“I’m trying to get people laughing and dancing and wild.”

JULY 2008

MONO TONIX’S AMI SHALEV,

PAGE 52

DEPARTMENTS

16 Contributors
18 Editor’s Letter
22 Soundcheck
28 The Spin Mix
30 Feedback
33 Noise

Indie rock gets theatrical; Simon Pegg; the Spin 20; Generation Kill’s James Ransone on Animal Collective and breaking into Botswana; Joe Franklin evaluates musicians turned talk show hosts; inside Robert Pollard’s gallery; the Inquisition takes on Nas; the Honor Roll. PLUS: Fleet Foxes, Lykke Li, and Monotonix are Breaking Out.

118 Rock City

Check out the pride of Midwest rock in Spin’s guide to Omaha.

120 The Hidden Track How punk rock made me accept my lesbian mom. BY TROY JOHNSON

REVIEWS

91 CDs

Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, the Cool Kids’ The Bake Sale EP, Weezer’s Weezer, Wolf Parade’s At Mount Zoomer, the Fratellis’ Here We Stand, Nine Inch Nails’ The Slip, the Futureheads’ This Is Not the World, and dozens more! PLUS: Reissues and essential hair metal.

112 Movies

Lou Reed’s Berlin, The Wackness, Boy A, and American Teen

114 Games

Is the Nintendo DS the greatest game console ever?

116 Live

Welsh neo-soul diva Duffy makes a statement in Harlem.