Radiohead

Radiohead Brighten Coachella's Second Day

15 Apr 2012 11:04:26 EDT

Career-spanning set features icons' newest tracks and older fan favorites.
By Mary J. DiMeglio

INDIO, California — Radiohead brought their huge sound and eye-candy backdrop to the Coachella festival's polo fields Saturday night in a fairly mellow set, heavy with cuts from their latest offering, The King of Limbs.

Amidst their newest tracks — including "Morning Mr Magpie," "Lotus Flower" and "Give Up the Ghost" — the British rock icons sprinkled tunes spanning much of their catalog, from Kid A rave-up "Idioteque" to In Rainbows' "Bodysnatchers" and "15 Step."

Of "Karma Police," their first classic selection of the night, singer Thom Yorke said, "You know those people who are only talking to you because they want something from you? You need to take a cold shower afterwards."

Radiohead, who last graced the polo fields in 2004, are also headlining Bonnaroo in June.

The fivesome answered calls for an encore with longtime fan favorite "Lucky," "Reckoner" and the alternately soaring and intense "Paranoid Android."

Coachella's second day also featured Bon Iver, David Guetta, the Shins and A$AP Rocky.

In response to last year's event selling out — a week after the 2011 lineup was announced — the festival is experimenting with hosting the same artists for two consecutive three-day weekends: April 13-15 and April 20-22.

The Black Keys, Swedish House Mafia and Pulp rocked Friday's chilly opening day. Today's (April 15) third and final day brings Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (rumored to contain an appearance by the late Nate Dogg as a hologram), Florence and the Machine, Justice, Calvin Harris and the reunited At the Drive-In.

Did you go to Coachella? Share your review in the comments below!

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Bonnaroo 2012: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skrillex, Bon Iver, More

14 Feb 2012 12:38:25 EST

Phish, Radiohead, Blackstar, Civil Wars, Roots, Beach Boys also on the bill.
By Gil Kaufman

The lineup for the 11th annual Bonnaroo Festival features a powerhouse lineup for headliners including Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Phish, along with some recent Grammy winners such as Bon Iver and EDM star Skrillex.

As always, the roster of acts who will descend on the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, for the four-day festival held June 7 to June 10 is a wildly eclectic mix of jam, rock, hip-hop, bluegrass and just about everything in between. The reunited Beach Boys are also on the list, along with the Shins, Avett Brothers, Black Star, shock rock icon Alice Cooper, Feist, rapper/actor Donald Glover as Childish Gambino, the Roots and legendary reggae-spike punk act Bad Brains.

The full roster includes more than 125 bands and 20 comedians performing on 13 stages, with tickets going on sale at noon on Saturday, February 18, on Bonnaroo.com. In addition to the dozens of on-the-ground distractions and amenities, the festival has also partnered with YouTube this year to create Bonnaroo365, a channel with original programming, daily content and some legendary live performances. For a preview of this year's lineup, check out the Bonnaroo playlist on Spotify.

The full list of confirmed acts so far (with more to be added later): Foster the People, Aziz Ansari, Dispatch, SuperJam, the Word featuring John Medeski, Robert Randolph and North Mississippi Allstars, Ludacris, Ben Folds Five, Flogging Molly, Spectrum Road featuring Cindy Blackman Santana, Jack Bruce, John Medeski, and Vernon Reid, Mac Miller, Major Lazer, tUnE-yArDs, Afrocubism, Flying Lotus, Umphrey's McGee, Little Dragon, St. Vincent, City and Colour, the Civil Wars, Young the Giant, Two Door Cinema Club, Punch Brothers, NEEDTOBREATHE, Fitz & the Tantrums, Yelawolf, Dawes, Battles, Danny Brown, the Black Lips, SBTRKT, Phantogram, Kendrick Lamar, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, the Kooks, the Joy Formidable, the Antlers, Kathleen Edwards, Mimosa, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Alabama Shakes, Das Racist, Delta Spirit, Gary Clark Jr., Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Laura Marling, Trampled by Turtles, Mogwai, the War On Drugs, Ben Howard, Grouplove, Blind Pilot, ALO, the Devil Makes Three, White Denim, EMA, Here We Go Magic, K-Flay, the Lonely Forest, Mariachi El Bronx, Big Freedia, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., the Soul Rebels, Kvelertak, SOJA, Steven Bernstein's MTO Allstars Plays Sly, Big Gigantic, Sarah Jarosz, Orgone, Darondo, Fruit Bats and Moon Taxi.

