By: Spencer Doar

If only “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” had such a soundtrack. If only you could roll down the windows on your own spaceship to let the message flow into nebulous darkness. If only you could listen to an album aboard the Millennium Falcon while Han Solo makes the Kessel Run.  

Deltron 3030, a hip-hop supergroup composed of Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala, are releasing their second album Tuesday — 13 years after their first.

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By: Alexander Brodsky

You look in your fridge. All you see is half an onion, three cans of Hamm's, leftover rice and a bell pepper someone guilt-tripped you into buying at the farmers market on Church Street. What do you cook? Hamm's-braised onions?

Every cook needs a couple of recipes in their back pocket they can whip out time and time again. Having a large repertoire ensures you'll always have a meal to fix, no matter how destitute your pantry looks.

Chicken fried rice

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By: Emily Eveland

On the final day of 3rd Lair’s Midwest Melee competition, young skaters and their parents sat precariously along the steep ledges of the skate park’s indoor bowl. One wrong move and they’d fall hard.

But falling doesn’t seem to be an issue for 3rd Lair regulars.

“To learn a new trick, imagine doing the same thing over and over and over for hours, sometimes days, and missing or falling down constantly before you finally do it once,” owner Mark Rodriguez said.

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By: Spencer Doar

Apes and Pokemon may evolve, but Adam Carolla remains the same. 

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By: Sarah Harper

We can blame the volunteer army behind MNFashion for making our dreams of high-tailing it to New York the minute we graduate more and more outdated every season. Turns out, we can get it all — or at least a good, healthy, Midwestern-size portion — right here in our own backyard.

Envision Artopia kicked off Minneapolis-St. Paul Fashion Week Friday night with winter and fall collections and Avant Garden happened Saturday night at the Walker Art Center.

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By: Emily Eveland

Equal parts punk rock and East Coast cool, Screaming Females has mastered the apathetic aesthetic.

Marissa Paternoster, the group’s singer and guitarist, looks like a shorter-haired Wednesday Addams with her signature collared black dresses.

On a previous tour, the self-proclaimed “mild people” behind Screaming Females were asked by two separate Canadian reporters if something was wrong.

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By: Sarah Harper

There are some places in this world — Chicago, Italy, Jon Stewart’s house — where your favorite slice says more about you than anything else. But Minnesotans have a more relaxed attitude toward ’za.

 Is that a good thing? Look around you: The Twin Cities’ pizza landscape is dominated by cheap grub for the inebriated and more gourmet, gimmicky spots. It’s a little more than our wallets and stomachs can handle.

Out-of-towners have discovered that if you want to do something right — in this case, the casual, affordable, occasionally gritty ’za joint — you have to buck up and do it yourself.

A&E has found three of the best imported pizzas in the Twin Cities area. Skip the side salads, grab your Pepto and come along with us on a magical mystery pizza tour of the Twin Cities.

Stop #1: Aurelio’s Pizza

2827 Hamline Ave., Roseville

Located in a strip mall, Aurelio’s is the kind of place where little league teams have their end-of-the-season parties. Get a friend to drive you to Roseville for a surprisingly sugary sauce balanced by a firm, sharp layer of cheese.

The family-owned chain has its roots in Illinois, with branches scattered across Indiana and a few other states.

If you’re from around those parts, this place will feel just like home with its stained glass lamps and cozy, wooded feel. And if you’re not, you owe it to yourself to take a trip to Aurelio’s for a makeshift game of Trivial Pursuit — there are cards on every table — and some down-home Italian. Tell ’em A&E sent you.

Stop #2: Rocky Rococo

7540 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park

Rocky Rococo is a one-of-a-kind spot. At what other restaurant would you see a poster of the owner as a child, proudly displaying his impressive collection of used and rolled chewing gum? That’s Rocky Rococo for you, the Wisconsin pizza chain that walks the fine line between savory and sickening and somehow never falls off the edge. Don’t believe us? Ask anyone from Madison, where the chain got its start in 1974.

Head out to the branch in Brooklyn Park and get yourself a pan-style pizza. Here, it’s thick, heavy and soft. If you’re used to thinner crusts, your body may go through something that feels like shock. Pacify that feeling by also ordering a thin crust. Hey, it’s a pizza party! Why not make a day of it? There’s a Brunswick Zone across the street.

Stop #3: Crescent Moon Pizza

1517 Como Ave. S.E., Minneapolis

Bring it all back home to Como for the last spot on our grand pizza tour. There’s another Crescent Moon location in Northeast, but we’ll go to the one across the street from Muddsuckers Coffee. This branch of the family-run Afghani restaurant is so close that you could stop by between classes.

Crescent Moon pies have a delightfully different taste than the other pizzerias we’ve been to on our whirlwind tour — the crust tastes like pastry dough and you can get toppings like eggplant and Afghani beef.  

If you’re stopping in for a slice, grab one with gyro and smother it in tangy green sauce. If you’re going big, skip the traditional round and get a football pizza, so named for its elliptical shape. ’Tis the season, after all. 

