Nervous Patterns, among others. He eventually released his first solo record, Blood Visions, in 2006, before signing to indie label juggernaut Matador Records. He most recently released Watch Me Fall in early 2009.

Lindsey may not have been a household name, but he was a powerful force in the indie and rock worlds. Blood-soaked album covers, fist-fight-inducing performances, song titles like "Greed, Money, Useless Children" -- these were all sly diversions to keep the faint-of-heart away. But those who dared to listen, watch and revel in his talents got every bit of who he was: the good, the bad, the fun, the defiant, the gifted. Now that's punk rock.

Dig into Jay Reatard's catalog on Rhapsody, including exclusive live cuts of his performance at Rhapsody Rocks NYC in 2008.

Ignore the naysayers, 2009 was a great year in indie rock. Since it's a new year and a new decade, we're going to keep that optimistic spirit afloat as we take a look into the future and gather excitement for our most anticipated albums. There are plenty of rumored releases for the year (Radiohead?! Arcade Fire?!), so we've decided to focus on the first quarter. Kicking off 2010 is the much ballyhooed release of Vampire Weekend's sophomore album, Contra. Here are 10 more to get giddy about. (And if you're really getting antsy, listen to our playlist featuring singles from many of these upcoming albums.)

And, of course, you can listen to these as soon as they come out with your Rhapsody subscription. Take a free trial and see what we're all about. 

Forget six degrees of Kevin Bacon, try three degrees of Them Crooked Vultures -- the new rock supergroup featuring John Paul Jones, Josh Homme and Dave Grohl -- and you'll get to just about anyone who's ever picked up an instrument. Because that would be a never-ending project, we decided to plant the seed of a Kevin Bacon-esque flowchart -- sans Jones (not because we don't love him or Led Zeppelin, but because that would be a whole other never-ending project) -- and see how far we could let it grow. So with the two ringleaders of rock's current fraternity, desert-rock pioneer Homme and drummer/frontman extraordinaire Grohl, we've charted out their numerous bands, projects and collaborations and realized these guys are not just ridiculously prolific, they have so many connections to each other and rock's elite that we couldn't even plot them all. We stopped at around 69, and that number was mere coincidence.

Our challenge to you: click on the image to view our complete, interactive flowchart, listen to all the artists represented -- just click on their name and press Play -- and start configuring more degrees of separation. Not too difficult, right?

Over the past decade, the definitions of "alternative" and "indie" have become increasingly subjective. An independent artist can quickly attract a mainstream following thanks to instant blog/social-networking stardom, and a major-label luminary can venture into decidedly "indie" sounds (which in itself really has no concrete meaning). Alternative and indie can refer to artists who delve into rock, pop, electronic, world, jazz, classical -- sometimes all at once. It's a genre that refuses to be a genre. Its essence is to reject classification and celebrate eccentricity, abstractness and autonomy.

So this is by no means a definitive list; it's simply an acknowledgment of artists that have managed to continually stand out, whether they're Brits, Canadians, Brooklynites or a solo dude holed up in a Midwestern cabin. Though many of the artists represented here belong to some sort of revival -- post-punk, synth-pop, classic rock, garage-rock, shoegazer, folk -- each has imprinted their genre with a distinctly modern touch that will forever be recognized as quintessential '00s, a decade when innovation was steered not by looking to the future but by honoring the past.

Be sure to listen to all the artists mentioned here, anywhere and anytime in high-def audio, with your Rhapsody subscription. Not a member? Click here for a free trial and get on board with the ultimate music experience.

With the release of Paramore's new album, Twilight's Kristen Stewart rocking her best Joan Jett for an upcoming bio-pic and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O leading an all-star cast of indie rockers on the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack, it's really not a bad time to be a chick in a rock band. But of course, all chicks fronting rock bands face the age-old question at some point: To go solo or not to go solo? It's a question Paramore's Hayley Williams had to quash when rumors swirled this summer over a possible solo move when she contributed a track to the Jennifer's Body soundtrack. She's stayed adamant that Paramore is going nowhere, but this got us thinking -- as tempting as it is to reach for the brass ring, is going solo always a good idea? We lined up a few examples Ms. Williams might want to consider for future reference. (And please to be remembering: if you dig Paramore, solo projects, Wild Things, or all of the above, then get on the jet with a Rhapsody subscription -- try it for free right here, right now.) 