Sound off on the Bonnaroo lineup on our Facebook page!

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Coachella 2012 Lineup Features Radiohead, Dr. Dre And Snoop, Black Keys

09 Jan 2012 21:18:50 EST

Florence and the Machine, Bon Iver and Swedish House Mafia also headed to the desert for two weekends in April.
By Mary J. DiMeglio

After shocking fans months ago with the news that its desert festival will span two weekends in 2012, Coachella confirmed with its lineup announcement Monday (January 9) that it is going big this year. Posted to the fest's Facebook page, the roster boasts Radiohead, The Black Keys and Dr. Dre with Snoop Dogg.

In response to last year's event selling out — a week after the 2011 lineup was announced — the festival is experimenting with featuring the same artists for two consecutive three-day weekends: April 13-15 and April 20-22.

The Black Keys, who performed last year, return to Friday night, this time getting top billing. Radiohead, Saturday's headliner, last graced Indio, California's Empire Polo Fields in 2004. This is the first booking for West Coast hip-hop legends Dre and Snoop, who will close out the main stage Sunday night.

Also headed to the desert are Florence and the Machine, Bon Iver, Swedish House Mafia, Afrojack, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and the just-announced At the Drive-In reunion. Tickets for the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT. The full lineup includes:

Friday, April 13 and 20
The Black Keys, Swedish House Mafia, Pulp, Refused, Arctic Monkeys, Mazzy Star, Afrojack, Explosions in the Sky, M83, Amon Tobin, Cat Power, Madness, Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong, GIRLS, the Rapture, Madeon, M. Ward, the Horrors, Frank Ocean, James Alesso, Sebastien, Yuck, Neon Indian, Dawes, Black Angels, Deathgrips, Wu Lyf, Breakbot, Atari Teenage Riot, Feed Me, Givers, Other Lives, Band of Skulls, R3hab, Wolfgang, Midnight Beast, EMA, Ximena Sarinana, Kendrick Lamar, The Dear Hunter, Honeyhoney, Hello Seahorse!, Sheepdogs, LA Riots.

Saturday, April 14 and 21
Radiohead, Bon Iver, the Shins, David Guetta, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Kaskade, Miike Snow, Jeff Mangum, Sebastian Ingrosso, Andrew Bird, Feist, Firehose, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, St. Vincent, Martin Solveig, Subfocus, Sbtrkt, Flying Lotus, Manchester Orchestra, Kasabian, AWOL Nation, Azealia Banks, Squeeze, A$AP Rocky, Buzzcocks, Kaiser Chiefs, Destroyer, the Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Tuneyards, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Black Lips, the Big Pink, Childish Gambino, the Vaccines, Zed's Dead, Grouplove, Jacques Lu Cont, We Were Promised, Jetpacks, Gary Clark Jr., Borgore, Dragonette, We Are Augustines, Mt. Eden, Destructo, Suedehead, Keep Shelley in Athens, Pure Filth Sound.

Sunday, April 15 and 22
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, At the Drive-In, Justice, Florence and the Machine, AVICII, La Roux, Beirut, the Weeknd, Girl Talk, the Hives, DJ Shadow, Calvin Harris, Nero, Wild Flag, Modeselektor, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Santigold, Flux Pavilion, Dr. P, Gotye, Seun Keti, Egypt 80, Beats Antique, Fitz and the Tantrums, Araabmuzik, Company Flow, Real Estate, Zed, Le Bucherettes, Greg Ginn, the Growlers, Noisia, Morgan Page, Gaslamp Killer, First Aid Kit, Oberhofer, Lissie, Thundercat, Metronomy, Wild Beasts, Housse de Racket, Fanfarlo, Spector, Gardens & Villa, Airplane Boys, Sleeper Agent.

