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#239.1 - Cobra Starship

Cobra Starship
Death Cab For Cutie
Minus The Bear
Paint It Black
Portishead
Mates Of State

#239.1 – May 2010

IN THE RAG >>>

COBRA STARSHIP
Gabe Saporta knows how to put on a hardcore show in a New Jersey basement and where to buy the coolest French electronica records He’s using that combined knowledge to navigate the music scene in his freestyle synth-funk unit Cobra Starship. Fortunately, you don’t need pastel-colored clothing to come along for the ride…

FEATURES >>>
PAINT IT BLACK
When it was time to record their third album, the men of PIB decided the hardcore playbook needed drenched in gasoline and lit up accordingly. Will the floor-punching faithful spin around the flames or stay frozen in time?

SPECIALS >>>
LEISURE TO BURN: THE AP SUMMER 2008 PREVIEW
The 20-plus inches of snow that got dumped on Cleveland this winter have finally melted, so we’ve put down our shovels to report on the best stuff this summer has to offer. You want to know about that new Gym Class Heroes album? No prob. Need the deets on the Vans Warped Tour’s 14th run? Sure. Ready for the new games that will make you trash your already stressed console? We are. Wanna know how funny Pineapple Express is? We’ll tell you. Unfortunately, everything else you need this summer-boyfriends, girlfriends, sun block and cash money-is up to you to find.

QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD
You don’t need to have your Marshall stack cranked to 11 to convey emotion in your music, as the folk-punk movement proves. Acoustic guitars, living-room shows and passionate sing-alongs are the norm with Paul Baribeau, Andrew Jackson Jihad and Frank Turner; plus, learn about the genre’s roots and essential albums to add to your collection.

SECTIONS >>>
INCOMING: LOVE LETTERS, HATE MAIL & SOUND ADVICE

OPINION
Midwest Teen Sex Show host Nikol Hasler makes a case for more informative sex ed in Op-Ed; and everyone from Sky Eats Airplane to Steel Train (and you, of course) tell us if you can judge an album by its cover in the AP Poll.

NEW RELEASES
We preview albums from Shai Hulud, Socratic and more; and In The Studio checks up on Meg & Dia, Metric and Underoath.

WIRETAPPING
There’s no official textbook on becoming a rock star, but our AP: DIY section is recognized in 49 states as a suitable cheat sheet (we’ll convince you yet, Iowa!). This month we’ve got tips, tricks and traps to avoid from members of Minus The Bear, New Found Glory, All Time Low, Head Automatica and National Product, along with the techs and other experts who keep ’em running smoothly. Chalkboard Confessional talks inspiration with Jim Ward of Sparta/Sleepercar; and Roadrunner Records gets the Label Profile treatment.

AP RECOMMENDS
If you’re not already listening to Paper Rival, She & Him and Russian Circles, we won’t tell. But, while no one’s looking, you better load ’em up on your iPod, stat!

AP STYLE
Allow us to introduce you to some of the hottest gear burning up our closets. This month, get to know five of our favorite jewelry companies. Plus, we realize that looking good isn’t just about your duds; it’s also about your ’do… And your makeup… And your nails… You get the picture.

SCREENING
Please turn off all cell phones. Keep talking to a minimum, as not to disturb your fellow readers. Also, be sure to throw away all garbage in the receptacles provided. Now, sit back and enjoy our feature presentation, which includes some quality face time with Leslie Bibb, Christian Oliver and the rest of what’s new and hot in theaters and DVD players this month.

REVIEWS
Seeing as how May is the fifth month of the year, if you take every fifth word from the AP Record Store this month and put them together, there will be a hidden message. Or maybe not. But you will find reviews of new albums from Death Cab For Cutie, Goldfinger, Blacklisted, Trever Keith, Joan Of Arc, Subtle, the Slackers, Boris, Islands, Dizzee Rascal and more; our In-Store Sessions with Portishead, Millencolin, Mates Of State, Torche and Ours will help piece together the puzzle; if you read our classic-rock and classic-punk columns on the Outlaws and Nick Lowe backward, they’ll read “PAUL IS DEAD”; and luckily, Playlist, Collector’s Corner, Readers Chart and Listening Station are nothing like those Sudoku games in the back of in-flight magazines that are already filled in. (How annoying is that, seriously?)

10 ESSENTIAL CONTEMPORARY LIT NOVELS YOU WON’T READ IN CLASS
With summer fast approaching, your English teacher is bound to hand you a list of suggestions for summer reading. Crumple that sucker up, throw it at her forehead and yell, “Take that, teach!” then wave Rachel Lux’s list of progressive, innovative pieces of literature in front of her and say, “Where’s your God now? Where’s your God now???” Or don’t. But still, read these books!