As individuals, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman) and Boots Riley (The Coup) have caused quite a commotion. Together, as Street Sweeper Social Club, they're a revolution unto themselves, mixing Riley's sociopolitical jibes, sardonic quips ("poverty has just gone platinum") and fist-pumping commands with Morello's hyper-twitchy, pitch-shifting guitar rallies. We've chronicled the duo's journey from Rage and the Coup to this latest collaboration with loads of revolution-ready riffs and rhymes, exclusive video interviews and the band's debut album. Raise your fist and enjoy.

LISTEN: Play the debut album from Street Sweeper Social Club.

RADIO: Get inspired through speech and song with Rhapsody's Revolution Radio

WATCH: See Tom Morello talk about his favorite album with Rhapsody's On the Record.

LOOK: See Boots Riley talk about his favorite album with Rhapsody's On the Record.

RAGE: Rock out to Rage Against the Machine's entire catalog. REBEL: Feel the rhythm with all of The Coup's revolutionary music.

It's been nearly three decades in Sonic Youth's saga, yet the band's art-rock blitz sounds as vital as ever on their 15th studio album, The Eternal. With DIY on the rise and a new wave of lo-fi making indie circles swoon, their influence is undeniable. The band itself has even ditched the major labels, releasing the record on Matador. The album reveals a wise maturity; while the cacophony of grinding, oddly tuned guitars remains a central element, there's a patient, poignant melodicism that lingers. Spacey drones and vocals slither around dead-on drums for a sound that remains as fresh as their name suggests.

Members Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo took some time out of their busy schedules promoting the album to give us individual playlists of their favorite songs. It's an interesting look inside the minds of each of them, from Moore's obscure punk picks and Gordon's My Bloody Valentine crush to Shelley's diverse oldie loves and Ranaldo's fondness for folk.

Play here, and follow along with their comments for each song, after the jump.

Rhapsody recently sat down with Tori Amos to discuss her new album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin. The conversation quickly turned into a candid reveal of the singer's family: the highs and lows of working with her husband (key quote: "You usually want to have an affair with your engineer anyway!") and parenting an 8-year-old daughter who finds embarrassing YouTube clips of her mother. Amos also discusses her discontent with the music biz and her evolution as an artist before the chat comes back full circle to the impetus behind the new album -- what she believes to be the greatest sin of all.

We also convinced Amos to participate in our burgeoning On the Record program, in which artists speak about records they love in exactly 45 seconds. Click the link to hear her pick and see plenty of others.

Parts 2 & 3 after the jump.

French band Phoenix are Rhapsody's Ones to Watch artist for the month of May. With their brisk, breezy and oh-so-chic electro-pop, they've grabbed not only our attention, but also the producers of SNL, where they caught more than a few American eyes a few weeks back. The thing is, though, the Parisian quartet have been perfecting their sound since the release of debut album, United, in 2000. Their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is one of their best and most cohesive to date, and one of the reasons we were so pumped to chat with guitarist Lauren "Branco" Brancowitz. The affable Frenchman gave us his thoughts on Mozart, SNL, the Smiths, playing with those two dudes from a little group called Daft Punk, the exoticism of American food and the "bad bands" Phoenix have influenced.

Rhapsody: Let's talk about your new album -- the writing process, inspiration, etc.
(Laurent) Brancowitz: The writing process is a very complicated one. There’s no leader in Phoenix. What we do is stay in the same room forever and after a certain amount of time, something good comes out of it. After a lot of frustration, we have a little moment of grace when the song is finished. So, basically we are just waiting for this moment to happen. This time we did it in Paris and it took like 18 months. So a long time, a lot of pain and small moments of intense pleasure.

Rhapsody: Why did you guys choose to name the album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix?
Brancowitz: Actually, we were looking for something that was unforgettable and this name was a gift from above and we just accepted the gift. It is very beautiful but very stupid at the same time. We like the fact that it has a lot of power and that it would create a shock for everyone, including our fans. We didn’t want to play it safe and take a very cool elegant name. We wanted something that would challenge people. I love this title.