Share your thoughts on the 2012 Coachella lineup in the comments below!

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Radiohead Announce U.S. Tour Dates

07 Nov 2011 12:29:14 EST

Band will kick off run of Stateside shows in February, their first in nearly four years.
By James Montgomery

Radiohead have announced dates for their upcoming U.S. tour, their first Stateside trek in nearly four years.

Kicking off on February 27 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, the first leg of shows spans the South (and, uh, Colorado and Missouri too), hitting cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas before coming to a close on March 15 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Oklahoma indie rockers Other Lives will open, and a ticket pre-sale begins Wednesday through Radiohead's W.A.S.T.E. site. General on-sale for most dates starts on Friday, with a four-ticket-per-person limit. For more information, check out the band's official site.

It's not clear whether the dates represent the entirety of Radiohead's U.S. tour, or if more shows will be announced in the coming weeks ... though, on their Dead Air Space blog, the band seems to hint that there's more on tap in 2012, writing, "We are happy to announce the first part of some live shows we will be doing next year, more to follow."

A spokesperson for the band could not be reached for comment on the matter by press time.

Although they've played several one-off shows in the States in recent years (in addition to frontman Thom Yorke touring with his Atoms for Peace project), Radiohead's last full-scale U.S. tour wrapped in August 2008, when they were supporting the In Rainbows album. In February of this year, they released The King of Limbs and in September, they played a pair of surprise shows at New York's Roseland Ballroom in support of the album.

Dates for Radiohead's U.S. tour are as follows:
» February 27 - Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
» February 29 - Tampa, FL @ The St. Pete Times Forum
» March 1 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
» March 3 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
» March 5 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
» March 7 - Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
» March 9 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
» March 11 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
» March 13 - Broomfield, CO @ 1stBank Center
» March 15 - Glendale, AZ @ Jobing.com Arena

Will you catch Radiohead on tour? Tell us in the comments!

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Radiohead's The King Of Limbs: A Minor Masterwork

18 Feb 2011 13:16:23 EST

Band releases their darkly atmospheric eighth studio album Friday, a day ahead of schedule.
By James Montgomery

Radiohead's last album, 2007's In Rainbows, was a very major affair. From its pay-as-you-wish, set-the-industry-ablaze rush release to its scattershot sonics — all clicky drum tracks and doomy guitars and keening electronics — it was exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from arguably the best (and certainly the most mercurial) band on the planet. It was an event.

Their new album, The King of Limbs, which was announced Monday and then showed up unexpectedly in fans' in-boxes on Friday (February 18) morning — one day ahead of schedule — is, by comparison, a decidedly minor effort. It was not preceded by a single "Death of the Music Industry" think piece, instead, it just sort of came out early, for reasons that, at the time of this writing, have yet to really be explained. (A press release states simply, "With everything ready on their Web site, the band decided to bring forward the release, rather than wait." Oh, OK then.) Even a planned stunt set to take place in Tokyo's Hachiko Square was scrapped at the last minute, due to security fears.

And perhaps all of that is fitting, especially when you consider that sonically, Limbs is assuredly the most minor thing Radiohead have ever done, a dour, insular, downright atmospheric thing that, from the skittering, jazzy fractals of opening track "Bloom" to the slowly decaying guitars and pitter-pat drums of closer "Separator," works very hard at creating a mood ... one that is part amniotic, part pastoral, yet all washed over in a gauzy, dreamlike haze. It is not an immediately gratifying listen, and it most certainly does not rock. Rather, it reveals itself to you gradually, in layers, at it's own deliberate pace.

