Here is what you, the listeners, consider to be the best opening tracks of all time:

Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Nevermind:

Nine Inch Nails “Head Like A Hole” from Pretty Hate Machine:

Beck live “Devil’s Haircut” from Odelay:

Pavement live “Summer Babe” from Slanted & Enchanted:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Love Burns” from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:

• After 16 years repping hip-hop music and culture, Vibe magazine has ceased publication. Since its inception in 1993, the magazine has chronicled hip-hop and R&B culture and even published a few books along the way.

• Sometimes being a superfan can pay off: Death Cab For Cutie fan Ross Ching made his own video for the DCFC song “Little Bribes” and now Atlantic has hired him for a future video project.

• Wayne Coyne has recently revealed that Karen O and MGMT collaborated with The Flaming Lips on their upcoming album. Apparently the difficulties of recording the new album, entitled Embryonic, were so great that he forgot he collaborated with them.

• The fallout from these file sharing/digital downloading times has caused some major labels to rethink their strategy and take a few tips from successful independent labels. In fact, Sony has gone so far as to join forces with IODA, who provide distribution, marketing, and technology solutions for many independent labels. Whether Sony will be the changer or the changee in this new arrangement remains to be seen.

• Pirating: the new business model. Seems The Pirate Bay, whose founders were recently sentenced to serve a year in jail and pay $3.6 million in damages, will be sold for over twice as much to Global Gaming Factory X AB, who plan to turn the bit torrent monster to a perfectly legal lapdog. Napster, anyone? …anyone?

• Don’t look for EELS to tour their new album, Hombre Lobo, any time soon. Frontman E (Mark Oliver Everett) tells Spinner that he’d rather not “disrespect the audience by going out there and doing something that [his] heart’s not into.” At least, that’s “right now.” After three world tours in four years, he’s earned a rest… just not too long of a rest… okay, E?

• U2 kicked off their new tour, their first in three years apparently (has it been that long?), at Barcelona’s Camp Nou and paid tribute to Michael Jackson by dedicating their performance of “Angel Of Harlem” to him. Bono, who reportedly called Michael “an unspeakable talent,” dropped lyrics to “Man In The Mirror” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” into the song. And in seeming Jacko fashion (too soon for a joke?), the Irish icons are asking fans to wear masks, but this time with the express purpose bringing attention to the incarceration of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma, who’s been a political prisoner in her own country for 13 years. From photos submitted to the band’s website, The Edge will select the best to be featured in a gallery on U2.com.

• Chicago-based music journalist and Wilco-head Greg Kot, broke the story Friday afternoon that Jane’s Addiction, Depeche Mode, and The Beastie Boys would be headlining the 2009 edition of Lollapalooza, set for August 7-9 in Chicago’s Grant Park. The bands and event representatives have yet to confirm or deny the story, so likely they’re just upset that Kot broke the news before April 21.

• You can cross another ‘What If’ off your odd musical pairing list: Former bespectacled Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is teaming up with Shellac brainiac and producer-of-all-styles Steve Albini for Further Complications. Due May 19th via Rough Trade, the new Cocker material receives the cheap but effective touch behind the boards that only Albini can provide.

• His name may not be John Lee Pettimore, but Steve Earle ain’t a stranger to deliverin’ a mess of tribute material to Knoxville and the rest of the world. Townes, due May 12, is a self-explanatory — unless papa Steve is impressed with his son’s (Justin Townes Earle) first two albums.

• Dig out your yellow jump suits and red flower pot hats, Devo returns! The futuristic ones will be performing Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in its entirety during the Fan’s Strike Back portion of All Tomorrow’s Parties: Don’t Look Back. The show takes place in London May 6, so schedule your rainy vacation now!

• Trent Reznor just posted this video of Nine Inch Nails joined by The Dillinger Escape Plan — a “poor man’s Coldplay” — for their performance of “Wish,” live at the Soundwave Festival in Perth, Australia, on March 2nd, 2008:
  

• Due to excessive leaking, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have pushed up the release date of new album, It’s Blitz, from April 14 to this Tuesday (March 10) in digital and March 31 in all CD and LP. Is no one capable of waiting and being surprised? Spoil sports.

• Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch is getting the soundtrack for his latest film, The Limits of Control, from the world’s best doom and drone acts the world has to offer: Boris, Sunn O))), and Seattle born and bred Earth (what a show recently). The film is due in limited release May 22 but no date has been announced for a soundtrack release.

• It’s hard to fill the void left by U2’s 5-night stint on Letterman last week. In fact, there’s a bit of a lull all around the talk show circuit this week, but you’ll find a few KEXP favorites or other interesting musical acts if you look hard enough:
  Monday, March 9

  Last Call: Razorlight
  Tavis Smiley: Neko Case

  Tuesday, March 10

  Jimmy Fallon: Michael Stipe
  Jimmy Kimmel: Chris Cornell

  Wednesday, March 11

  David Letterman: Razorlight
  Jimmy Fallon: The Virgins
  Last Call: Patton Oswalt, M83
  Jimmy Kimmel: The Pretenders

  Thursday, March 12

  Jimmy Fallon: Glen Hansard
  Last Call: Delta Spirit

  Friday, March 13

  David Letterman: Cursive
  Jimmy Kimmel: The Dream

This week it’s all about the numbers. Former Seattle resident Neko Case returns with her anticipated sixth studio album, Middle Cyclone. Double that and you have the twelfth album from Irish legends U2, who are pimping No Line on the Horizon with a week-long residency on the Late Show with David Letterman this week (for which their first task was shoveling snow). Perhaps not as long lived, but certainly at least as influential, turntable pioneer Grandmaster Flash returns with his first album of new material in 20 years. The first release from Seattle’s own Say Hi (a.k.a. Eric Ellbogen) on local label Barsuk is also his sixth overall. Swedish collective The Soundtrack of Our Lives and British electronica group The Prodigy each return with their fifth albums. The ethereally voiced Marissa Nadler is on her fourth while bi-continental group Extra Golden and new Americana songwriter Justin Townes Earle both on their third. Boston band Wild Light is only on their first, and who knows how many releases this makes for Robert Pollard, whose latest project, Boston Spaceships, is now available. There’s no need to bring a calculator, though, when you head out to your local record shop. Just bring plenty of cash, a list cribbed from Largehearted Boy, and the joyful knowledge that there’s plenty of great music to be had this week. Who knew math could be so fun?

