http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&category=genre&genreId=33&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rssTop Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody OnlineAlt/Punken720Sat, 5 Dec 2009 20:38:17 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&category=genre&genreId=33&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43238&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Garage Rock Revival Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:46 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.43238 art.43238 Kings Of Leon art.43238 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43238&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43238&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36207&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Brit Rock Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:35 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.36207 art.36207 Coldplay art.36207 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36207&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.36207&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Parachutes, was released in late 2000 in the U.S., and they quickly became a sensation. The record went No. 1 in the U.K. charts and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 2002 Grammys. Marked by Martin's falsetto-happy vocals, songs like "Yellow" and "Shiver" employ stop/start dynamics that allow serene verses to build to a crescendo, centering on the well-trodden theme of love. Sophomore effort A Rush of Blood to the Head took home two Grammys and earned a spot on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Hits "Clocks" and "In My Place" were wistful and romantic, labeled by some as radio-friendly Radiohead. The group's third album, XandY, became the best-selling album of 2005, and "Speed of Sound" topped the year's charts worldwide. After conquering the charts and the Grammys, Coldplay shifted their focus from chart-topping anthems to a more experimental approach for their fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (which nevertheless topped charts upon its release). With ambient maestro Brian Eno co-producing, the 2008 album was an intriguing progression for the band, featuring a mix of global influences, classical strings, heavy piano and glistening bits of dreamy electronics. - Dan Shumate]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11088911&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pop Punk Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:42:40 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.11088911 art.11088911 Cobra Starship art.11088911 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11088911&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11088911&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets, appeared in 2006, with statement of purpose Viva La Cobra! following a year later. Slots on various touring festivals came next, with "Guilty Pleasure" and "Kiss My Sass" receiving airplay. In 2009, Cobra Starship's third album came out, Hot Mess, which featured lead single "Good Girls Go Bad." - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5497&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie/Alternative Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:07:38 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.5497 art.5497 Modest Mouse art.5497 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5497&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5497&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6167&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pop Punk Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:46 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.6167 art.6167 Green Day art.6167 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6167&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6167&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Dookie. Although Green Day's taut, three-minute, guitar-driven songs ably revive the fierceness of the group's stylistic progenitors (the Who, the Clash and the Sex Pistols), punk's original aim — to annoy, outrage, shock — is not Green Day's thing.

Friends since age 10, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt grew up in Rodeo, California. They formed their first real band, Sweet Children, at 14. When they were 17, the pair first recorded as Green Day, signing with the punk label Lookout and releasing the 1989 EP 1,000 Hours with drummer John Kiffmeyer. The next year, the group recorded its first full-length album, 39/Smooth, in a day. Two more EPs followed, with Kiffmeyer leaving to focus on his studies and Tre Cool, with whom Armstrong had played in a band

called the Lookouts, taking over on drums for 1992's Kerplunk. With a solid fanbase built on the nurturing, all-ages hardcore scene in Berkeley, the group signed with Reprise in April 1993. Its 1994 release, Dookie, proclaimed the next generation of punk, hitting Number Four on the album chart, buoyed by the band's effervescent presence on MTV and at Lollapalooza and Woodstock '94. The album won a 1994 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance and sold 10 million copies worldwide.

The 1995 follow-up Insomniac sold nearly 3 million copies and charted at Number Two, but failed to repeat the success of the band's major-label debut. Nimrod (Number 10, 1997) sold a million copies but won fresh exposure for the group, largely on the strength of the ballad "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." In 2000, Green Day released Warning (Number Four), a more introspective, even folk-influenced record that showed the group stretching artistically. Despite producing the radio hit "Minority," the album was a commercial letdown, selling fewer than a million copies. Two compilations followed: A best-of, International Superhits! (Number 40, 2001), and the B-sides round-up Shenanigans (Number 27, 2002).

By the early '00s, there was a growing consensus that Green Day's cachet was in decline, as evidenced by the band's slowing album sales. That belief that was put to rest with the release of American Idiot (Number One, 2004), a multiplatinum, Grammy-winning rock opera with political overtones that restated Green Day as one of the biggest musical acts in the world. Produced by Rob Cavallo, Idiot is grandiose — two of the songs are multi-part suites that clock in at nearly 10 minutes — but never show-offy. Five singles were released, all of them hits: The title track (Number 61, 2004), "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (Number Six, 2005), "Holiday" (Number 19, 2005), "Jesus of Suburbia" (Number 27 Modern Rock, 2005) and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2004), the latter a ballad that came one slot away from being Green Day's first Number One single.

Following extensive touring, Green Day recorded a cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" (Number 51, 2006) with U2, which was released to raise awareness for musicians whose lives had been disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, the band appeared on both American Idol — where they performed a version of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" (Number 53) — and in The Simpsons Movie. That year the band also began a side project — that they at first kept secret — called Foxboro Hot Tubs, a group that also features Jason White, Josh Freese and Kevin Preston. In May 2008, the band issued its first LP, a garage album called Stop Drop and Roll!!!, and went on a brief tour. Armstrong also revived his other side project, Pinhead Gun Powder, who played their first show since 2001 in February 2008. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28685&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:43 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.28685 art.28685 Linkin Park art.28685 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28685&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28685&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Hybrid Theory, dubbed after the band's original name. Thanks to "In the End," the album was a massive hit and the second single, "Crawling," won them a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance." Despite a somewhat cool reception from anyone over the age of 13, Linkin Park claimed a spot at the very top of the heap in the early 2000s nu-metal arena. They have since released an album of Hybrid Theory remixes, a studio album and a live album chronicling their extensive tours. A single called "Numb/Encore," featuring a collaboration with rapper Jay-Z, was released in 2004; the EP it was taken from, Collision Course, and single hit No. 1, and firmly reset Linkin Park's place at the top of the charts. In 2005 the band concentrated on a number of relief efforts to aid victims of the Southeast Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. MC Mike Shinoda splintered off to work on his solo project, a hip-hop group called Fort Minor. The band released Minutes to Midnight in 2007, another chart-topper that scaled back the rapping in favor of a more straight forward arena-friendly rock sound; the live album Road to Revolution followed in 2008. - Kali Holloway]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.153&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:45 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.153 art.153 U2 art.153 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.153&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.153&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 had revived its straight-ahead approach. U2 has maintained not only its massive popularity but also its status as one of the most adventurous and groundbreaking acts in pop music.

The band members began rehearsing together while students at Dublin's Mount Temple High School (the city's only nondenominational school). None was technically proficient at the beginning, but their lack of expertise mothered invention. The Edge's distinctive chordal style, for instance, stemmed largely from the guitarist's inability to play complicated leads, while bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. provided a rhythm section that was mostly pummeling ardor. The novice musicians quickly developed a following in Ireland and found a manager, Paul McGuinness, who remains with them to this day. They recorded independently before signing to Island Records in 1980.

U2's 1980 debut album, Boy, was produced by Steve Lillywhite. On it, the group earnestly explored adolescent hopes and terrors, rejecting hard rock's earthy egotism and punk's nihilism. Bono, U2's lyricist, was (and still is) a practicing Christian, as were the Edge and Mullen, and on their second LP, October (1981, also Lillywhite-produced), the singer incorporated imagery evoking their faith. Boy and October generated the respective singles "I Will Follow" and "Gloria," which got some airplay in the U.S. An American club tour generated further interest, thanks to U2's incendiary live performances.