Like the early parts of Kid A, Limbs makes a conscious decision to bury the guitar work of Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien deep in the mix, slowly building steam instead on a pastiche of wavy electronic pulses, the clicking drum work of Phil Selway and the ominous bass playing of Colin Greenwood (especially on "Morning Mr. Magpie" and the roiling, dank "Little by Little"). The thing is, those guitars never really show up — to the best of my knowledge, there's not a single solo on the whole album — or when they do, they're of the ringing acoustic type (the genuinely pretty "Give Up the Ghost"). Instead, large portions of the record are dedicated to crystalline, echoing tracks like "Feral" and "Lotus Flower," which, when coupled with Thom Yorke's still-lithe (though heavily coated) voice, create the effect of standing alone in a forest clearing at midnight as the fog begins to roll in.

And in a lot of ways, I suspect that's probably exactly what Radiohead were going for on The King of Limbs, which takes its name (in part at least) from the oldest tree in Europe, a knotty, slightly terrifying thing deep in England's Savernake Forest. From the snippets of recorded birdsong that show up repeatedly (and provide the backbone to "Give Up the Ghost") to the mossy, wet atmospherics that drip off nearly every song, it is about as close as Radiohead will ever come to releasing genuine field recordings. There is a damp musk to the album, a foreboding sense of inevitability. Like being lost in a dense forest, the light slowly fading, the path becoming increasingly choked. It is a claustrophobia that previously only existed in nature, a kind that is becoming rarer and rarer as we humans carry our ugly sprawl to each corner of the globe. And that idea is just as terrifying as being stranded in a forest — if not more so. Which is why, though it's a minor album, The King of Limbs is still a major accomplishment — evoking emotions that powerful and primal isn't exactly easy to do.

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Arcade Fire, Radiohead Signal That Rock Is (Finally) Rising

16 Feb 2011 06:52:03 EST

Clearly, something is happening, and just in time for the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery

In January, fresh off a year in which albums by mainstays like Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance stiffed, and efforts by up-and-comers like MGMT mystified, we published an article that wondered, rather matter-of-factly, "Is Rock Dead?"

At the time, it seemed a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. After all, for all intents and purposes, rock music was dead in 2010: Nickelback's Dark Horse was the year's best-selling rock album (even though it was released in November 2008), lumbering bands like Alter Bridge, Disturbed and Shinedown continued to dominate radio, and even the chart-topping successes of indie acts like Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire were dismissed as little more than flukes: They only reached #1, the argument went, because there were no hip-hop or pop albums released that same week.

And with absolutely zero big-ticket rock releases on the horizon, things were looking equally bleak for 2011. But in the six weeks since we originally published that article, something pretty amazing happened: Rock proved that, much like Jason Voorhees, it can be drowned, stabbed, dragged to hell and cryogenically frozen, but it cannot be killed.

At the end of January, the Decemberists' The King Is Dead inexplicably debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. Last Sunday, at the 53rd Grammys, the Arcade Fire shocked pretty much everybody (except, it should be noted, me) by besting Eminem, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to win Album of the Year. On Monday, we learned there would be a brand-new Radiohead album arriving in our inboxes in less than a week. Couple all that with a fantastic new album from Bright Eyes (The People's Key, go buy it), the Foo Fighters' hotly anticipated Wasting Light (which reteams former Nirvana mates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic with producer Butch Vig) and new albums from the Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, Coldplay and Blink-182 looming on the horizon — not to mention genuinely great releases from new bands like Warpaint, Smith Westerns and Yuck — and, all of a sudden, rock music doesn't appear to be dead at all.

This isn't meant to be some "Rock Is Back!" piece (I think we reached critical mass on those sometime around 2002), but it probably could be. Rather, I'm hoping it comes across as nothing more than the blissed-out rejoicings of a long-suffering rock fan. Because, to be perfectly honest, that's the only angle I'm taking this week. I have worked at MTV News for nearly seven years now, and in that time, I've watched as rock and roll lost its grip on popular culture. Bands came and went, nostalgia acts did their victory laps, and nobody — outside of me and a few others — took notice. Rock had been lapped by the likes of Eminem and Lady Gaga, and it didn't look like it was ever going to overtake them. Maybe it never will. And I don't care, because, for the first time in a long time, I can unequivocally say: Damn, it feels good to be excited about rock music once again.

