DEPARTMENTS
8 Editor’s Letter
10 Contributors
16 Soundcheck
24 Feedback
26 The Spin Mix
29 Noise

Why international stars are having trouble crossing our borders; judging the effectiveness of indie-rock want ads; the Spin 20; the Donnas, Pinback, Nellie McKay, and Say Anything preview the fall TV season; Alison Lohman shows us her Media Horde; three bands capture their

Lollapalooza memories; Simon Le Bon survives the Inquisition; at home with the Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger. PLUS: Simian Mobile Disco, Alice Smith, and Band of Horses are Breaking Out.

128 The Hidden Track

A top chef remembers his gritty punk salad days. BY ANTHONY BOURDAIN

REVIEWS
95 CDs

PJ Harvey’s White Chalk, Manu Chao’s La Radiolina, the Fiery Furnaces’ Widow City, Devendra Banhart’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, Motion City Soundtrack’s

Even If It Kills Me, and dozens more!

PLUS: Reissues and essential pub rock

114 Movies

Control, The Darjeeling Limited, Michael Clayton, and Gone Baby Gone

116 Games

Clive Barker’s Jericho, NBA Live 08, and more!

118 Live

Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan headline Rock the Bells.

122 72 Hours

Put on your Elvis jumpsuit, belly up to the buffet, and take a gamble on Spin’s guide to Las Vegas.

“Wu-Tang Clan’s
set was a typically
brilliant clusterf--k.”

ROCK THE BELLS REVIE W, PAGE 118

S TEVEN BRAHMS