THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with CHEAP TRICK, live at ChicagoFest '81! Can you honestly tell me you forgot? Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander, or the charisma of Rick Nielsen? Your set list includes: "Stop This Game," Hello There," "I Want You to Want Me," "On Top of the World," "Reach Out," "Baby Loves to Rock," "Gonna Raise Hell," "Dream Police," "Ain't That a Shame," "Surrender," "Just Got Back," "Day Tripper" and "Goodnight." You can access the individual songs from the link, or let the whole thing roll.

ALVVAYS advance streams Antisocialites.

NEIL YOUNG advance streams Hitchhiker.

GREGG ALLMAN advance streams Southern Blood.

JULIE & THE WRONG GUYS advance streams a self-titled LP.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM is streaming American Dream.

THE DREAM SYNDICATE's Steve Wynn shares his Sonic Speakeasy Playlist Vol. 2.

FIRST CLASS: "Beach Baby" may fall into that category of summer song Oliver Wang once described "tinged with fragility and marked by melancholy."  It's even more true of the long version, with those French Horns and choral vocals in the c-section...

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS' Stephin Merritt talks to ClashMusic about earplugs, songwriting, heis musical memoir and more. (Thx, Frank Yang)

NEIL FINN talks to The Guardian about livestreaming the recording of his new LP in his crowded house.

POLITICAL BEATS: From National Review(!), Scot Bertram and Jeff Blehar discuss ask guests from the world of politics (journalists and analysts, so far) about their musical passions.

OH SEES: John Dwyer, interviewed by Henry Rollins.

THE SHAGGS "reunion", reviewed by The New Yorker.

NOW SHOWING: After the worst weekend since Sept. 2001, there are no wide releases this weekend.  But Close Encounters of the Third Kind returns for a week on 700 screens, and Tulip Fever debuts on 600 screens.

BESIDE BOWIE: THE MICK RONSON STORY has a trailer online.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL is the craziest trailer you will see this week.

GWYNETH PALTROW got candid about her past love life in a recent podcast interview.

RAISING ARIZONA: Peak Nic Cage?

COWBOYS wrangle cattle across a flooded road in Crosby, Texas.

HOW A CAT NAMED TIGER wound up in prison.

A BEAR crashes a birthday party, enjoys cake.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Crafty rodents are luring bears to their deaths on the railroad tracks.