Rhapsody: I like it too. Are you guys fans of Mozart at all?
Brancowitz: Yeah we love Mozart, but it’s really not about Mozart, it’s about taking the biggest cultural icon ever. It’s like painting a mustache over a beautiful painting. It’s like a pop act of vandalism.

In preparation for Rhapsody's big premiere of one of 2009's most anticipated releases, I studied up on Green Day more than I ever crammed for any test, final or fate-deciding exam. I ran through their bio, pored over their every move and had their entire catalog on repeat for about a month straight. We were honored to premiere the Bay Area punks' new album, 21st Century Breakdown, but through all the celebratory hoo-ha, I -- a big fan of the trio myself -- couldn't help wondering why anyone should still care about Green Day.

I was first struck with the Green Day bug at age 13 when I saw the video for "Basket Case" on MTV and quickly traded in my Ace of Base CD (yeah, I totally saw "the sign") for Dookie. It was a monumental album for my suburban teenage self and it subsequently led me to bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. But I admit I lost some of my lust for the trio after Dookie -- besides a few singles here and there, the band never quite caught my attention again in the same way. Even my feelings toward American Idiot's big-boned conceptual rock didn't initially measure up to my first foray into Green Day's early material.

But going back through their catalog, I started to appreciate their significance more and more. I realized not just why I clutched Dookie so close to my heart in 1994, but why I still do: Green Day spin modern life into tunes that articulate the thoughts and frustrations piling up in the heads of American adolescents, when they "feel locked up in a world that's been planned out for them," when they "sit around watching the phone, and no one's calling," when they're simply "burned out and growing bored." Of course, it's no secret that this was Green Day's appeal 15 years ago. What's amazing is that, two decades later, they're as good at it as they've ever been.

Holy smokes! Are we still doing this contest thing in conjunction with our super awesome premiere of Green Day's (very well received) new album 21st Century Breakdown? It appears so. And since anything worth doing is worth doing Bigger and Better than you did it last time, we decided to make today's contest an entire quiz!

The Prize: A Logitech Squeezebox Boom
The Task: Answer the questions in the following quiz and Tweet them to us (example: "1-A, 2-B, 3-C..." etc.). The first Tweeter to send us all the right answers wins! Go!

1.) A song cycle-as-panorama depicting the American landscape during the Bush administration's reign, Green Day's American Idiot mainly told its story through the eyes of a single character, who went by many names. Which of these is actually one of those names:

A. Krazy Karl the Kaiser of Kmart
B. The Son of Rage and Love
C. Steve, the Prozac-Addled Gas Station Attendant with Turrets
D. Ashton Kutcher

2.) Sorry, girls: Billie Joe is married. But he still knows from heartbreak. A former girlfriend inspired several songs on 1994's Dookie; in one he asks if she is feeling like what?

A. A cross-eyed punk that's in a funk
B. An American idiot
C. A burned-out broad in love with a fraud
D. A social tool without a use

Not done yet ...

HEAR IT FIRST: Listen to Rhapsody's premiere of 21st Century Breakdown.

EXPLORE: Dig deeper than Dookie with our Green Day album Guide.

GET SCHOOLED: The Jam and other punk icons rage on in the Green Day influences playlist.

PLAY: Hear the band's best on our Have a Happy Green Day playlist.

ROCK THE RADIO: Crank up Punk radio. You'll yearn for liberty spikes in no time.

WATCH: Check out Green Day's awesome Rhapsody commercial.

Green Day 101: Class is in session. We've got a good way to wean you off the boys just for a second ... because a true Green Day fan needs to know the band's origins. What sort of tunes give Billie Joe the fuzzies inside? What does Mike crank up to get him pumped up? What inspires Tre to rip up the skins day in and day out? It's been said that when Billie Joe first heard the Sex Pistols, that was it ... he had found his calling. Green Day have also found inspiration in the Clash, Husker Du, Operation Ivy, not to mention classic rock kings like the Who and Queen (major influences on 21st Century Breakdown). Get inside their heads a bit with our Green Day influence sampler and dive into our radio station dedicated to the mayhem, the inebriation, the vexation, the anarchy, the beauty that is PUNK.

