Guess who’s back? Eminem’s first album in nearly five years, Relapse, topped the Billboard 200 chart and sold 608,000 copies in its first week. Released May 19, that’s more copies than anyone else has sold this year, and comes in second only to AC/DC’s 2008 album Black Ice. Plus, Relapse was streamed over seven million times via his MySpace page before its release. And you thought no one bought CDs anymore.

As one might suspect from its title, the tone of the album is dark, both in beats and rhymes. The rapper avoided the spotlight for a few years while dealing with pill addiction, an unsuspecting methadone overdose and the death of best friend and D12 member DeShaun “Proof” Holton, who was fatally shot outside a Detroit nightclub in 2006.

But where there’s a will there’s a way, and Eminem fought to find it. A few trips to the hospital and rehab proved a success, and Mr. Mathers was back in the studio making more clear-headed music alongside Dr. Dre. Now he’s back with an iPhone game and an appearance at the MTV Movie Awards. No word on a tour yet, but we can guarantee you’ll be seeing more of Slim Shady.

Should you still have ill will toward Mr. Mathers for his past, uh, behaviors, antics and shenanigans, rest assured knowing you’re not the only to one struggle with liking the man or his music.

It’s time to revisit some old pals with Flashion Backward, a feature that’s the spiritual cousin of Flashion Forward. Here, we rifle through our treasure trove of interviews to fish out a vintage gem–the better to explore the strange vortex in which fashion and musicians meet. Today we’re saying “hello!” to Au Revoir Simone.

Upon meeting, (which may or may not have occurred on a train en route from Vermont to New York, depending whom you ask), the quirky Brooklyn ladies quickly became BFFs, musical partners and generally adorable scenesters. They also happen to churn out synth-heavy dance music that pleases fans of “ethereal wanderings” and wistful Stereolab-like pop. Their song “Through the Backyards” appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, ratcheting up their already swiftly ascending profile.

Au Revoir Simone’s name was inspired by a line from Pee-Wee Herman’s “Big Adventure,” but we doubt their style was. They have long, hippie hair, always seem to be smiling and don Laura-Ingalls-meets-Brigitte-Bardot-in-Paris-for-sips-of-amaretto-spiked-espresso style clothing. The ladies generally evoke the kind of twinkly, footloose, fancy-free vibe only achieved by fans of artisanal, organic cheese and obscure gardening practices.

If all of this is too cute for you, then don’t click below. Their innocent perspective on life and the nefarious omnipresence of Big Brother will make your angina flare up again and set your ulcers afire with impotent rage.

Welcome to Six Degrees, a new Uncensored Interview feature inspired by none other than Mr. Kevin Bacon. You know the game–it’s a small world and we’re all somehow related. This theory applies to the music scene as well, no matter what you listen to, where you hang or who you know. We’re just showing you the connections.

Summer is here and that means one thing: music festivals! This month we’re celebrating everything that makes catching the best bands outdoors a great experience. From excited fans and performance anxiety to making friends and dream lineups, here are a few of our favorite festival moments.

!!! kicked ass at last year’s Pitchfork festival, but Nic purposely avoided reading their review of his performance for fear they rip him apart. As long as the kids are going nuts in the audience, that’s the only thing that matters.

But there are friends to be made at festivals, too. Au Revoir Simone knows how great it is to wander around checking out other musicians, only to end up getting buddy-buddy with the likes of Wilco, Fiery Furnaces and the intimidating Midlake.

Sometimes it’s the fans that show the most love. And skin. Even if it’s not exactly what you envisioned seeing as a rock star.

Hot or not? It’s time for Flashion Forward, UI’s slap-happy, judgmental spin through the contents of our favorite musicians’ houses of style. Each week we pluck a recently added interview from our warehouse of current clips and try to read between the artist’s sartorial lines. Today, we’re taking Late of the Pier’s pulse.

A cursory inspection of the indie electro boys reveals little more than tepid glowsticks and silliness: Their singles, “Bathroom Gurgle” and “Fantasy Black Channel” generally sound like bad pornos or the frightening results of eating Grampa’s cooking again. BUT! Much like artists to whom they’ve been compared (Frank Zappa, Prince), under the tongue-in-cheek frippery dead-serious musical chops reside.

Their music is distinctive, mesmerizing, powerful, dark and sweet. They manage to channel everyone from Brian Eno to the Dead Kids to the Human League, while discussing suicide, basslines, forgiveness, boy toys and thrashing about quite charmingly onstage, all in the time-honored working class heroes mold of old-school British punkers.

The hair is appropriately side-swept, unkempt and colorfully hued. Clothing is optional and when it’s worn, it’s fitted, literally threadbare, with a carefree mixture of swamp and tropical tinctures. Half-serious grimaces and snarls are par for the course, as is a red-hot embrace of glorious musical excess.

Below, check out how Late of the Pier gets its jollies before live shows. Their unique perspective on the pros and cons of setting one’s shoes on fire–while it gets you energized for a big crowd, pesky flames can creep up your leg, causing undue distress and discomfort–provides important insight into these young lads’ philosophy on life.

