What should have been a banner year for Virginia Beach rhymers Clipse wound up finding the brothers Thornton even more firmly entrenched in the cult status they've always cultivated. Record label paper-shuffling kept their second full-length, the Neptunes-produced Hell Hath No Fury, on the shelf for over a year. The duo kept busy with their record label, Re-Up Gang Records, and a popular mixtape series, We Got It 4 Cheap; but by the time Fury was released, what should've been a #1 album only managed to crack the top 20. The record still became one of the biggest critical smashes in any genre last year, ably supported by the duo's growing reputation as an unstoppable live act. As Thornton elder Malice said in a recent Pitchfork interview, "We may not be the mainstream dudes, but we are the credible ones. And I will take that any day of the week." See for yourself when the Clipse tour rolls through Austin tonight; locals The Academy, a.k.a. the 2 live crew of Phranchyze 1 and John Vice, warm up the Emo's outdoor stage. more ›

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.... more ›

Clipse Hell Hath No Fury The bubble has burst. Ever since 50 Cent turned bullet wounds into a marketing bonanza—it really wasn’t that long ago, was it?—artists in the loosely defined subgenre known as “coke rap” have been falling all over themselves to convince suburban America that they sold more drugs, shot more people, and spent more time in jail than whoever happens to be selling records that week. The situation is so far gone... more ›