PLAY RHAPSODY'S PUNK STATION

If you haven't yet noticed, we are pretty pumped for our May 8 premiere of Green Day's upcoming new album, 21st Century Breakdown. We nearly had our own breakdown when we found out that today is officially Greenery Day in Japan. Coincidence? Perhaps, it was reason enough to put together this list of some of the Berkeley boys' best, from 1991's 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours to new single "Know Your Enemy." Enjoy.

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.

 

I admit it. My first big rock star crush was on Billie Joe Armstrong. So when I miraculously snatched a pair of Green Day tickets for a surprise show on Tuesday night, the butterflies, the sweating, the breaking out…all those mystifying feelings and weird hormonal reactions of being a 13-year-old girl came rushing back.

The trio (with entourage) decided, last minute, to throw a show at San Francisco's the Independent, and the venue quickly obliged, because, well, this is Green Day we're talking about. The Independent holds 374 people (said a random security guard at door), and those lucky enough to get inside got to witness their Bay Area heroes showcase songs from their upcoming May release, take requests from the audience ("F.O.D.," "J.A.R." (what's with the acronym songs, people?)), perform a fist-pumping rendition of "Shout" with a little bit of "Stand By Me" tossed in, and play songs off every album from 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours to American Idiot. And they sounded pretty damn good doing it. Catch my review of the show, including details about songs from their new album, after the jump.

Rhapsody Reviews: Text about music -- remember that?

The Fray
The Fray

The Denver boys have been living well off their debut How to Save a Life for over three years thanks to a multitude of TV exposure. They keep the trend going here, debuting their first single, "You Found Me," on Grey's Anatomy. It's a lucrative plan, and this second album is sure to succeed along the same soundtrack-appealing path. Over 10 songs, though, it all becomes a bit predictable: soft piano intro; pensive chorus that builds with the passion of a lovers' quarrel; and Isaac Slade's sensitive, sometimes strained croons (you just want to give the guy a hug!). "You Found Me" and "Say When" are guaranteed hits, but the little goodies here are in "Ungodly Hour," a track that could very well be confused with a Coldplay ballad (in fact, Slade stretches his vocals from a soothing softness to a casual falsetto in nearly the exact same way Chris Martin has trademarked); and in "We Build Then We Break," where the band finally busts out a little bit of rock 'n' roll 'tude. There's certainly an appeal to the Fray -- it's hard not to get wrapped up in their sentimentality without feeling just a little bit introspective. We'd just like to see a tad more oomph next time around.

From Pete Wentz to Jared Leto, Brandon Flowers and that weird alien-kid in Tokio Hotel, the male rocker is no stranger to the light touch of the soft pencil: eyeliner. Not since the heyday of Motley Crue and Twisted Sister have so many male eyelids been so questionably adorned in the stuff. Join us as we rate and berate these Gods of Guyliner.

FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD: Lykke Li, "Breaking Up (John Hill Remix)"

Her songs may hit the sweet and sensitive chords, but Lykke Li is not a woman to be messed with. The Swedish indie songbird is one of Rhapsody's Dig This! artists for October, and we got a chance to talk to the feisty singer-songwriter about her debut album and that Victoria's Secret ad ("this thing about sellouts is bullsh*t"), while she got the chance to clear the air about her real feelings on Madonna (ahem, definitely not an influence, people).

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link for the rest of the interview.]

Rhapsody reported from the second annual Treasure Island Music Festival this past weekend, where TV on the Radio, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, Okkervil River, CSS, Justice and more rocked the artificial island that sits cozily in the San Francisco Bay. Check out our coverage of the fest and listen to the artists who represented here. 