Makeup Monsters (photo by Katy McCourt-Basham)

• We’re all about the local love, so with that in mind it’s time to discuss this year’s Sound Off! — the Pacific Northwest’s biggest battle of the bands for the 21-and-under set — finalists. SOL, Dyno Jamz, and Makeup Monsters secured their spots performing at EMP’s Sky Church March 7th (this Saturday), as they compete for a chance to claim at performance spot at the 2009 edition of Bumbershoot. A fourth finalist, voted in by fans, has yet to be determined.

• Pitchfork has declared that the fourth edition of the site’s festival will be invading Chicago once more over the July 17-19th weekend. The bad news for eager beavers: no acts have been announced. Start booking your plane tickets now?

• Blur continues to put a little steam behind their supposed reunion. The Coxon-full group have booked a pre-Glastonbury warm-up in Manchester as well as post-Glastonbury stops in London (two shows in Hyde Park), Scotland (T in the Park), and Ireland (Oxygen Fest).

• Despite the economic issues that have stifled Touch & Go, the label is proving that is indeed shifting its focus from manufacturing, distributing, and new signees and putting that TLC back into their old catalog. The label has announced their participation in this year’s Record Store Day with Inch, a 7″ box set collecting out-of-print cuts from The Jesus Lizard! All we can say is the world need David Yow more than ever.

• Brand Neu!, obvious a tribute album to krautrock pioneers Neu!, is set to be released via Feraltone May 11th. The compilation will feature previously released material by Sonic Youth and LCD Soundsystem as well as tribute cuts from the likes of Oasis, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Primal Scream.

• Before they set up a week-long residency on the Late Show with David Letterman starting Monday, U2 made a surprise rooftop appearance this weekend to promote their upcoming album, No Line On The Horizon. On Saturday, Bono and the boys played atop the BBC Broadcasting House and clogged the neighboring London streets during their 20-minute set. Here’s one of their new songs, “Magnificent”:

• A reminder: Tomorrow evening begins Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and while our anticipation for the former SNL veteran is at an all-time low, the anticipation of seeing The Roots as the Late Night house band every weeknight is at an all-time high. The band is currently working on a new album and recently participated in Power Shift, a Washington, D.C. based clean energy concert/rally.

  Here are the highlights of this week’s talk show performances:

• In a sad note that will unfortunately bring you down, former ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt has passed. Groucutt, 63, died of a heart attack in Worcester, England. Groucutt played in ELO from 1974-1983.

• It’s not often that the little hamlet of Bloomington, Indiana, makes news beyond IU basketball, but indie fans should know the college town also houses the offices of Jagjaguwar (and Secretly Canadian). Why would we be talking about this? Oh, because there’s a Dinosaur of the Junior variety looking to invade both label and province. J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph — collectively known as Dinosaur Jr. — have signed with Jagjaguwar with plans to release their new album before summer’s end. It’s nice to see feline and reptile become friends.

• Are you prepared for Leonard Cohen? After teasing Americans with a solo New York date, it now appears the poet/singer/songwriter/drinker/lover will be touring more locales within the contiguous forty-eight. Seattlites can rejoice — Cohen hits town April 23rd to grace WaMu Theater, which sounds sad when lined-up next to his gigs at Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, and The Orpheum, but awesome because Leonard Cohen is playing in Seattle!

• Fountains of Wayne, purveyors of such saccharine pop as “Stacy’s Mom” and “Radiation Vibe” are delivering their insulin-rich treats in DVD form. No Better Place, scheduled for a March 3rd release via Shout Factory, will feature the aforementioned hit as well as 14 other songs you forgot FoW made. You may recall that Adam Schlesinger, singer and bassist of Fountains of Wayne has also joined up with former Smashing Pumpkins guitar hero James Iha, Hanson brother Taylor, and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos to form Tinted Windows. Look for them at SXSW this year.

• New releases on the horizon: British Sea Power re-envision film soundtrack Man of Aran with a CD/DVD combo, while Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band ready Outer South. Both albums are due May 5th.

• Starting next Monday, U2 will be musical guests on the Late Show with David Letterman for five consecutive nights, corresponding with the March 2nd release of No Line On The Horizon. It seems that their twelfth album, which is now streaming on the band’s MySpace page, was inadvertently leaked on the internet by the Australian arm of band’s own label, Universal. It should be noted that the band and label have taken strong actions to avoid early leaks by not sending out review copies and holding monitored listening parties instead.

• Continuing to stay a step ahead of everyone else in the game, Kanye West has a link to the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs song “Heads Will Roll” on his blog, KanyeUniverseCity. Listen or download now!

• Who won the musical awards at the Oscars last night? Slumdog Millionaire… all of them…

• On the talk show circuit, the post-Academy Awards week is filled mostly all repeat performances, but if you missed any of these, you’ve got another chance: