Pitchfork

This month we talk to French group Gojira, French Canadian Alien8 group Menace Ruine, ambient black metal duo Empire Auriga, and the whiskey-soaked black/war metal quartet Bahimiron.

Stereolab's Tim Gane tells us about the best sound check he's ever heard, brags about his new turntable with the funny name, and will take a classic pinball machine over a video game any day. [Interview: Tyler Grisham]

We talk to Beck about his new album, Modern Guilt, his post-Sea Change transformation, working with Jamie Lidell, how "Loser" was a side project, and why he avoided traditional singer/songwriter material in the first place.

To kick off a five-part celebration of Sub Pop's 20th anniversary-- and the concert/party the Seattle label is throwing itself this weekend-- we spoke to the men who founded the classic indie imprint, Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman.

For three decades, Steve Stein has worked at tracks and pieces that effortlessly convey a 10-ideas-a-minute aesthetic overload, whether it's in the service of political agitation, upbeat dance records or-- often times-- both at once. We recently spoke to him about sample culture, making music as a hobby, and how to create a club-friendly song about the Kennedy assassination.

In a lengthy interview, we talk to David Berman about everything from the subjects that populate Silver Jews songs to topics such as Teddy Roosevelt, Diane Keaton, taking over the world via Coca-Cola, and the meaninglessness of Radiohead.

The French duo on Daft Punk, the nature of hype, why they no longer do remixes, painting John Travolta, and being MySpace friends with the Jonas Brothers.