By: Emily Eveland

Artist: The Weeknd

Album: “Kiss Land”

Label: Republic

The Weeknd’s Abel Tesfaye is an unorthodox crooner. Rather than churning out love ballads with Sinatra-inspired gush, he’s followed the lead of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, disguising vulgar lyrics with a voice that makes you feel like you’ve cheated on your significant other.

“Kiss Land” marks Tesfaye’s arrival into major label territory. While his three previous mix tapes, combined to form “Trilogy,” often drifted into monotony, “Kiss Land” brings listeners on a tour through their favorite nightmares. 

Tesfaye wrestles with the byproducts of fame throughout the album, including adulterous ex-lovers, drug and alcohol use and the loss of self over trance- inducing synth and drum machine beats. The resulting sound is a cross between Prince-level sexuality and Kid Cudi’s mesmerizing melancholia.

The Weeknd is a master of contradiction and flaunts it unapologetically. He sings of true love and then denies its existence. He shuns women who mistreat him and then busts out one-liners like this on the album’s title track: “You can meet me in the room where the kisses ain’t free. You gotta pay with your body.”

Tesfaye’s voice is the biggest contradiction of all, making misogynist lyrics sound like Italian arias. If it weren’t for online lyric databases, one could probably play “Kiss Land” at your next family function without a single eyebrow raise.

The Weeknd’s musings on fame, modern love and internal disconnect are strong until Drake’s guest appearance on “Live For,” when Tesfaye falls into Drake’s champagne and stripper-loving trap and doesn’t emerge.

Listeners are left to wonder who this guy really is.  Is his switch from melancholia and lovesickness to misogyny and debauchery intentional? Are the contrasting sides of Tesfaye more interconnected than they seem? Is the point that there isn’t one?

“Kiss Land” should be enjoyed song by song because, honestly, this guy is impossible to pin down. Enigmatic personas like The Weeknd keep listeners interested and, most importantly, they sell.

4 out of 5 stars

Artist: Arctic Monkeys

Album: “AM”

Label: Domino

It’s hard to maintain heartthrob status through your late 20s, but England’s Arctic Monkeys aren’t afraid to try.

The band’s fifth studio album “AM” indulges in youthful themes like getting back with exes and disagreements over text while segueing into new levels of maturity. This transition, however, is not without problems.

Frontman Alex Turner sounds bored. Perhaps his lackluster vocals are a result of the heartbreak underlying most of the tracks on “AM,” or maybe he’s just getting older. If it weren’t for the excessive vocal layering and powerhouse instrumentation, Turner wouldn’t stand a chance.

That said, the Ozzy-esque guitar riffs and hip-hop inspired drumbeats on “AM,” specifically in “Do I Wanna Know?” are sure to win the band new fans while nourishing the old.

The hip-hop influence is most apparent in the track “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” which nods to Dr. Dre’s beat-making and weed smoking.

Songs like “Why’d You Only Call Me” make “AM” unsettling in a good way. Listeners get a sense of lingering dissatisfaction and displacement that keeps them hanging on, even with Turner’s vocals at their worst. The eerie instrumentation is a welcome departure from the band’s usual sugary sound.

If the vocals and slower, sappier songs like “No. 1 Party Anthem” and “Mad Sounds” didn’t drag the album down as it reaches its peak, “AM” would be solid throughout. For now, savvy listeners will stick to the hits and skip the rest.

3.5 out of 5 stars

By: Emily Eveland

It’s your first day of class and it’s a tough one. In just eight hours, you’ve been glared at, offered illicit drugs and missed the bus. Don’t give up! Listen up:

1. “What You Know” by T.I.

Whether it’s your first day of college or your first day back from summer vacation, we all know what newness entails — being judged! If you’ve fallen victim to a stink eye or a scoff, fear not. Just crank this song and relax. T.I. inadvertently created a new kid anthem with choice lyrics like, “See, all that attitude’s unnecessary, dude.” Really, what do they know about you?

2. “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” by Geto Boys

We all remember Geto Boys from “Office Space,” where they provided the perfect soundtrack for disillusioned employees retaliating against unfair work conditions. “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” creates a force field around listeners, enveloping their minds and ears in the sounds of sweet badassery.

3. “Nightcall” by Kavinsky

So maybe you’re not Ryan Gosling and maybe you’re walking around campus, not taking part in a high speed car chase — with “Nightcall,” it doesn’t really matter. The simple lyrics, “I’m gonna tell you something you don’t want to hear,” could apply to the massive workload your professor just threw at you or the subtle rejection you received from your crush. Whatever the case, “Nightcall” will inspire you to keep moving.

4. “Writer’s Block” by Fatlip

Are you the type who stays awake for hours, trying your best to refrain from smashing your head against the keyboard? Fatlip understands. This former member of The Pharcyde defines writer’s block as “…the inability to produce a thought. Ideas get stale, brain cells rot.” Ironically, by writing about his inability to write, Fatlip created one of the most popular songs of his career.

