Rolling Stone March 10, 2016

INTERVIEW METALLICA LOOK BACK For the 30th anniversary of Master of Puppets, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett, along with co-producer Flemming Rasmussen, talk about the making of the breakthrough LP - and the devastating loss of original bassist Cliff Burton, who died in 1986. NEW MUSIC SANTIGOLD’S NEW FIGHT The singer talks about her politically minded third record, 99¢. “The fact that we’re still talking about abortion rights in 2016 shows we have a long way to go,” she says. POLITICS CAMPAIGN CASUALTIES In Missouri’s political landscape, where there are no limits on campaign contributions, did a personal-attack ad lead to the suicide of a leading candidate for governorship?. FILM SACHA BARON COHEN IS BACK The Borat star talks about his new movies, The Brothers Grimsby (in theaters March 11th), in which he plays a crazed soccer hooligan who teams…

The Starman sweeping David Bowie cover story was a touching tribute to the man who may have sold the world but left it entirely too soon [“David Bowie, 1947-2016,” RS 1254]. By weaving Bowie’s personal history with his unparalleled recordings, Gilmore reminds us that we lost a hero, a rebel, a duke and Lady Stardust on January 10th, 2016. Marty Kiener, Eden Prairie, IN to read Brian Hiatt’s piece on Bowie [“The Final Years,” RS 1254]. Bowie was the ultimate precursor to all of my heroes – Damon Albarn, Brandon Flowers, Madonna. Not even Gaga could have existed without him. Hiatt’s article gave me closure on his passing. Norbert Kozma, Duedin, FL a few issues ago I was celebrating Bowie’s return. Even after reading Tony Visconti’s statement that Bowie would probably never tour again, I…

1. Beyoncé “Formation” Great news for Beyoncé fans: She’s been on a roll since 2013, and she’s not slowing down. Her latest world-class club banger doubles as a powerful statement of black Southern resilience. In the era of #BlackLivesMatter, “Formation” feels downright necessary. Her Super Bowl performance, with nods to Michael Jackson and the Black Panthers, was pretty awe-inspiring too. Now, where’s that new album? 2. Kanye West “Ultralight Beam” Opening the tangledup drama of The Life of Pablo with this sincere moment of prayer is a classic Kanye move. It works, too – thanks in part to Chance the Rapper’s exuberant, showstopping guest verse. 3. Weezer “L.A. Girlz” On their latest single, Rivers Cuomo and Co. bring the power-pop crunch and the lonelyguy vibes like the Blue Album was only yesterday. It hits all…

The godfather of shock rock is touring America with Hollywood Vampires and his solo group throughout this year. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Had I been born later, I could have written this. But when you’re my age, you can’t write for teens. When I first heard it, I was like, “Oh, yeah!” Aerosmith “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” They wrote this about Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe were a bunch of goodlooking girls then. They aren’t so cute anymore. My Chemical Romance “Teenagers” I looked at this band as the next Def Leppard. This song has a great message: “Teenagers are dangerous!” Billy Talent “Red Flag” These guys were Canada’s Green Day. This song reminds me of “My Sharona.” It’s one of those hooks you can’t explain. Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It” This has the same melody as “O Come All Ye Faithful.”…

Awriting his latest batch of Weezer songs, his producer, Jake Sinclair, asked what it would take to get back into the mindset that produced the band’s classic first two albums. “I need to get out of the house,” Cuomo replied. He ended up doing way more. He grew back the beard he wore when the band recorded 1996’s Pinkerton. He started watching young surfers at Venice Beach in hopes of finding lyrical inspiration. He even signed up for Tinder – for purely platonic purposes. “My wife’s cool with it,” Cuomo says with a shrug. The result is the band’s fourth self-titled LP, destined to be known as the White Album, thanks to a cover image that shows the band near a lifeguard tower on a white beach. The imagery mirrors the…

Toledo wrote most of the 2015 LP Teens of Style as an angsty college kid. The follow-up, Teens of Denial (out late spring), takes his psych-pop vision to new heights, with a sharp-edged sound abetted by Seattle producer Steve Fisk. “My viewpoint has changed a lot since the songs started,” Toledo says. “I was feeling much bleaker about life at the time.” De La Soul’s Big, Guest-Packed Blowout For their first LP in 12 years, the Kickstarter-funded And the Anonymous Nobody, the rap trio went all in, recording with a live band, L.A.’s Rhythm Roots Allstars, and getting assists from Damon Albarn, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Pete Rock, Estelle and even David Byrne. “He’s asking me for my opinions?!” says Posdnuos. “I’m like, ‘You’re fucking David Byrne! You shit on the…