War cemented U2's reputation as a politically conscious band; among its themes were "the troubles" in Northern Ireland, addressed on the single "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Another single, "New Year's Day," went to Number 11 in England and Number 53 in the U.S., while War topped the British chart and hit Number 12 Stateside. The group commemorated its 1983 tour with the live EP Under a Blood Red Sky, recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

U2's next studio album, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, was the first of several fruitful collaborations with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album generated the group's first American Top 40 single, an ode to American Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., called "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (Number 33, 1984). The album hit Number 12 here, and the Irishmen supported it by headlining arenas around the world. In 1985 U2 was proclaimed "Band of the '80s" by ROLLING STONE and made a historic appearance at Live Aid. The following year, the group joined Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed and others for the Conspiracy of Hope Tour benefiting Amnesty International.

U2 entered the pop stratosphere with 1987's The Joshua Tree, a critical and commercial smash that topped the albums chart that year and spawned the Number One hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," as well as "Where the Streets Have No Name" (Number 13, 1987). The LP, which was produced by Eno and Lanois, won the group Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance. In 1988 U2 wrapped up a triumphant world tour by releasing Rattle and Hum, a double-LP that combined live tracks with new material, and featured guest appearances by Bob Dylan and B.B. King. Rattle and Hum seemed bombastic to some critics; an accompanying film documentary also garnered mixed reviews. The LP nonetheless shot to Number One, and produced a Number Three single, "Desire" (1988). The band's next LP, Achtung Baby, reached Number One and received rave reviews. The LP marked a stylistic departure, featuring more metallic textures, funkier beats, and intimate, world-weary love songs. (Bono was fond of saying at the time that the album was the sound of "four men chopping down The Joshua Tree.") Hit singles included "Mysterious Ways" (Number Nine, 1992), "One" (Number 10, 1992), "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Number 32, 1992), and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" (Number 35, 1992). Another track, "Until the End of the World," was featured (in differently mixed form) in Wim Wenders' 1991 film of the same name. Lanois, who produced Achtung Baby with support from Eno and Lillywhite, won a Grammy for his work.

In 1992 the band embarked on its Zoo TV tour, a flashy multimedia extravaganza that juxtaposed the rugged simplicity of its previous shows. Bono adopted a series of wry guises — the leather-and-shades-sporting Fly, the demonic MacPhisto — that he'd use for encores and, in the Fly's case, press appearances. In 1993, as the tour wound down, the band reentered the studio and made Zooropa, a quirky, electronics-drunk affair co-produced by Eno, the Edge and engineer Flood. The album reached Number One but yielded only the minor hit "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (Number 61, 1993), which was also on the soundtrack to Wenders' 1993 movie Faraway, So Close. Johnny Cash sang lead on the track "The Wanderer." In 1993 the band renewed its contract with Island for an estimated $170 million. U2's contribution to 1995's Batman Forever soundtrack, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," was a Top 20 hit. Also in 1995 the group collaborated with Eno as Passengers on a largely instrumental album called Original Soundtracks I; the only track to get attention was "Miss Sarajevo," on which Bono shared vocals with opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. Proceeds from the single's sales went toward war relief in Bosnia. The same year Bono and the Edge cowrote with Irish folk singer Christy Moore a song about the peace process in Ireland, "North and South of the River."

In 1996 Clayton and Mullen recorded a rock version of the "Theme From Mission: Impossible" for the film starring Tom Cruise. It went to Number Seven on the pop chart. The following year saw the release of the electronica-heavy Pop; the album debuted at Number One in 27 countries, including the U.S., and garnered hit singles in "Discotheque" (Number 10, 1997) and "Staring at the Sun" (Number 26, 1998). U2 embarked on its next stage extravaganza, the PopMart tour, from 1997 to 1998. With a supermarket theme that played upon the concept of commercialism, the tour was even more grandiose than Zoo TV had been, with immense props that included a giant olive with a 100-foot-long toothpick, a 35-foot-high lemon, and a 100-foot-tall golden arch. At the tour's conclusion, U2 released a greatest-hits compilation with a remixed version of "The Sweetest Thing," previously the B side of "Where the Streets Have No Name." This time the song was released as a single (Number 63, 1998).

Bono returned to political activism in 1999, with much of his focus on fighting world poverty. He met with President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as the Pope, as a representative of Jubilee 2000, a nonprofit group devoted to convincing nations to forgive third-world debt in the new millennium. He also co-wrote a song, "New Day," with Wyclef Jean of the Fugees; the single's proceeds benefited relief efforts in Kosovo and the Wyclef Jean Foundation. The pair performed the song at the United Nations, as well as at NetAid, a concert held simultaneously in London, Geneva, and New Jersey's Giants Stadium, while being simulcast live on the Internet, to benefit several causes, among them third-world debt relief and global poverty.

In early 2000, the Wim Wenders movie The Million Dollar Hotel, based on a story co-conceived by Bono, was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and released in many countries. Bono coproduced the film, made a cameo appearance in it, and U2 recorded three new songs for the soundtrack, one of which, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet," was written around lyrics by controversial author Salman Rushdie. In addition, Bono recorded tracks with Lanois and Eno as the Million Dollar Hotel Band. U2 released an album of new material in late 2000: All That You Can't Leave Behind (Number Three), featuring the single "Beautiful Day" (Number 21), which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Number 52, 2001) became something of an anthem for Americans recovering from the shock of the September 11th terror attacks. The band's Elevation Tour featured a heart-shaped catwalk in front of the stage which provided fans with close-up contact with the musicians.

In 2002, U2 performed at the halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI and issued a second greatest-hits collection, covering the 1990s and All That You Can't Leave Behind; it yielded a minor hit in "Electrical Storm" (Number 77, 2002). U2 released How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in late 2004, which entered the charts at Number One, proving U2 one of the few sure things in the uneasy rock marketplace of the new millennium. The single "Vertigo" was featured in an iPod ad, and the group released a special-edition iPod loaded with all of its albums.