Oh, and favorite artist sighting: Jack White, looking too cool for school with arms crossed and sideburns greased, watching the fab Fleet Foxes perform.

by Stephanie Benson

San Francisco might have had free acid and Dead concerts back in the '60s, but did it have live webcasts, gigantic inflatable spacemen and hip-hop? Check out highlights from the first Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, August 22-24, 2008, minus the raw burgers, wine lines and miles of walking. We covered the scene from Primus and Sharon Jones to Jack Johnson, Devendra Banhart, Ben Harper and more. The hippie haven of Golden Gate Park may have turned into hipster heaven, but the counterculture spirit still floated through the fog. Peace out indeed, Lupe.

Further Viewing:
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival Recap [Rhapsody.com]

by Stephanie Benson

Can you do a Yurchenko two-and-a-half, an Onodi, a Tkatchev, a Gienger, a Pak salto, a Stalder shoot, a triple full -- wait, let’s make this easier -- can you do a cartwheel? We know you’ve been practicing your best “stick-it” moment since watching the one-two winning punch of gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson in Beijing. But how about saving yourself a trip to the hospital and impress your friends with some Olympic trivia that has nothing to do with Michael Phelps, or um, Michael Phelps.

by Stephanie Benson

(photo by Jeremy Stanifer)

I could throw in a lot of burly Pacific Northwest lumberjack jokes or overgrown face fuzz and flannel/plaid/paisley-wearing cracks here, but that all seems a little too obvious for the Fleet Foxes. The scene at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill last night was indeed fairly scruffy -- the exception being guitarist Skye Skjelset, whose clean-cut, skinny jeans-with-vest hipster style gets the most live-review flack according to his bandmates. The mostly hirsute quintet stole the attention of even the most girly chicks and modish boys in the crowd, using “Chill out, dude” poise and a humbled presence, but also nimble guitars, deft mandolin plucks, maraca shakes, tambourines, crashing cymbals and gospel-inspired a capella.

by Stephanie Benson

Who says partying won't get you anywhere in life? For Katie White and Jules De Martino, it was the path to international success. Realizing they could throw a hell of a house party and actually make a profit from it, the duo's regular revelries included boozy, explosive, ad-lib performances that quickly became the hottest ticket in Manchester. A&R reps promptly caught wind and soon the Ting Tings had a No. 1 album in the U.K. and a shadow-spasming iTunes ad in the U.S.

Rhapsody's Ones to Watch artist for June, the Ting Tings’ De Martino gives us an inside look at the nearly instant phenomenon with a track-by-track synopsis of the making of We Started Nothing. He goes in-depth about the woes of being a signed band, why you should avoid buying the Chinese version of their album, and why they want to prove they "started nothing."

by Stephanie Benson

In a little more than three years, Paramore have gone from underage emo new jacks to honest to goodness bigtime rock band. They're four-single monster of a sophomore album, Riot, has propelled them beyond the club circuit and into rarefied territory just below the likes of the Foo Fighters. In this exclusive Rhap Session, singer Hayley Williams tells us all about where it all began and how they got here.

by Stephanie Benson

You knew about one minute into Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's (aka Swell Season) performance of "Falling Slowly" (from the film Once) at last night's 80th Academy Awards that they were gonna nab the statuette. Not to take anything away from Kristin Chenoweth—who deserved props for making it through her performance of "So Close," despite the presence of construction workers, a girl in lederhosen, a Jamaican dude, and a guy who looked like Michael McDonald's older brother playing bongos—but Hansard and Irglova were the feel-good story of the year. And despite being up against a Enchanted's three nominated tunes, they deserved the fairytale ending.

Further Reading:
Stephanie Benson's live review of Swell Season (PLAY)

by Stephanie Benson

If you haven't learned to take your dance-rock with capes, pigtail braids or Jesus T-shirts, you haven't experienced Ghostland Observatory. At San Francisco's Mezzanine last Thursday night, the Austin, Texas act looked like a pair of irreverent superheroes.

by Stephanie Benson

The first time I saw Glen Hansard, lead singer of The Frames, and Marketa Irglova perform was over two years ago in front of a crowd of not more than 50 people. Creaky, uncomfortable folding chairs were set up lazily in rows inside the nearly 100-year-old Swedish American Hall in San Francisco; I had never heard of The Frames or Hansard or Irglova and admittedly was going to take a quick listen and get the hell out of there. Instead, I left almost three hours later, sore butt and all, completely enthralled, giddy, pensive and moved.

by Stephanie Benson

Ok. Enough of the "!" in band names. Panic! At the Disco, !!!, Oh No! Oh My!, and the worst offender yet: You Say Party! We Say Die!. There's a time and a place for exclamation points and I don't believe they belong in a band name. All this overjoyed usage of punctuation reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld moments:

Elaine: Well, I mean if one of your close friends had a baby and I left you a message about it, I would use an exclamation point.