5. “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays

You’re new and desperate to make a friend. You cling to the first kid who smiles at you and you become inseparable. Before you know it, he’s dropping pickup lines on your crush, comparing her eyes to the few light-polluted constellations above. Before acting on rage-fueled impulse, let old school R&B group the O’Jays soothe you. “Backstabbers” is an empathetic lullaby for those of you with friends who “smile in your face, all the time they want to take your place.”

6. “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” by Grandmaster Flash

Unless you’ve just emerged from a 20-year hibernation, you know that college is part academics, part partying — hard. Beyond beer bongs and high tech vaporizers is the white powder your D.A.R.E. officer rightly warned you against. Grandmaster Flash is here to tell you that “if you get hooked, baby, it’s nobody’s fault, so don’t do it!” If you’re too cool for correction officers, consider taking some wisdom from one of hip-hop’s pioneers.

7. “Better Days” by Citizen King

Taking the leap from your parents’ house to a dorm in a brand new city is no small feat. While some days unfold smoothly, others may result in a pressing urge to take the first bus back home and hide under your childhood blankets. For those who hold down minimum wage jobs, drink cheap wine out of chipped glasses and miss the bus on the daily, Citizen King sings your blues. And who knows? Your bad day could make you a one hit wonder.

8. “Going Away to College” by Blink-182

Whether you’re an incoming freshman or a senior who can’t recover from their pop punk addiction, “Going Away to College” will simultaneously warm and break your heart. The members of Blink-182 know all about being kids in the face of adulthood and aren’t afraid to admit to their fears. With lyrics like, “and I’m so unprepared, so here’s your Valentine,” Blink-182 speaks to the difficulty of leaving loved ones and starting over again. Fun fact: it gets easier.

By: Emily Eveland

It’s your first day of class and it’s a tough one. In just eight hours, you’ve been glared at, offered illicit drugs and missed the bus. Don’t give up! Listen up:

1. “What You Know” by T.I.

Whether it’s your first day of college or your first day back from summer vacation, we all know what newness entails — being judged! If you’ve fallen victim to a stink eye or a scoff, fear not. Just crank this song and relax. T.I. inadvertently created a new kid anthem with choice lyrics like, “See, all that attitude’s unnecessary, dude.” Really, what do they know about you?

2. “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” by Geto Boys

We all remember Geto Boys from “Office Space,” where they provided the perfect soundtrack for disillusioned employees retaliating against unfair work conditions. “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” creates a force field around listeners, enveloping their minds and ears in the sounds of sweet badassery.

3. “Nightcall” by Kavinsky

So maybe you’re not Ryan Gosling and maybe you’re walking around campus, not taking part in a high speed car chase — with “Nightcall,” it doesn’t really matter. The simple lyrics, “I’m gonna tell you something you don’t want to hear,” could apply to the massive workload your professor just threw at you or the subtle rejection you received from your crush. Whatever the case, “Nightcall” will inspire you to keep moving.

4. “Writer’s Block” by Fatlip

Are you the type who stays awake for hours, trying your best to refrain from smashing your head against the keyboard? Fatlip understands. This former member of The Pharcyde defines writer’s block as “…the inability to produce a thought. Ideas get stale, brain cells rot.” Ironically, by writing about his inability to write, Fatlip created one of the most popular songs of his career.

5. “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays

You’re new and desperate to make a friend. You cling to the first kid who smiles at you and you become inseparable. Before you know it, he’s dropping pickup lines on your crush, comparing her eyes to the few light-polluted constellations above. Before acting on rage-fueled impulse, let old school R&B group the O’Jays soothe you. “Backstabbers” is an empathetic lullaby for those of you with friends who “smile in your face, all the time they want to take your place.”

6. “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” by Grandmaster Flash

Unless you’ve just emerged from a 20-year hibernation, you know that college is part academics, part partying — hard. Beyond beer bongs and high tech vaporizers is the white powder your D.A.R.E. officer rightly warned you against. Grandmaster Flash is here to tell you that “if you get hooked, baby, it’s nobody’s fault, so don’t do it!” If you’re too cool for correction officers, consider taking some wisdom from one of hip-hop’s pioneers.

7. “Better Days” by Citizen King

Taking the leap from your parents’ house to a dorm in a brand new city is no small feat. While some days unfold smoothly, others may result in a pressing urge to take the first bus back home and hide under your childhood blankets. For those who hold down minimum wage jobs, drink cheap wine out of chipped glasses and miss the bus on the daily, Citizen King sings your blues. And who knows? Your bad day could make you a one hit wonder.

8. “Going Away to College” by Blink-182

Whether you’re an incoming freshman or a senior who can’t recover from their pop punk addiction, “Going Away to College” will simultaneously warm and break your heart. The members of Blink-182 know all about being kids in the face of adulthood and aren’t afraid to admit to their fears. With lyrics like, “and I’m so unprepared, so here’s your Valentine,” Blink-182 speaks to the difficulty of leaving loved ones and starting over again. Fun fact: it gets easier.