A Texas odyssey with Rita Ackermann.

An angry artist's subconscious softly takes the lead

Armed, dangerous, and ready to riot. See full gallery. Photography by Seiji Fujimori. Styling by Elizabeth Sulcer.

Waxing poetic with the famous rock artist

One of the very first Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs to prick up my ears featured frontwoman Karen O repeatedly howling this line over a glorious racket of drums and machine-gunning guitars. In the intervening years, Karen O has edged closer and closer to pop star from art-rock star (even as designer Christian Joy’s space-oddity couture continues to transform her into a performance art piece on stage with each successive tour). With their effervescent new album, It’s Blitz!, a riotous dance party in 10 tracks, Karen tells BlackBook, “We’re trying to focus on pleasure more than pain, for once.” We’re all for it.

Japan’s new fashion guard is ready to rumble. At Aguri Sagimori’s awe-inspiring show during Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo this March, statuesque models clad in black military combat boots, trench coats, sculptural shoulder pieces and black net capes, marched with stone-white washed faces to strangely eerie music, like futuristic warriors in the fashion trenches. “I wanted to embody strength with dignity,” says Sagimori, 23, of the stark, sophisticated designs in her “Iconic Memory” collection, which delivered a mega-dose of raw power.

The classic spin on their new sound

KAWS, born Brian Donnelly, is a Brooklyn-based artist and designer of limited-edition toys. He has collaborated with clothing monoliths such as Nigo’s A Bathing Ape, Nike and Comme des Garçons. He recently designed the packaging for the special edition of Kanye West’s latest record, 808s & Heartbreak.

Spring into action with a wardrobe of bright, sexy colors. See full gallery. Photography by Angela Hau. Styling by Bryan Levandowski. Art Direction by Judith Kaelin. Grooming by Brenna Scarrott using Mac Pro. Models by Julia @ Muse, Ross @ Q.

Peaches is a Berlin-based musician who sent shockwaves through the industry in 2000 with the release of her sophomore album, The Teaches of Peaches. She has since continued to push boundaries with Fatherfucker, Impeach My Bush, and this month’s equally explicit -- and remarkable -- I Feel Cream.