Bono's political-activism profile continued to swell, with ongoing African relief efforts on his part landing him on the cover of Time with fellow millionaire-philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates. In 2005 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen. The following year came the self-explanatory U218: Singles package. While the band worked on another studio album with Eno and Lanois, they released the concert movie U2 3D, which was filmed during their 2005 Vertigo Tour. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7035&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Brit Rock Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:42 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.7035 art.7035 Muse art.7035 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7035&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7035&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Muscle Museum EP a year later. "Muscle Museum" was highly touted in the British press and the buzz over Muse was officially on. The trio signed to Madonna's Maverick Records after playing a music industry show and released Showbiz in 1999. Origin of Symmetry followed in 2001 and the band enjoyed some radio success. But they weren't able to break through in the U.S. until the release of 2003's Absolution, which made its way to the top of the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Their success continued to grow with the release of 2006's bombastic Black Holes and Revelations and the even more bombastic 2009's The Resistance, which captures Muse at their weirdest, grandest and most ambitious. - Linda Ryan]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.25049179&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Electropop Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:32 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.25049179 art.25049179 Owl City art.25049179 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.25049179&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.25049179&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Of June, Young sang of floating in space in a set that referenced cruise ships, airplanes and nonstop modern motion, sounding at once thrilled with distance and nostalgic for a simpler, stay-at-home lifestyle. He came into his own style with Maybe I'm Dreaming, which found him fleshing out his delicate, catchy sound with acoustic guitars and more intricate songwriting. This is the sound of being young, in love and 110% alive. - Philip Sherburne]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5242673&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Post-Punk Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:49 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.5242673 art.5242673 The Killers art.5242673 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5242673&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5242673&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Hot Fuss, appeared on Island in mid-2004, they were already selling out headlining shows in England. Named for a fictional group in a New Order video, the Killers practice a tense, stylish brand of rock in the vein of U2 and Bruce Springsteen, with lyrical left turns that recall classic Bowie. With their roots in glam and new wave, and their undeniable talent, the Killers have helped breathe fresh air into the '00s alt rock scene. - Jaan Uhelszki]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.66064&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:31 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.66064 art.66064 Shinedown art.66064 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.66064&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.66064&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Leave a Whisper, was re-released on the heels of the single's success and promptly went platinum, while carving out a Southern rock identity for the band. Second record, Us and Them, appeared in 2005 and furthered Shinedown's popularity on the strength of the emotionally charged, grungy single "Heroes." Third album, The Sound of Madness, found the band moving away from their Southern rock label and toward more straight-up hard rock with strong elements of the salad days of grunge informing their sound. The album yielded hits in "Devour," "Second Chance" and the title track. - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4817&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Brit Rock Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:46 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.4817 art.4817 Radiohead art.4817 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4817&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4817&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss The Bends (1995) that Radiohead transcended the formula, crafting the patient, heart-wrenching "Fake Plastic Trees" and the magnetic, sunshine-driven "Black Star." Thom Yorke's signature falsetto began to operate in a more deeply emotional capacity at this point. Finally producing to the caliber of their songwriting, Radiohead's OK Computer demonstrated a staggering attention to detail, probably ranking as one of the greatest commercial artistic successes of the '90s. Rarely does a record offer masterpieces in varying moods. From the thunderously suspenseful "Airbag" to the moody chime of the blustery "Let Down," Radiohead emerged victorious. The alt-rock superstardom and critical gushing that followed pushed them into their darkest and most creative space yet, and they delivered the electronic-tinged Kid A in 2000 and Amnesiac in 2001. Many critics and fans claimed to not "get" the group's twisted, skittering melodies and complicated, chorus-free rock songs but to the devout the band's cerebral art rock was like manna from the heavens. 2003's Hail to the Thief offered up a mixture of guitar-driven tracks amid a more restless desire to experiment. In 2007, Radiohead shook up the music industry with In Rainbows, an album released via their website in which fans could name their own price. - Kelly Bauman]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69216&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Grunge Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:07:03 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.69216 art.69216 Pearl Jam art.69216 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69216&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69216&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Ten, Eddie Vedder eventually got used to being a celebrity. Not coincidentally, the band bravely began messing with its straight-ahead rock formula around that same time: "Spin the Black Circle" married punk with garage rock, "Off He Goes" put their own "Daughter" to shame for fireside ambiance, "Around the Bend" manifested the effects of Mirror Ball (their 1995 collaboration with Neil Young) soft and clear, and "Low Light" out-R.E.M.'d R.E.M. in its waltzing, acoustic beauty. In 2000, Pearl Jam began releasing no less than 72 volumes of live material chronicling the American and European legs of their tour in support of Binaural, which came out the same year. 2002's Riot Act proved that the band was as relevant as ever, and in 2006 they returned with a self-titled, heavy blast of anthemic anger at the state of the world. Pearl Jam are one of the few stalwarts surviving from the long-ago age of grunge hype, and they've actually become bolder and better with age. - Charles Hodgkins]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15606322&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Electropop Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:28 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.15606322 art.15606322 3OH!3 art.15606322 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15606322&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15606322&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss 3OH!3's big break came at the Denver stop of 2007's Warped Tour; their strong showing got them booked to play the entire nationwide tour in 2008. The same year, they signed to the Atlantic subsidiary Photo Finish and released their debut album, Want. For all the aggression in their songs, there's a wink and a smile behind the sneer, which makes sense given their punk roots: punks don't take anything too seriously, after all. Not even crunk.

]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6397546&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie Pop Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:45 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.6397546 art.6397546 Regina Spektor art.6397546 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6397546&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6397546&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Begin to Hope, arrived in 2006, the Russian-born singer already had a lengthy pedigree as a musician. She took up piano under the direction of her musically inclined parents while a child in Moscow. Her family eventually moved to the Bronx, where she continued classical studies at the Manhattan School of Music and started writing her own music. Her musical pursuits carried through college, and she graduated from a music composition program at Purchase College in 2001. Frequenting venues in Manhattan, she became associated with the so-called "anti-folk" movement and self-released 2001's 11:11, 2002's Songs and 2004's Soviet Kitsch, which Sire later reissued. A compilation of early recordings, Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories, was released in 2006. In 2009, Spektor gathered an all-star production team to help her with Far, the much anticipated follow-up to Begin to Hope. - Nate Cavalieri]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7501250&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pop Punk Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:06:59 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.7501250 art.7501250 Paramore art.7501250 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7501250&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7501250&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Riot! (Number 15, 2007) produced hits in the lurching "Crushcrushcrush" (Number Four Modern Rock; Number 54 Pop, 2007) and nimble "Misery Business" (Number Three Modern Rock; Number 26 Pop, 2007).

Paramore formed in Franklin, Tennessee, after guitarist Josh Farro and his brother Zac met Mississippi transplant Hayley Williams at the private school they all attended and broadened their new friend's musical horizons. Adding bassist Jeremy Davis and rhythm guitarist Jason Bynum, the band played its first gigs in early 2004. Within six months they were signed to Florida-based indie label Fueled by Ramen, home of Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy.

Paramore's 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling reached Number 30 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and created a buzz and critical kudos for Williams' strong vocals and songwriting. In late 2005, Bynum was replaced by guitarist Hunter Lamb, who left the group in early 2007 (they carried on as a four-piece). The band's highly anticipated 2007 follow-up Riot! received generally favorable reviews and shot to the Top 20 on the strength of its two biggest singles and videos. The band was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Though the group is Christian, they don't consider themselves to be a Christian-rock band and tend to keep their faith out of their songwriting and interviews.

