Rolling Stone Jul-02-15

LISTS BEST POP CULTURE OF 2015 SO FAR The midyear reports are in: From Kendrick Lamar and Courtney Barnett to Love & Mercy and Broad City, here are the top albums, movies and television shows. DEBUT NATE RUESS GOES SOLO The fun. singer’s introspective new solo record, Grand Romantic, features Jeff Tweedy, Beck and a sample from “Some Nights.” Hear the album at RollingStone.com. FILM THE RETURN OF ‘DECLINE’ Director Penelope Spheeris talks about the long-awaited box-set release of her classic Decline of Western Civilization, the legendary Eighties rock documentaries. VIDEO GO, GLOBAL WARMING! Watch the latest stunt from satirical activists the Yes Men as the duo hand out shaved ice from the last iceberg in existence, in celebration of Shell’s drilling in the Arctic. THIS WEEK ON HUFFPOST LIVE JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL Classic country music has always focused on Christian themes, but as…

Dead’s Last Stand DAVID BROWNE’S LOVELY piece on the Dead’s final shows filled me with joy, and only a very small degree of nostalgia [“The Dead After Jerry,” RS 1236]. Trey Anastasio is actually a perfect fit – he respects the Dead’s legacy but brings his own sizable jam-band chops to the show, too. Roger Lee, via the Internet THE DEAD COVER STORY captured how one of rock’s most legendary bands, even after Jerry Garcia’s death, can come together for one final amazing set of performances. Scott Oliver, Gorham, ME NO PIG IN THE PEN? WES Wilson did a great job with his cover of the Dead, but how could he not have fit Ron “Pigpen” McKernan in with the other heads? “Pig” was one of the founding members, besides being a hell of a…

IN 2014, RS CONTRIBUTING editor David Kushner wrote “Dead End on Silk Road” [RS 1202], chronicling the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, founder of the illicit online drug bazaar. On May 29th, a Manhattan judge sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison. “I’m not surprised,” says Kushner. “The government wanted to make an example of Ross. They succeeded, but also made him a martyr.” Since Ulbricht’s arrest, dozens of sites on the Deep Web have filled the Silk Road vacuum; the largest, Agora, offers far more black-market items than Silk Road ever did. “This is a game of Whac-a-Mole,” Kushner says. Ulbricht’s lawyers have appealed, citing, among other things, the March indictment of two agents involved in the Silk Road investigation on wire-fraud and money-laundering charges.…

1. The Arcs “Stay in My Corner” Dan Auerbach’s got a brand-new band! The first thing we’ve heard from the Black Keys frontman’s side gig is this sweet, laid-back slice of falsetto soul, with a melody that reminds us of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” We’re psyched for the Arcs’ debut album, Yours, Dreamily, in September. 2. Beck “Dreams” We love sad-folkie Beck as much as anyone, but dance-y Beck is even better. This funky little groove is giving us Midnite Vultures flashbacks in the best way possible. 3 . Blur “Ong Ong” video A soft-serve ice cream cone and a bouncing smiley-face emoji star in the supercute clip for this hummable highlight from the Brit-pop heroes’ new The Magic Whip. Sweet! 4. Yo La Tengo “Deeper Into Movies” This song was a noisy highlight of YLT’s ’97 classic I Can Hear…

CLASSIC Grateful Dead “China Cat Sunflower” My dad was a big fan of the Dead, so I used to hear them all the time around the house. This song is so psychedelic and free-flowing and deep. It’s like it’s in 3D. Janis Joplin “Cry Baby” This is one of my favorite vocal performances by Joplin. It’s a forgiveness song. If a girl wrote a song like this about me, I would be so flattered. Aphex Twin “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball” So incredible. It’s a crazy journey, like five songs in one. I’ve memorized every single hit and solo and accent. NEW Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar “Bad Blood” A year ago, you never would have thought that Kendrick and Taylor would make a song together. I think it’s awesome. Really fun. Fetty Wap “Trap Queen” The anthem of the summer. I play this record in almost all…

ABOUT TWO YEARS ago, documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia began interviewing Amy Winehouse’s friends, collaborators and family members in a darkened studio in London. Winehouse had died less than two years earlier, and emotions were still raw. So Kapadia set his camera aside and used only an audio recorder to make them feel more comfortable. “They were very nervous, and there was a lot of guilt,” he says. “It became a bit like therapy. They opened up and talked about things they hadn’t really spoken about to anyone before.” Kapadia’s film, Amy – which premiered at Cannes in May to rave reviews and begins rolling out across America in early July – tells the story of the troubled singer in unprecedented depth. Kapadia used unseen archival footage and more than 100 newly…