And given the circular nature of things, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of rock's last great uprising: the release of Nirvana's Nevermind, which quickly thrust the genre back into the spotlight and kept it there for most (OK, like, seven years) of the decade. I'm not suggesting that the Arcade Fire winning Album of the Year is a watershed moment on par with Nevermind overtaking Michael Jackson's Dangerous atop the Billboard chart (as it did in January 1992), but, shoot, it could very well end up that way. Nor am I expecting that, by year's end, I'll be writing laudatory pieces about the return of rock. But again, I very well might be.

That uncertainty is key, because it contains within it a shred of hope. You never know. And for the first time in a very long time, I can almost trick myself into believing that. Clearly, something is happening, that much is certain. Maybe it's just natural evolution, or the stars aligning, or just my blind optimism, but in 2011, rock music appears to finally be pulling itself out of its watery grave, machete in hand, ready to cut down innocent campers. And, man, does it feel good to write something like that. It's been a long time coming, after all.

Do you think rock is on its way back? Let us know in the comments!

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Radiohead To Release New Album On Saturday

14 Feb 2011 10:23:11 EST

The King of Limbs will be available digitally this weekend, while a deluxe physical version of the album will be released in May.
By Jocelyn Vena

Radiohead are set to release their new album, titled The King of Limbs, as a digital download this Saturday. The band made the announcement on their website over the weekend along with posting a message telling fans, "Thank you for waiting." Radiohead also launched a new webpage devoted to the album that includes release information and what appears to be the LP's cover art.

While the digital version of The King of Limbs can be purchased on Saturday, a pricier physical package won't be available until May 9. The band is dubbing the latter release a "Newspaper Album" that will contain a CD, two 10-inch vinyl records and artwork sheets. According to the webpage, the package will specifically include "many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together." Buyers of the "Newspaper Album" also will be able to download The King of Limbs on Saturday.

Radiohead also is offering "one lucky owner" who buys the digital version of album from their website "a signed 2 track 12" vinyl."

The King of Limbs is the band's follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows. "It's genuinely exciting. It's very different from what we did last time," guitarist Ed O'Brien said about Radiohead's new effort during a BBC radio interview last June. "It's really nice to be doing this. It's so good to be making music with the band that you feel is still as good as it's ever been.

"We're at the finishing line," he added. "When you're making a record, a film, writing a book for ages and ages you think the finishing line is miles away. Now it feels it's in touching distance."

This isn't the first time Radiohead has opted for an unusual rollout plan for an album. In Rainbows was released digitally to the Internet as a surprise, with fans given the option to pay whatever they thought the collection was worth. Deluxe editions and physical copies were made available later at a set price.

Are you excited to hear Radiohead's new album? Tell us in the comments.

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Pearl Jam, Radiohead And Nine Other Surefire Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers

29 Sep 2010 06:52:03 EDT

Green Day, Kid Rock and Coldplay also seem like locks for the Hall, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery

On Tuesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled the nominees for induction in 2011, a list that's as inspiring (Beastie Boys! Tom Waits! Dr. John!) as it is mystifying (LL Cool J?).

Not surprisingly, this year's noms sparked a whole lot of debate — because kvetching about the Rock Hall is an exercise as old as the Hall itself — and for most of the day, I was ready to lend my voice to the argument. After all, any Hall of Fame that does not include among its ranks the likes of Kiss, Rush, Cheap Trick or Def Leppard (or even Joy Division, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, the Minutemen or Black Flag, for that matter) but does include Madonna is no Hall of mine.