As the band began to attract more and more media attention, speculation arose that they were suffering from a problem that plagued No Doubt in their early days, and Paramore began expressing displeasure with Williams being the focus of magazine articles. In early 2008, the band, which had experienced personnel shakeups from early on, pulled out of a U.K. and European tour supporting Riot! due to what it termed "internal issues." They went on to co-headline a set of arena dates with Jimmy Eat World and assured fans they were not breaking up in a series of interviews and candid blog posts. In summer 2008, the band embarked upon their fourth Warped Tour as well as a headlining trek of amphitheaters. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.40249&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie/Alternative Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:38 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.40249 art.40249 Wilco art.40249 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.40249&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.40249&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss A.M., veered toward the orchestral pop of Being There, and earned a Grammy nomination for Mermaid Avenue (an album of Woody Guthrie lyrics for which the band and Billy Bragg wrote music), before running toward a sunny, West Coast-inspired pop utopia of complex introspection with Summer Teeth. Upon parting ways with founding member Jay Bennett, Wilco independently released (after some wrangling with Warner Bros.) Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It was with Foxtrot that Wilco succeeded at leaving any alt country vestiges behind, venturing into more moody, dislocated songwriting tangled up inside noise experiments and amputated guitar leads. Wilco's fifth album A Ghost Is Born continued to help the band search for their sound somewhere between sonic gambles and innovative production. Their sixth, Sky Blue Sky, came in the spring of 2007, sounding like a return to simplified guitar pop with sing-along songs that unfold and unleash stormy guitar solos courtesy of Nels Cline. Some songs even hint at a slight return to the band's twangy roots. - Eric Shea]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44122&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss '60s Oldies Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:44 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.44122 art.44122 The Beach Boys art.44122 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44122&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44122&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pet Sounds in May of 1966. In the liner notes of this orchestrated pop masterpiece, Wilson admits that his aim was to write a "teenage symphony to God." Generally hailed as the greatest rock 'n' roll album ever, Pet Sounds struggled to attain the commercial success of the band's earlier suburban hymns. Although the Beach Boys (as well as Brian Wilson) went on to make many more successful albums, they never came close to approximating the innovative genius and transcendent, childlike innocence that was Pet Sounds. - Eric Shea]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4162&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Jangle Pop Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:47 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.4162 art.4162 R.E.M. art.4162 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4162&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4162&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Life's Rich Pageant, generally regarded as the band's fourth near-perfect album in a row when it came out in 1986, gave them an untouchable cache among their peers and fans. This popularity grew with the advent of alternative-themed radio stations and video shows on MTV, finally breaking when Green came out in 1988 and "The One I Love" became an inescapable MTV/radio hit. Out of Time followed in 1991 and yielded "Losing My Religion," which remains their most popular song today. The next three albums sold in astronomical numbers, and in 1997 Warner Bros paid them $80 million to re-up their contract. After signing the deal, founding bass player Bill Berry opted to leave the band, and between 1997 and 2008 R.E.M. released four studio albums amid a few collections and a live set. - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4269&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Synth Pop Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:42:45 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.4269 art.4269 Depeche Mode art.4269 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4269&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4269&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Music for the Masses and on to the dark extravagance of albums like Violator and Exciter. But an abundance of alternate versions and remixes has produced a messy canon. For many fans, that's half the fun: Depeche Mode's B-sides make for a fascinating alternative history of these alt-rock heroes. - Philip Sherburne]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16828603&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Baroque Pop Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:55:21 -0700 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.16828603 art.16828603 The Dodos art.16828603 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16828603&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16828603&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Dodo Bird EP in 2005. Long's intricate finger-picking and knack for sentimental melodies fit well with Kroeber's propulsive approach to the kit (he'd studied both African drumming and played in metal bands) and they self-released an LP, Beware of the Maniacs, in 2006. Their growing audiences in San Francisco led to some label interest and the following year they signed to Frenchkiss Records for their critically acclaimed sophomore LP, Visiter. In 2009, the duo added another Dodo to their nest, vibraphonist Keaton Snyder, and recruited producer Phil Ek (The Shins, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes) for their third album, Time To Die.]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44791&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:07:04 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.44791 art.44791 Disturbed art.44791 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44791&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44791&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss The Sickness, took off in 2000, they were invited to play the main stage at 2001's Ozzfest, and their growing popularity led to platinum (and multiplatinum) ratings for a string of albums across the decade, culminating in 2008's Indestructible; the following year they took stock of their career with The Complete Studio Albums. - Jaan Uhelszki]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2643&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss New Wave Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:17 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.2643 art.2643 David Bowie art.2643 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2643&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2643&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Let's Dance (Number One, 1983), his entrée into the mainstream, was followed by attempts to keep up with current trends. In the '90s, this meant embracing grunge, industrial rock, rap and dance music. While these experiments were greeted with varying degrees of artistic and commercial success, Bowie remains one of the more restless and venturesome classic rock survivors.

Bowie — born David Jones on January 8th, 1947 in London — took up the saxophone at age 13, and when he left Bromley Technical High School (where a friend permanently paralyzed Jones' left pupil in a fight) to work as a commercial artist three years later, he had started playing in bands (the Konrads, the King Bees, David Jones and the Buzz). Three of Jones' early bands — the King Bees, the Manish Boys (featuring session guitarist Jimmy Page) and Davey Jones and the Lower Third — each recorded a single. In 1966, after changing his name to David Bowie (after the knife) to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones, he recorded three singles for Pye Records, then signed in 1967 with Deram, issuing several singles and The World of David Bowie (most of the songs from that album, and others from that time, were also collected on Images 1966-67).



On these early records, Bowie appears in the singer-songwriter mold; rock star seemed to be just another role for him. In 1967 he spent a few weeks at a Buddhist monastery in Scotland, then apprenticed in Lindsay Kemp's mime troupe. He started his own troupe, Feathers, in 1968. American-born Angela Barnett met Bowie in London's Speakeasy and married him on March 20th, 1970. Son Zowie (now Joey) was born in June 1971; the couple divorced acrimoniously in 1980. After Feathers broke up, Bowie helped start the experimental Beckenham Arts Lab in 1969. To finance the project, he signed with Mercury. Man of Words, Man of Music included "Space Oddity," which it would later be re-titled after; the single's release was timed for the U.S. moon landing. It became a European hit that year but did not make the U.S. charts until its rerelease in 1973, when it reached Number 15.



Marc Bolan, an old friend, was beginning his rise as a glitter-rocker in T. Rex and introduced Bowie to his producer, Tony Visconti. Bowie mimed at some T. Rex concerts, and Bolan played guitar on Bowie's "Karma Man" and "The Prettiest Star." Bowie, Visconti, guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer John Cambridge toured briefly as Hype. Ronson eventually recruited drummer Michael "Woody" Woodmansey, and with Visconti on bass they recorded The Man Who Sold the World, which included "All the Madmen," inspired by Bowie's institutionalized brother, Terry. Hunky Dory (Number 93, 1972), Bowie's tribute to the New York City of Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan, included his ostensible theme song, "Changes" (Number 66, 1972, rereleased 1974, Number 41).



Bowie started changing his image in late 1971. He told Melody Maker he was gay in January 1972 and started work on a new theatrical production. Enter Ziggy Stardust, Bowie's projection of a doomed messianic rock star. Bowie became Ziggy; Ronson, Woodmansey and bassist Trevor Bolder became Ziggy's band, the Spiders From Mars. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (Number 75, 1972) and the rerelease of Man of Words as Space Oddity (Number 16, 1972) made Bowie the star he was portraying. The live show, with Bowie wearing futuristic costumes, makeup and bright orange hair (at a time when the rock-star uniform was jeans), was a sensation in London and New York. It took Aladdin Sane (Number 17, 1973) to break Bowie in the U.S. Bolan and other British glitter-rock performers barely made the Atlantic crossing, but Bowie emerged a star. He produced albums for Lou Reed (Transformer and its hit "Walk on the Wild Side") and Iggy and the Stooges (Raw Power) and wrote and produced Mott the Hoople's glitter anthem "All the Young Dudes."



In 1973 Bowie announced his retirement from live performing, disbanded the Spiders and sailed to Paris to record Pin Ups (Number 23, 1973), a collection of covers of mid-'60s British rock. That same year, the 1980 Floor Show, an invitation-only concert with Bowie and guests Marianne Faithfull and the Troggs, was taped for broadcast on the TV program The Midnight Special. Meanwhile, Bowie worked on a musical adaptation of George Orwell's 1984 but was denied the rights by Orwell's widow. He rewrote the material as Diamond Dogs (Number Five, 1974) and returned to the stage with an extravagant American tour. Midway though the tour, Bowie entered Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios (then the capital of black music) and recorded the tracks that would become Young Americans (Number Nine, 1975). The session had a major effect on Bowie, as his sound and show were revised. Bowie scrapped the dancers, sets and costumes for a spare stage and baggy Oxford trousers; he cut his hair and colored it a more natural blond. His new band, led by former James Brown sideman Carlos Alomar, added soul standards (like Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood") to his repertoire. David Live (Number Eight, 1974), also recorded in Philadelphia, chronicles this incarnation.



"Fame," cowritten by Bowie, Almoar and John Lennon, was Bowie's first American Number One single (1975). Bowie moved to L.A. and became a fixture of American pop culture. He played the title role in Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976; the same year, he released Station to Station (Number Three, 1976), another album of "plastic soul" recorded with the Young Americans band, portrayed Bowie as the Thin White Duke (also the title of his unpublished autobiography). His highest charting album, Station to Station contained his second Top 10 single, "Golden Years" (Number 10, 1975). Bowie complained life had become predictable and left L.A. He returned to the U.K. for the first time in three years before settling in Berlin, where he lived in semiseclusion, painting, studying art and recording with Brian Eno.

Bowie's work with Eno — Low (Number 11, 1977), "Heroes" (Number 35, 1977) and Lodger (Number 20, 1979) — was distinguished by its appropriation of avant-garde electronic music and the "cut-up" technique made famous by author William Burroughs. (Composer Philip Glass wrote a symphony incorporating music from Low in 1993.