Jake (Elaine's boyfriend): Well, maybe I don't use my exclamation points as haphazardly as you do.

Elaine: You don't think that someone having a baby warrants an exclamation point?

Jake: Hey, I just chalked down the message. I didn't know I was required to capture the mood of each caller.

Elaine: I just thought you would be a little more excited about a friend of mine having a baby.

Jake: Ok, I'm excited. I just don't happen to like exclamation points.

Elaine: Well, you know Jake, you should learn to use them. Like the way I'm talking right now, I would put an exclamation point at the end of all these sentences! On this one! And on that one!

Jake: Well, you can put one on this one: I'm leaving!

And back to the music…These guys are actually pretty fun and funky - much better than their un-google-able name: !!! - Hello? Is This Thing On?

by Stephanie Benson

Whoa…it's been way too long since I've posted here, and it looks like the last thing I wrote about mentioned heroin, so I better add something before people think I've disappeared into a pile of syringes. Today I feel the need to poke fun at a random rock star for no apparent reason; isn't that what blogging is all about anyways? Making fun of people richer and more famous than us?

If you haven't heard, Dave Navarro has a new band with a few Jane's Addiction members tagging along called the Panic Channel. Their album came out yesterday and it sounds like it would fit perfectly in between those fighting foo and the Sevendusts of '90s modern rock radio. It's got those grungy guitars sprinkled with tacky lyrics (I will always be the outsider / will I always walk the road alone? / Will I always find it hard to make this world of lies my own), that just end up sounding whiny and unnecessary. It all proves even more to me how much Navarro and his posse are total cheese balls that use their black hair dye and –-oooooh-- scary tattoos as disguises (and to attract porn stars). "Said You'd Be" has potential for retired moshers to break out their best elbow-shoving moves, and stuck-in-the-flannel shirt-years fans will likely gravitate towards most of the other tracks on this album, but it's really nothing new and exciting by any means.

by Stephanie Benson

I recently discovered the thrill of free ON DEMAND movies and while the majority of the selections are random at best, I've found a few in the batch that have always been on my list of must-watch-but-probably-never-will. Well, I watched, and so far my ON DEMAND experience has successfully been an anti-drug campaign and motivation for me to never date a musician. 

Dig! was my first pick – a documentary about the love/hate relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, specifically lead singers Courtney Taylor and Anton Newcombe. The competition, adoration, and, in the end, pure disgust between the two is priceless and is what ultimately makes this "rockumentary" worth checking out, even if you've long ago thrown away your tie-dye t-shirts and other, well, '60s paraphernalia.

by Stephanie Benson

So, I went to see my beloved Eagles of Death Metal a few nights ago at Slim's in SF, a great intimate venue to get up close and personal with the shenanigans onstage. First of all, lead singer Jesse "The Devil" Hughes is just a straight-up rock star with his flamboyant shakes, tattered mustache, aviator retro sunglasses, and not to mention his constant shout-outs to all the ladies and the "Can I hear an Amen(s)!" Sleazy, raunchy and enough sexual innuendos to make Austin Powers ashamed, their garage rock vibe ran the gamut from the Stones to even the Village People (well, maybe just because I kept thinking Hughes looked like the construction worker one).

by Stephanie Benson

Hey there, I'm Steph and my claim to fame is I hold the MN State High School gymnastics record in the Floor Exercise and All-Around. While I still like to walk on my hands on occasion, I decided I better get myself a job because gymnastics isn't exactly a high-paying gig. So, here I am an Associate Producer at Rhapsody with headphones in my ears pretty much 95 percent of the time my eyes are open.