But then, I decided to do something completely different. Rather than complain about all the bands the Rock Hall — and its nebulous voting committee — have snubbed, I decided to focus instead on all the bands it will someday embrace. Ignoring surefire inductees like Guns N' Roses (eligible next year!) and Nirvana, I compiled a list of 11 active bands I truly believe will one day take their rightful place alongside greats like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and, uh, Traffic. This was a lot tougher to do than you could possibly imagine, since, you know, the state of rock is rather dire these days (let's just say I don't see Nickelback striding to the podium in 2021), but here are my picks, ranked in order of probability.

And while I feel pretty strongly about my list, if the Rock Hall has proven anything over the years, it's that this whole thing is a total crapshoot. So, if I missed anyone, let me know in the comments below. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to put on my dragon boots and join my fellow Kiss Army soldiers in our yearly protest outside the Rock Hall. It's not as bad as you might think. Cleveland is lovely this time of year ...

1. Pearl Jam
A mortal lock for first-ballot induction. Thanks to their longevity, ingenuity and morality, PJ became not only the greatest band to emerge from the Seattle scene of the early '90s, but probably the greatest American band of the past two decades. They've fought the good fights (taking on Ticketmaster, George W. Bush, the pro-life movement and world hunger, to name just a few), moved the required units and even threw the tapers a bone too. And through it all, Eddie Vedder has pretty much never cut his hair, except for that one time he inducted the Ramones into the Rock Hall. And even then, he had a Mohawk. That's pretty awesome.
First Year of Eligibility: 2016

2. Radiohead
Take everything I just said about Pearl Jam (except for the "Seattle" and "American" bits) and apply it here too. Since they first emerged on the scene with their unlikely alt-rock hit "Creep," Radiohead have pushed the boundaries further — and with greater fervor — than any of their major-label contemporaries, exploring space prog (OK Computer), avant electro (Kid A) and even, well, straight-ahead rock (In Rainbows). In the process, they've carved out a niche that is uniquely theirs, and when they're inducted, they'll instantly become, like, the fourth weirdest band in the Hall, behind Zappa, the Velvets and the Talking Heads. At least until Sun Ra is voted in.
First Year of Eligibility: 2017

3. Green Day
Up until American Idiot, there wasn't a chance they'd make it. But thanks to that album's globe-uniting success (and social import), Green Day are an unquestionable first-ballot selection. They've got the catalog, the critical love and the kind of career that doesn't come around all that often — one that actually had a fruitful second act. And through it all, they've never been afraid to take a stance or reach unabashedly for the stars. Or launch a Broadway play, for that matter. What will the punx at 924 Gillman have to say when Green Day are inducted? Who cares, really.
First Year of Eligibility: 2014

4. Kid Rock
For real. Bob Ritchie has had the kind of career that defies explanation, stomping through hip-hop, rock and even country, and in the process, he's sold roughly a bajillion records and become a rather unlikely American classic. It doesn't hurt matters that Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner is a fan, or that, by working with the likes of Bob Seger and Rick Rubin, Rock has developed the kind of pedigree the Hall is looking for. And with his upcoming Born Free album, he seems to be entering the "serious artist" phase of his career, which only bodes well for his enshrinement.
First Year of Eligibility: 2015

5. Coldplay
Dude, if Genesis can make it in, these guys can too.
First Year of Eligibility: 2023

6. Phish
The Grateful Dead made it in 1994. Phish will make it in 2013 (and the Dave Matthews Band will probably follow them in 2018). For the better part of two decades, they've not only been America's premier live act (don't call them a "jam band"), but they've released a stream of albums that — quiet as it's kept — are actually pretty great. Along the way, they've fashioned the kind of career that's practically beyond summation, though in a pinch, you can probably call them the musical bridge between bands like the Dead and current long-players like My Morning Jacket. And when they do make it in, the jam session will be mighty, indeed.
First Year of Eligibility: 2013