) Bowie revitalized Iggy Pop's career by producing The Idiot and Lust for Life (both 1977) and toured Europe and America unannounced as Pop's pianist. He narrated Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra's recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and spent the rest of 1977 acting with Marlene Dietrich and Kim Novak in Just a Gigolo. The next year, he embarked on a massive world tour. A second live album, Stage (Number 44, 1978), was recorded on the U.S. leg of the tour. Work on Lodger was begun in New York, continued in Switzerland and completed in Berlin.

Bowie settled in New York to record the paranoiac Scary Monsters (Number 12, 1980), updating "Space Oddity" in "Ashes to Ashes." One of the first stars to understand the potential of video, he produced some innovative clips for songs from Lodger and Scary Monsters. After Scary Monsters, Bowie turned his attention away from his recording career. In 1980 he played the title role in The Elephant Man, appearing in Denver, in Chicago and on Broadway. He collaborated with Queen on 1981's "Under Pressure" and provided lyrics and vocals for "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (Number 67, 1982), Giorgio Moroder's title tune for the soundtrack of Paul Schrader's remake of Cat People. His music was used on the soundtrack of Christiane F (1982) (he also appeared in the film). Also that year, Bowie starred in the BBC-TV production of Brecht's Baal, and as a 150-year-old vampire in the movie The Hunger.

In 1983 Bowie signed one of the most lucrative contracts in history and moved from RCA to EMI. Let's Dance (Number Four, 1983), his first album in three years, returned him to the top of the charts. Produced by Nile Rodgers with Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar, the album was a slick revision of Bowie's soul-man posture. It contained three Top 20 singles — "Let's Dance" (Number One, 1983), "China Girl" (Number 10, 1983) and "Modern Love" (Number 14, 1983) — which were supported with another set of innovative videos; the sold-out Serious Moonlight Tour followed. Bowie's career seemed to be revitalized.

But what first seemed like a return to form actually ushered in a period of mediocrity. Without Nile Rodgers' production savvy, Bowie's material sounded increasingly forced and hollow; his attention alternated between albums and film roles. Tonight (Number 11, 1984) had only one hit, "Blue Jean" (Number Eight, 1984). Bowie and Mick Jagger dueted on a lame cover of Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" (Number Seven, 1985) for Live Aid. Although Never Let Me Down (Number 34, 1987), with Peter Frampton on guitar, was roundly criticized, it made the charts with "Day In, Day Out" (Number 21, 1987) and the title song (Number 27, 1987). Bowie hit the road with another stadium extravaganza, the Glass Spiders Tour; it was recorded for an ABC-TV special. Bowie had scarcely better luck in his acting career: Into the Night (1985), Absolute Beginners (1986) — a Julien Temple musical featuring some Bowie songs — Labyrinth (1986), The Linguini Incident (1992) and Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me (1992) were neither critical nor commercial successes.



Bowie set about reissuing his earlier albums on CD. Sound + Vision (Number 97, 1989), a box-set overview (ChangesBowie, from 1990, condensed his hits into a single disc), revived interest in Bowie's career; the set list for the accompanying tour was partially based on fan response to special phone lines requesting favorite Bowie songs. Bowie claimed it would be the last time he performed those songs live. Later reissues, with previously unreleased bonus tracks, brought the Ziggy-era Bowie back into popularity.

Bowie formed Tin Machine in 1989. The band included Bowie discovery Reeves Gabrels on guitar and Hunt and Tony Sales, who had worked with Bowie on Iggy Pop's Lust for Life album and tour in the '70s. Although Bowie claimed that the band was a democracy, Tin Machine was perceived as Bowie's next project. The group debuted with a series of club dates in New York and L.A. Tin Machine's eponymous album (Number 28, 1989) was a rougher, more guitar-oriented collection than any of Bowie's previous albums. Tin Machine II (Number 126, 1991), lacked the novelty of the debut and was quickly forgotten.



In 1992 Bowie married Somalian supermodel Iman. Black Tie White Noise (Number 39, 1993), which Bowie called his wedding present to his wife, received decent reviews but failed to excite the public. For a follow-up, Bowie reunited with Brian Eno to create Outside - The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle, a concept album of sorts that did not create much in the way of sales, although Bowie did tour the States with Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails opening. The Buddha in Suburbia is the music from the British television show of the same name; Lenny Kravitz appears on guitar. 

Bowie celebrated his 50th birthday in January 1997 with a sold-out gig at Madison Square Garden, where he was joined onstage by Lou Reed, the Cure's Robert Smith, Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, Frank Black, the Foo Fighters and Sonic Youth.



In early 1997 Bowie was again on the cutting edge — this time in the financial world. In a complicated transaction that was definitely a first, something called Bowie Bonds were offered for sale. These asset-backed bonds (in this case the assets are the royalties on Bowie's songs recorded prior to 1990) allowed Bowie to collect $55 million. The sale of the bonds came on the eve of the release of Earthling, which incorporated drum-and-bass into a basically rock sound. By the end of the year a Reznor remix of the last song on the CD, "I'm Afraid of Americans," was receiving video and radio airplay. Into the edgy song (cowritten with Eno) Reznor inserted some keyboard and guitar textures and a rap by Ice Cube. Hours . . . (1999) was not a particularly well-received album but was notable for expanding Bowie's early and enthusiastic advocacy of the Internet. The entire album was available for download weeks before its official release and contained a song available only online. That year Bowie also appeared in, and contributed a soundtrack to, the videogame "Omikron: The Nomad Soul."

In 2002, Bowie reunited with Tony Visconti to record Heathen, featuring a cover of the Pixies' "Cactus." He also put together an annual edition of London's Meltdown Festival, at which Bowie performed 1977's Low in its entirety. A year later, he released Reality, and while touring behind it he had a minor heart attack onstage in Germany, brought on by heavy smoking; Bowie fully recuperated. His songs appeared on the soundtrack for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou in 2004, both in his original versions and in new renditions by Seu Jorge, who translated the lyrics to Portuguese. Bowie also curried favor with the new generation of indie rockers by appearing onstage with the Arcade Fire and singing on TV on the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2563&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie/Alternative Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:45 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.2563 art.2563 Death Cab For Cutie art.2563 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2563&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2563&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss The O.C.'s resident hipster Seth Cohen proclaimed his love for the band, the Bellingham, Wash., natives were cranking out sweet, cozy melodies for reflective romantics. After the success of a cassette put together by Ben Gibbard in 1997, the vocalist and guitarist decided to transform his solo project into a full-fledged band. When guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer and drummer Nathan Good came aboard, Death Cab For Cutie were born. The band took its name from a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song that appeared in the Beatles movie Magical Mystery Tour. By 1998, Death Cab's debut, Something About Airplanes, was released, recalling the off-kilter guitar pop of Built to Spill and the quietly passionate storytelling of Elliott Smith. The band went on to create three more LPs before signing to Atlantic Records and releasing the Grammy-nominated Plans in 2005. Nearly three years later, Narrow Stairs revealed a slightly changed Death Cab, which cited heavy metal as an influence. Though more Band of Horses than Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the brawnier approach worked; it was their first album to top the Billboard charts. - Stephanie Benson]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.55821&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Emo/Hardcore Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:52:22 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.55821 art.55821 The All-American Rejects art.55821 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.55821&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.55821&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Move Along, the group polished things up even more and raked in another hit with "Dirty Little Secret." They kept the successes coming with 2007's When the World Comes Down, featuring Top 10 hit, "Gives You Hell." - Jon Pruett]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44058&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pop Punk Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:38:31 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.44058 art.44058 blink-182 art.44058 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44058&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44058&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.64920&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Contemporary Hard Rock Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:43 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.64920 art.64920 Evanescence art.64920 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.64920&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.64920&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss
From the beginning, Evanescence was well crafted and well-marketed. Lead singer Amy Lee had the right goth look, from her ghoulish make-up and left-eyebrow piercing to her Victorian-style clothing, corsets and fishnets. Her ex-boyfriend, original guitarist and co-founder Ben Moody, was in a Christian praise and worship band when he met Lee at a church youth camp and was smitten by her voice and piano playing. Still in their early teens, the two formed Evanescence in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1998 and developed a following on the Christian rock circuit. They eventually fleshed out the band's lineup with keyboardist David Hodges, guitarist John LeCompt, bassist Will Boyd and drummer Rocky Gray. After recording a few independently released EPs, which included clearly Christian-themed songs such as "Give Unto Me," the band signed with Wind-Up Records, home to other successful religious-leaning rock acts such as Creed and 12 Stones. With Evanescence's involvement, Wind-Up's early marketing plan included a push to Christian music fans, and the band's 2003 debut album, Fallen, was sold in both Christian and secular music outlets.