Festival season is upon us, and in a major way. But these aren’t your average hootenannies put together by the powers that be. Oh no. A new trend in the already fad-addled music biz is taking summer festivals by storm. The craze du jour? Guest curators. It’s like Trading Spaces for the music world except with important, existential cultural implications! Not to mention the prosaic–but equally important–concerns that festival coordinators have to take care of.

Metric saw firsthand what can happen when random muttonheads are given free rein (promises of crowds numbering 15,000 turn up 300; beatings; a bottle of whiskey and four Power Bars). Share their pain:

Before we start panicking, let’s take a deep breath and a closer look at this little dernier cri. Here are our top five picks for festivals that won’t suck, given the brains behind things.

5. David Byrne, Curator, Bonnaroo

The sonic polymath (because founding the Talking Heads, snagging Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes, writing operas and being a photographer only takes up so much of one’s time) is taking on the legendary festival. He’s approaching it with the same level of stress and OCD-obsession with which a normal person might approach figuring out which bagel shop to hit Sunday morning. “I thought, ‘OK, then, I’m just gonna reel off some names that I like…and we’ll see where it goes,’” Byrne told reporters. Alrighty then! The laid-back attitude seems to have worked; so far, the lineup includes Santigold, the Dirty Projectors, Katzenjammer, Public Enemy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Band of Horses, St. Vincent and of course–David Byrne and Brian Eno. The show goes on June 11.

4. The Flaming Lips, Curators, All Tomorrow’s Parties

The Oklahoma all-stars are playing the show too! Woot! It’s tough to predict what a band that produces gems like “Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles” and shows that feature puppets, confetti and big, scary hands will come up with, but that’s part of the fun. Set in Monticello, NY, just as summer winds down, this promises to be one final outdoors Bacchanalia anyone can get behind. And with bands as disparate as The Jesus Lizard, Suicide, Black Dice, the Feelies and the Melvins playing, maybe this is a show all of your friends will actually enjoy (for once). The show goes on Sept. 11.

(MORE FESTIVAL CURATORS HERE)

See us live! Uncensored Interview has rolled up our sleeves, made a few phone calls and put together a showcase of superb talent for your eyes and ears. As part of The L Magazine’s Northside Festival, check out Ólöf Arnalds, François Virot, Lisa Li-Lund, Sharon Van Etten and Ivana XL at Union Pool in Brooklyn on June 11.

UPDATE: Due to complications with travel arrangements, François Virot will not be performing at The Speakeasy.

Ólöf Arnalds, an accomplished figure in Iceland, is gracing our stage with her much-praised voice. It ain’t all hype, either. Ólöf has worked with múm, Mugison and Skúli Sverrisson, and performed with Sigur Rós and Björk. Should you fall in love, you can catch her again the next day at BrooklynVegan’s showcase.

François Virot and Lisa Li-Lund, our French representatives on the bill, are equally talented musicians with fans at NPR Music and Urban Outfitters, respectively. François took a folksy stab at Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life,” and you may know Lisa from her sweet Justin Timberlake cover.

Ivana XL is an Electric Lady Studios vet, and is currently working with Daniel Chen, pianist and songwriter for Nicole Atkins & The Sea and Mike Doughty. Sharon Van Etten recently covered Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” for a Moz-lovin’ compilation produced by our friend The Music Slut. She’s also playing a free showcase at Trophy Bar on June 13 courtesy of Hooves on the Turf.

A limited number of Northside badges will be accepted, but it’s probably a good idea to get advance tickets here. UI and Dissentertainment are proud of this lineup and hope to see you there!

It’s time to jog our ADHD-addled minds with Flashion Backward, a feature that’s the spiritual cousin of Flashion Forward. Here, we rifle through our treasure trove of interviews to fish out a vintage gem–the better to explore the strange vortex in which fashion and musicians meet. Our dose of Ritalin today: Wye Oak.

Indie folksters Wye Oak (named after a 460-year-old tree in Maryland, their home state) have always managed to temper their earnest, reflective lyrics with a dose of bittersweet, poignant edge, saving them from the degrading horrors of existence on lite radio. (Perish the day)!

Fans and critics alike gobble up their pretension-free collision of reverberating noisy fuzz and friendly, naked emotionalism. They seem like the kind of sweet/eccentric duo who would randomly invite you over for a snack after hitting it off at the laundromat, then proceed to serve you PB&J with the crusts cut off and a glass of organic milk while chatting about their pet hamster. And then they’d whip out the pot brownies and Pabst and suggest a game of Twister.

(Check out their latest song of innocence and experience, then check out their new album on July 21).

Below, it sounds like their approach to life hasn’t changed for Jenn and Andy since high school–though Andy’s fashion sense may have improved, and their alleged status as cripplingly embarrassing dorks certainly has. But actually, I’ve always found huge fros, Hawaiian shirts and the practice of playing in a steel-drum band to be rather charming.