7. Beck
Here's where the list starts to get a bit shaky. Ten years ago, thanks to efforts like Odelay and Sea Change, Beck was a first-ballot selection, the much-fetishized heir to Bob Dylan's throne (only with better mic skillz). In the years since, however, he's seemingly lost a bit of his HOF luster, yet he's still active, and I'm not willing to knock him off the list just yet. He has the back catalog part sewn up, and he's about as close as a figurehead for the WTF DIY FTW 1990s as anyone I can think of, and with another solid album, he's a lock.
First Year of Eligibility: 2017

8. The White Stripes
They're not exactly active, but ever since 2007's Icky Thump, Jack White has single-handedly carried the mantle for the Stripes, and, in the process, he may very well have sewn up their enshrinement. Equal parts bluesman and shaman, he's about as close to a genuine guitar god as this generation has, and the fact that he's none too shy about praising all those dusty guitar-slingers who came before him has certainly earned him more favor in the eyes of HOF voters. Whoever they are.
First Year of Eligibility: 2024

9. Kings of Leon
They've gone about things the way great rock bands are supposed to: releasing a string of critically acclaimed (but commercially vapid) albums, building a fervent fanbase overseas, touring tirelessly and, finally, breaking through to the mainstream. As scions of the great Southern rockers of the past, they carry with them an air of mysticism too, which goes a long way with voters hungry for the rock of yesteryear. Toss in the Wenner factor (he loves them), and, so long as they keep churning out the hits, they're in.
First Year of Eligibility: 2028

10a. Sonic Youth
They're basically the Bert Blylevens of rock: a career that justly deserves enshrinement, yet lacking the groundswell support to make it into the Hall. That's bound to change one of these years, probably when voters realize that Sonic Youth are arguably the most important American rock band of the past three decades, anti-commercial artistes who, somewhat inexplicably, have managed to survive and thrive despite that fact. Their uncompromising ethos has made them figureheads of the indie movement, and their unyielding, effortless cool have made them the band that everyone aspires to be. Surely, all of that is enough to get them into the Hall.
First Year of Eligibility: 2007

10b. The Flaming Lips
Kind of like Sonic Youth, only with an actual hit or three to their names. Perhaps the fact that they've never really been embraced by the critical elite is what's holding them back, though that's generally what happens when you play shows encased inside an inflatable sphere. Ever since forming in Oklahoma City in 1983, they've undergone so many career transformations that they basically defy definition, though it's not exactly a stretch to call them the most proletarian rock band of our time. They do it all, on their own terms, and by whatever means necessary. And, if last year's Embryonic is any indication, they're just hitting their stride. At this rate, they may never stop swerving, which probably means you can look for them to be inducted sometime around 2055.
First Year Of Eligibility: 2009

Who did we miss? Share your surefire Rock Hall inductees in the comments!

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Diplo Previews Thom Yorke's Major Lazer Remix For New EP

12 Jul 2010 15:41:14 EDT

Producer explains how the Radiohead frontman wound up on Lazers Never Die.
By James Montgomery

At the South by Southwest music festival in March, MTV News sat down with producer Diplo to talk about his work on M.I.A.'s upcoming /\/\/\Y/\ album (this was before he called it "a turd"), and, at the end of the chat — almost in passing — he mentioned an upcoming EP by his Major Lazer project that featured a remix by none other than Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

It sounded pretty rad, but there was one problem: According to a label rep who was standing off-camera, the EP would probably never see the light of day, due to — as she put it — "clearance issues." This was news to practically everyone, Diplo included.

"There's an EP that comes out next month, I think — is it coming out?" he said, stopping to ask the rep. "Oh, it's not cleared? Oh, well, we have like five records, there's a record with Collie Buddz, Thom Yorke did a remix for us. ... I mixed it down; it's pretty crazy. ... It'll get out, somehow."

Turns out, he wasn't kidding. After months of waiting, the Major Lazer EP, called Lazers Never Die, will hit stores on July 20. So, we decided now was a pretty good time to revisit our chat with Dip, in which he told the story behind the collaboration with Yorke.