That's when the story of Evanescence took a drastic public detour. In April 2003, a month after the release of Fallen, Lee and Moody renounced their association with Christian music in an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine that included profanity. It riled their Christian fans and Wind-Up immediately posted an apologetic letter on the Christian Music Central Website announcing that the band members' statements made it clear they considered Evanescence a secular band and that the aptly titled Fallen would be pulled from Christian retail outlets.

It didn't affect album sales at all. Fallen became a huge success, reaching Number One on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart and Number Three on the Billboard 200. Its singles included "Bring Me to Life" (Number One Modern Rock; Number Five Pop, 2003), "Going Under" (Number Five Modern Rock, 2003) and "My Immortal" (Number Seven, 2004). The album went on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide and Evanescence won two Grammys including Best New Band. But chatter on Christian Websites polarized the group's religious fans and tensions within Evanescence created a schism among its members. Even before the Entertainment Weekly scandal had broken, keyboardist Hodges left the group because he had mistakenly believed Lee and Moody wanted Evanescence to be part of the Christian music scene. Then, six months after the dust-up, Moody left due to "creative differences" and was replaced by Terry Balsamo of the Florida-based metal band Cold.

In 2004, Evanescence released a live album, Anywhere but Home, which reached Number 39 on the Billboard 200. If it wasn't already clear that Lee was the focal point of the band, the October 2006 release of The Open Door established her dominance once and for all. The album shot to Number One on the Billboard 200 and produced another Top 10 single, "Call Me When You’re Sober,: written about Lee's post-Moody relationship with Seether singer Shaun Morgan. Shortly before The Open Door's release, bassist Will Boyd left and was replaced by Tim McCord of the California metal band Revolution Smile. Six months after the album came out, guitarist John LeCompt announced that Lee had fired him via cell phone and that drummer Rocky Gray had also decided to leave the band. Lee replaced the two musicians, who had been with Evanescence since its Little Rock days, with drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn, both of the metal band Dark New Day. That lineup toured through late 2007.

After his departure from Evanescence, Moody underwent treatment for substance abuse problems and then began collaborating with pop stars such as American Idol singers Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry as well as Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan and Celine Dion. As of 2008, his solo debut, tentatively titled Can't Regret What You Don't Remember, had not yet been released. He also has worked on various projects with Hodges, who has remained a vocal member of the Christian music scene. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61779&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Ska Punk Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:07:04 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61779 art.61779 Sublime art.61779 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61779&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61779&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22714272&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Americana Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:42 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.22714272 art.22714272 Zac Brown Band art.22714272 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22714272&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22714272&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Home Grown, was released at the end of 2005, and the live effort Live From the Rock Bus Tour followed in 2007. The Foundation was released in 2008, producing the Southern celebratory single "Chicken Fried," which made its way to the country charts. - Linda Ryan]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2863&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Contemporary Hard Rock Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:25 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.2863 art.2863 Foo Fighters art.2863 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2863&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2863&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Nevermind, Grohl returned to D.C. to record several tracks, which were released on the cassette-only Pocketwatch. Plans for another cassette release were shelved with Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide.

Later that year Grohl entered a studio with friend and producer Barrett Jones to record what would become the first Foo Fighters album. Grohl played all the instruments himself (with the exception of the song "X-Static," which featured guitar by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs). Though he had written and sung just one Nirvana song (the B-side "Marigold"), Grohl demonstrated a flair for pop hooks and driving guitar rock. (The name Foo Fighters came from what American World War II pilots called unidentified fireballs spotted over Germany.) Grohl signed with Capitol and formed a band in time for a 1995 tour, recruiting bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith from the freshly-broken-up Sunny Day Real Estate. Pat Smear, the former Germs guitarist who had joined Nirvana for its final tour, also joined.

Foo Fighters (Number 23) was released in 1995 and spawned the Modern Rock hits "This Is a Call," "I'll Stick Around," and "Big Me." Goldsmith quit during the making of The Colour and the Shape (Number Ten, 1997), the first Foo Fighters album recorded as a band, and was replaced by Taylor Hawkins (Alanis Morissette). The album contained the Modern Rock hits "Monkey Wrench," "My Hero," and "Everlong." Smear quit and was briefly replaced by Franz Stahl (Scream) and then Chris Shiflett (No Use for a Name, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes), solidifying the lineup to date. Grohl relocated to Virginia and recorded There Is Nothing Left to Lose (Number 10, 1999) in his basement; the album included "Learn to Fly" (Number 13, 2000).

In 2001 the group began recording its fourth album in Los Angeles, but stopped before finishing. Grohl took a break from band-leading by getting behind the drums again for Queens of the Stone Age's superb 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. Refreshed, Grohl gathered the Foos back together and re-recorded almost the entire album at his Virginia home studio, released as One by One (Number Three, 2002). The album further consolidated the band's place as the well-loved elder statesmen of alt-rock.

In 2004, Grohl released Probot, the self-titled side project featuring a number of vocalists from heavy metal legends, among them Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Snake (Voivod), King Diamond, and Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly). Later the same year, the Foos publicly backed John Kerry's presidential campaign, an endeavor Grohl said inspired the title of In Your Honor (Number Two, 2005), a double-CD featuring an acoustic disc and an electric one. It featured the hit "Best of You" (Number 18, 2005), later covered, to Grohl's great delight and surprise, by Prince during his bravura halftime appearance at the 2007 Super Bowl. (Foo Fighters had covered Prince's "Darling Nikki" on the B-side of the 2003 single "Have It All" and performed it live and on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards with guest star Cee-Lo.) After a stopgap live disc, Skin and Bones (Number 21, 2006), Foo Fighters worked together again with Gil Norton, who'd produced The Colour and the Shape, and recorded the well received Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Number Three, 2007). ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69299&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Grunge Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:34 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.69299 art.69299 Nirvana art.69299 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69299&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69299&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9637431&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Pop Punk Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:54:40 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.9637431 art.9637431 All Time Low art.9637431 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9637431&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9637431&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss The Party Scene and So Wrong It's Right, on indie labels in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Extensive touring and coverage on MTV helped raise their profile, and in 2009 their first single off third album Nothing Personal, "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)," became All Time Low's first Hot 100 charting song. - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44127&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:21:22 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.44127 art.44127 Three Days Grace art.44127 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44127&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44127&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss One-X, appeared in 2005, and focused on Gontier's recent experiences in rehab. The record gained the band a following in both Canada and the U.S., thanks to the single, "Animal I Have Become," extensive touring with such peers as Seether and Breaking Benjamin and respectable showings on the rock charts. As of 2008, Three Days Grace had assumed their spot as de facto kings of the alt metal hill. Third studio album Life Starts Now, a title that reflected Gontier's post-rehab outlook, surfaced in September of 2009. - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6513639&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Emo/Hardcore Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:06:59 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.6513639 art.6513639 Fall Out Boy art.6513639 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6513639&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6513639&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Folie a Deux. - Rachel Devitt]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3708&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Hardcore Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:15 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.3708 art.3708 Rise Against art.3708 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3708&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3708&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Lords of Dogtown and became one of the shining stars on Fat Wreck Chords' artist roster. - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11570887&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie Pop Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:47 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.11570887 art.11570887 Lily Allen art.11570887 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11570887&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11570887&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alright, Still, was released in the U.S., followed by It's Not Me, It's You in February 2009. - Linda Ryan]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43119&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Dream Pop Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:31 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.43119 art.43119 Smashing Pumpkins art.43119 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43119&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43119&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Gish, Siamese Dream, and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness -- in addition to the myriad songs released as non-album tracks during that time -- were chiefly characterized by Corgan's vocals that could whisper one moment and wail the next, Corgan and James Iha's overdriven, buzzing, these-go-to-11 guitars, and Jimmy Chamberlin's propulsive, overwhelmingly powerful drum work that thrust "Silverf*ck," "Bury Me," and "Geek U.S.A." into fifth gear. Lineup changes and an electronica-embracing sound muddled the band's late '90s efforts, and the Pumpkins called it quits in 2000. After years of near-constant speculation, Corgan and Chamberlin partnered to reform the group in 2007, releasing the bombastic Zeitgeist and returning to the world stage. - Charles Hodgkins]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1179&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Goth Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:14 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.1179 art.1179 The Cure art.1179 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1179&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1179&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss
Robert Smith grew up in working-class Crawley, Sussex, a suburb of London. He recalls his childhood years as difficult, a time of run-ins with his parents and the law. At 17 he formed the Easy Cure with childhood friends Laurence Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey as a sort of catharsis for his feelings of frustration. The group's music has remained therapeutic for Smith.

The Cure made its initial splash in the U.K. with the 1979 single "Killing an Arab," which stirred controversy when it reappeared on the mid-'80s retrospective Standing on a Beach: The Singles. Some U.S. radio DJs used the song, which was inspired by Albert Camus' The Stranger, to advance anti-Arab sentiments; the group included a disclaimer with subsequent pressings stating that the song "decries the existence of all prejudice and consequent violence."

While the Cure toured in 1979 as the support act to Siouxsie and the Banshees, the headliner's guitarist quit the band. Smith was recruited to fill in on the tour, beginning an active collaboration with the Banshees. He ultimately devoted much of 1983–84 as a full-time member of the band, recording both the live Nocturne and a studio album, Hyaena. In 1983, he also joined Banshees bassist Steve Severin for a side project called the Glove, releasing one album, Blue Sunshine.

When Smith once again devoted himself to the Cure, the music evolved from the sparse punk pop of that song and other early singles ("Boys Don't Cry," "Jumping Someone Else's Train," "The Lovecats") to the dirgy, moody music of Faith and Seventeen Seconds, to the more focused hits on the later albums Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Disintegration, and Wish.

While the Cure had been a top hit-making indie band in the U.K. since the early-80s, it wasn't until the release of Standing on a Beach (and its CD-only counterpart, Staring at the Sea) (Number 48, 1986) that the band moved beyond its cult status in the U.S. The double-album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (Number 35) debuted in June 1987, spawning the minor hits "Why Can't I Be You?" (Number 54, 1987), "Just Like Heaven" (Number 40, 1987), and "Hot Hot Hot!!!" (Number 65, 1988). In 1989, Disintegration reached Number 12 and included the group's biggest hit yet, "Love Song" (Number Two). Wish is the band's most successful album to date, reaching Number Two and including the surprisingly upbeat "Friday I'm in Love" (Number 18). The subsequent tour was documented on record and a film, both titled Show (an additional live collection, Paris, culled from the same tour was also released in 1993).

In 1996 the Cure released Wild Mood Swings (Number 12), which attempted to broaden the band's sound to include a track of Latin-flavored pop, earning mostly negative reviews, and with "The 13th" (Number 44) its highest-charting single. Another best-of, Galore (Number 32), followed in 1997. Three years later, Smith unveiled the Cure's best-reviewed album in years, Bloodflowers (Number 16, 2000), the third part of a trilogy they began with Pornography and Disintegration. That same year, the Cure launched a world tour by announcing it would be the band's last. But Smith soon began to hedge on that promise, saying all the subsequent attention and sudden acclaim made him strangely...happy.

In 2001, the band released a greatest hits album and DVD on Polydor and toured extensively, doing a series of performances of Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers for a set of DVDs, The Cure: Trilogy, released in 2003. The following year, the band released a four-disc, seventy-song boxed set, Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years) (Number 106, 2004). Meanwhile, the Cure signed with Geffen Records and began its new life on the label with an album titled simply The Cure (Number 7, 2004). That year, MTV honored the band with its Icon award. In 2005, the Cure recorded a version of John Lennon's "Love" for an Amnesty International charity album. In October 2008, the Cure released their thirteenth studio album, 4:13 Dream. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.954&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Power Pop Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:08 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.954 art.954 Weezer art.954 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.954&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.954&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Weezer (Number 16), which came to be known as the Blue Album, could not have sounded more antithetic to the grunge-rock and pop-punk that was dominating modern-rock radio at the time; Cuomo was neither as cynical as Kurt Cobain nor as charmingly infantile as Billie Joe Armstrong, and the unapologetic riffs made it clear that he was more influenced by the likes of Heaven Tonight than Raw Power. Songs like "Undone - The Sweater Song" (Number 57, 1994) and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" sound like handwritten notes found at the bottom of a locker — the early musings of a colossally self-aware nerd. And while the album's best-known song, "Buddy Holly" (Number 2 Modern Rock, 1994) was bolstered by Spike Jonze's nostalgia-tripping Happy Days video, its success was due less to the Fonz and more to the song's chimerical young-and-in-love chorus: "Wooh-e-oooh, I like just like Buddy Holly/Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore." Weezer would sell more than 3 million copies, and a 2004 reissued edition includes several worthy B-sides.

Cuomo had originally intended for Weezer's follow-up to be a sci-fi rock opera called Songs from the Black Hole, but after recording a series of tracks by himself, he shelved the project in favor of Pinkerton (Number 19, 1996). Though it's since become a fan favorite and a bellwether for he late-'90s emo boom, Pinkerton was initially seen as a downer: Cuomo had undergone a painful leg operation after the Blue Album, and the new LP was packed with brutally honest songs about falling in love with lesbians and teenage fans living oceans away; the opening track, tellingly, was "Tired of Sex," and songs like "El Scorcho" (Number 19 Modern Rock, 1996), and "The Good Life" (Number 32 Modern Rock, 1996) were rife with frustration. The album takes its name from a character in Madame Butterfly, and the record is peppered with references to the opera. After a tour in support of the album — which failed to reach platinum — Sharp left the band to spend more time with his new-wave side project, the Rentals, while Cuomo dropped out of view altogether, prompting rumors that he had begun a Brian Wilson-like retreat from society (Cuomo left Harvard but returned again, earning his English degree in June 2006). Between 1997 and 2000, the band released only a handful of songs, including a cover of "Velouria" for a Pixies tribute album. But the band retained an ardent following on the Internet, as evidenced by the numerous threads about Pinkerton, which was quickly becoming a cult favorite.

In 2000, the band reformed for a string of shows on the Warped Tour, where Sharp was replaced by bassist Mikey Welsh, a former member of Juliana Hatfield's backing band. The live dates were a success, prompting a sold-out mini-tour and a new album, titled Weezer (2001), which debuted at Number 4 on the Billboard charts and retuned the band to its power-chord grandeur. With Ocasek returning as producer, the so-called "Green album" gave the band two of the biggest hits of its career: "Hash Pipe" (Number Two Modern Rock), and "Island in the Sun" (Number 11 Modern Rock), a lulling ballad that later wound up being covered for a tropical-resort ad. A few months after the Green Album's release, Welsh experienced a psychotic breakdown, and was replaced by bassist Scott Shriner.