"He came to our party in London in August, the Carnival party — the Notting Hill Carnival — it's one of the biggest Caribbean parties in the world, 1.5 million people there, dancing to disco, dub music, everything, and Thom Yorke was at our party. He got in, was moshing basically the whole party, like going crazy for Major Lazer," Diplo laughed. "I met him and we traded some information, and he asked to do a remix for Major Lazer. ... And of all the tracks he could've remixed, he picked 'Jump Up,' which is this jumping, crazy, hype record. And I was like, 'All right, you sure?' And he's like, 'Yeah, we can do that one.'

"And he did it, I mixed it down a little bit and put it on our EP," he continued. "It's pretty good. It sounds like what you would expect. It sounds like a Thom Yorke remix. It sounds something like 'Idioteque' off the Kid A record. I'm a huge Radiohead fan. ... What they do kind of influences our music so heavily. I feel like sometimes, Radiohead maybe has a mistake in the studio, and they build with it. They clean it up and make something out of it. And that's what we kind of do. I feel like most of the stuff I do is an accident."

And that includes spilling the beans on the Die EP, though, even back in March, Dip seemed confident that eventually, fans would be able to hear it. Even if he had to take matters into his own hands.

"People will find it," he laughed, winking at the publicist. "If it doesn't come out soon, you'll find it."

Who would you like to see do a remix with Major Lazer? Share your ideas in the comments

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Kris Allen Aims For 'Street Cred' On Tour With Radiohead Cover

29 Jun 2010 16:35:02 EDT

After 'Paranoid Android,' the 'American Idol' alum is working on a cover of MGMT's 'Electric Feel.'
By Jim Cantiello

While you should never judge a book by its cover, "American Idol" season-eight champ Kris Allen hopes concertgoers judge him for his cover. More specifically, his out-of-left-field take on Radiohead's epic prog-rocky anthem "Paranoid Android," which he's currently performing on his first headlining tour.

"It's our street-cred song," Allen told MTV News backstage at Yankee Stadium, where he was about to play the CBS Radio Expo. "I've always loved the song, and I've always loved playing it, and so we worked it out as a band, because we thought it would be cool."

Street cred is a tricky thing when you're a dude from a show that forces contestants to sing songs from the Barry Manilow songbook. But Kris and his band are eager to prove to audiences that their music tastes reach wider than the mainstream tunes fans might expect from an artist with an "Idol" past. And, in some cases, the Radiohead cover — now a fan favorite — expands the musical horizons of Allen's "Idol" followers. "Some people come up to me after the show, they didn't even know the song, and they were like, 'That was incredible!' My brother, he has no idea who Radiohead is, and he thought it was awesome," Allen said.

Not all audiences are ready, however, to hear the good-natured Southern boy sing lyrics like "When I am king, you will be first against the wall." "We won't play it every night. We'll play it every once in a while," the Arkansas native said. "I think we played it in Shreveport [Louisiana], and people were just like, 'What is this? This guy's creepy!' And then we move on to the next song," Allen laughed.

This isn't the first time Kris has taken a risk with his set list. In addition to rocking songs from his self-titled debut album, including the hit "Live Like We're Dying," Kris and the band have performed straight-faced, sincere mash-ups of Kanye West's "Heartless" and Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," as well as a "Falling Slowly"/ "With or Without You" interpolation that caught the eye of original artist the Swell Season. (Glen Hansard even performed Kris' U2-ified arrangement on their last tour).

Kris Allen has his fingers crossed for a similar shout-out from Radiohead. "What if Thom Yorke sees this?" the singer said wide-eyed. "And what if he's like, 'This is great'? That would be incredible!"

While Kris and his band daydream about props from the Radiohead frontman, they're busy working on another cred-grabbing cover to add to their set. "We've been trying to work up 'Electric Feel' for a while, the MGMT song, which would be pretty cool."

Kris Allen is on tour with his band through September, performing both headlining shows as well as opening for Barenaked Ladies, Keith Urban and Maroon 5.

What song would you like Kris to cover on tour? Let us know in the comments!

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