Almost exactly a year after the release of the Green Album, Weezer delivered Maladroit (Number Three, 2002). Due in part to Cuomo's abundant songwriting output, many of the self-financed Maladroit tracks had already appeared in demo form on the band's Website, and the songs' early release spurred a public battle between the band and its label, Interscope Records. But neither the controversy — nor the inclusion of singles "Dope Nose" (Number 8 Modern Rock) and "Keep Fishin'" (Number 15 Modern Rock) — could prevent Maladroit, an album that paid homage to several of Cuomo's metal influences, from becoming a commercial misfire.

Weezer teamed with Rick Rubin for 2005's Make Believe (Number Two), an album that gave the band its biggest single to date: the Grammy-nominated "Beverly Hills" (Number 10, 2005) a sarcastic anti-fame rant that was misinterpreted by some as an ode to luxury branding. Longtime fans lamented that the Weezer responsible for Pinkerton was long gone, but "Beverly Hills" and the piano-plunking anthem "Perfect Situation" (Number 51, 2006) helped Make Believe sell more than a million copies in the U.S., and prompted an arena tour with the Foo Fighters.

In 2007, Cuomo released Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (Number 163), a collection of demos that included songs originally intended for the long-jettisoned Songs from the Black Hole album. Weezer's sixth album, once again produced by Rick Rubin — and once again titled Weezer — was released June 3rd, 2008. The Red Album, as it's known, spawned the single "Pork and Beans," which came with a clever video featuring many YouTube stars. The band is reportedly prepping another album produced by Jacknife Lee for 2009. ]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56030&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:55:52 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.56030 art.56030 Breaking Benjamin art.56030 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56030&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56030&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Phobia, which became a quick success on active rock radio thanks to the single "The Diary of Jane." - Mike McGuirk]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68461&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:31 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.68461 art.68461 Korn art.68461 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68461&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68461&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.54541&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie Pop Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:53:09 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.54541 art.54541 Phoenix art.54541 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.54541&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.54541&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss United, they lay down R&B-influenced grooves with 1980s-inspired synth pop to create their trademark sound of breezy, indie electro-pop. Their follow-up, 2004's Alphabetical, helped push the band a little further beyond the French music scene with the help of single "Everything is Everything." Next came extensive touring, the release of 2006's It's Never Been Like That and more touring. Phoenix made their biggest impact yet on the American audience when they performed on Saturday Night Live prior to dropping 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. - Stephanie Benson]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14098590&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Electropop Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:33:42 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.14098590 art.14098590 MGMT art.14098590 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14098590&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14098590&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Oracular Spectacular, a collection of sweeping, electronic Flaming Lips-style noise-pop songs, was released in 2007. Critical and popular accolades for the band reached a high at the CMJ Music Marathon a few weeks after the album's release. A tour alongside Of Montreal and a remix from Justice helped the band continue to merge its twin tendencies towards psychedelic pop and electro. - Philip Sherburne]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6599&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Alt Metal Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:31 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.6599 art.6599 Staind art.6599 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6599&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6599&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Dysfunction on Elektra in 1999, but their big breakthrough was Break the Cycle, which came out in 2002 and yielded the mega-mega seller "It's Been Awhile." In 2005, the band set its sights on the commercial alternative charts with Chapter V. - Jessy Terry]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44062&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Adult Alternative Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:20:24 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.44062 art.44062 Goo Goo Dolls art.44062 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44062&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44062&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Oh My Gawd!-era Flaming Lips as much as they harnessed the raw punk energy of the Replacements. The 'Mats references don't really start to make sense until the fourth and fifth albums, when their songwriting developed past three chords-and-some-noise songs to eventually include string sections and over-rehearsed dynamics (see Superstar Car Wash). Their sixth album, A Boy Named Goo, offered the megahit "Name," a song so sweetly infectious and clean it seemed to deny any previous knowledge of metal. Now comfortably marketed to the 'burbs rather than the seedy, beer-soaked parts of town they once ruled, a VH-1 Behind the Music special about the band would probably seem more like an episode of the X-Files than a documentary. The band followed-up their breakthrough album with 1998's Dizzy Up the Girl, scoring the Goo Goo Dolls another round of chart hits with "Slide" and "Iris," a monster power ballad written for the City of Angels soundtrack. A result of the band's over-the-top success was that frontman Johnny Rzeznik ended up spending a great deal of time in Los Angeles; eventually moving there. In 2002, they released the rather glossy Gutterflower marking the first hiccup for the band. Rzeznik, who was having trouble adjusting to living in Los Angeles and fame in general, found himself divorced, uninspired by his new surroundings and with relative commercial bomb on his hands. In July, 2004, the Goo Goo Dolls played a Fourth of July concert for their fans. The free concert was held in the band's hometown of Buffalo, New York, and captured the magic of the band perfectly -- even the unseasonable rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd that day. Fittingly, the Goos released Live in Buffalo shortly thereafter. The experience restored Rzeznik's spirits and once again, the singer found himself packing his belongings and moving across country. In the transition, the band's label released What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce, a somewhat wishy-washy compilation of remixes and early tracks. Once back in Buffalo, the beleagured singer's creative juices started flowing once again. He and bandmate Robbie Takac rekindled their songwriting partnership, which had fallen by the wayside after SuperstarCarWash was released. The result was 2006's return to form, Let Love In, an inspired effort produced by Glen Ballard. - Linda Ryan]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14481&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Brit Rock Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:30 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.14481 art.14481 Snow Patrol art.14481 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14481&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14481&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.413&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Grunge Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:30 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.413 art.413 Alice in Chains art.413 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.413&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.413&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61509&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Funk Rock Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:19:34 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61509 art.61509 311 art.61509 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61509&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61509&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss 311 wedged itself forcefully into the alt-rock zeitgeist, going to No. 12 on the album charts. Mixing up rapping, grunge riffs, vinyl scratching and mosh-able choruses, it perfectly summed up the Lollapalooza generation's smorgasbord-like approach to musical styles. With 1997's Transistor, 311 had both beefed up the guitars and dialed up the dub effects, perfecting a contrast between RATM-style rap-rock and festival-friendly reggae jams that would define the following year's live album. While alternative tastes eventually moved on, 311 continued to ply their polymorphous funk and positive lyrics; they returned in 2009 with Uplifter, their ninth album. - Doug Russell]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14048&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Garage Rock Revival Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:45 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.14048 art.14048 White Stripes art.14048 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14048&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.14048&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Elephant, proved to be even more of a success, with "Seven Nation Army" providing a riff that was almost instantly recognizable. Increasing critical acclaim set expectations high for their fifth album, the diverse, piano-driven Get Behind Me, Satan. Meg and Jack followed that up with the irresistible Icky Thump, a return to straightforward rock that was one of the high points of '07. - Jon Pruett]]> http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56565&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Indie/Alternative Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:52 -0800 Top Alt/Punk Artists on Rhapsody Online art.56565 art.56565 Yeah Yeah Yeahs art.56565 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56565&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56565&variant=data&rws=%2Falt-punk%2Fartist-chart.rss Flashdance-style of dress, not to mention her vocals, which could moan and shriek with passion and suffering. The band itself ran from dance-oriented 4/4 beats toward choppy post-punk; songs are clunky, spastic and melodic. Their debut album, Fever Too Tell, came out in 2003 and features the hit "Maps." They followed up that success with 2006's Show Your Bones. For their third release, 2009's It's Blitz, the trio took a slightly different approach, washing their gritty guitar rock in a wave of synths and dance beats. - Jon Pruett]]>