Here's what's making love to our ears this month. Click on the artist's name to visit their website, and click on the title to buy it on Amazon.
Jared Leto and company prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their first album’s brilliance was anything but a fluke. Taking on a less epic and more introspective view does nothing to diminish the power of this excellent band. One of the year’s best releases.
THE GRADE: A+
- Night Watchman
I secretly like this CD, but don’t tell any of my punk rock friends. It’s techno-raver music-- a lot of dance beats with spiritually uplifting vocals mixed in. Sometimes it can even feel ambient. It reminds me of 1997, when techno peaked. But this ain’t no techno sellout rip-off.
THE GRADE: B
- Eric Adkison
Oh, my. This is otherworldly-- like Eastern Europe’s old world musics in one big, burly, sonic modern boom. Ksenia Vidyaykina’s voice reminds me of the men and women on the old Serbian radio shows my grandfather used to listen to, and Insignificance, in its entirety, is like listening to loneliness that reminds you you aren’t alone in the world.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Goddamnit! I was so hoping to slam this album and make a bunch of Saved by the Bell references, but it’s good! It’s a healthy mix of well-structured melody, crunching-guitar aggression, and great, honest vocals and harmonies. Like the love child of No Use For A Name and a serious punch in the face.
THE GRADE: B+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
I don't know if I can actually describe what is on this album as music, but I definitely couldn't stop listening to it. The spacey, robotic sounds that playfully hop and skip between what quite possibly is guitar create an unusually wonderful noise that resembles robots coming alive on an assembly line, and battling.
THE GRADE: A
- Bethany Shady
Holy fucking meow! I didn’t really like this band before, but all nine of my lives will certainly agree that this is one muthafuckin'-good, rockin'-and-rollin' record. An acoustic album that fires up my tooshie, like only the best rock music can.
THE GRADE: FUCKIN' A (which equals an A+)
- Hellkat
I’m in love with this album! The singer sounds like a wallflower who just doesn’t give a fuck what people think anymore. It’s labeled as "country-punk" or "anti-folk", but whatever the case, I think it’s great. No fancy producing here-- just raw, scratchy, in-your-face emotion. Get this one!
THE GRADE: A
- Eric Adkison
Seems like every month I get another hip-hop album that makes me forget the ones I was raving about the month prior. This month, it’s Casual’s Smash Rockwell. Why’s this one so good? Because Casual makes most other MCs seem like weak bitches. And even with a whole bunch of producers on board (including J-Zone, Jake One, A-Plus, and Automator), it still sounds like one solid, cohesive, undeniably Casual record.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Rhys Fulber’s project, Conjure One, has been a guilty pleasure of mine for a number of years. You can always expect lush world textures, soft electrobeats, and some of the finest female vocalists on the planet. Extraordinary Ways is no exception, featuring the spectacular Poe on several tracks. It's the perfect chill-out album.
THE GRADE: A
- Night Watchman
EEL - PEOPLE PEOPLE (Records Of The Damned)
Eel’s People People is one fuckin' creative-ass piece of music! I could call it "Japan-electronic-unique", but I like "wind-up-toy-techno-moon-orchestra-musica" better. Purrr-fect!
THE GRADE: A
- Hellkat
From the press release: "To singularly align Morricone with one style of music would be to overlook a tremendous body of work that spans nearly every predefined genre, and some styles that people have yet to pinpoint as a genre." Wow, it sure is a shame that that's exactly what this collection does. We get thirty tracks from either spy thrillers or giallo suspense films from 1968 to 1974, and they're mostly weird experimental stuff that sounds more like a pile of trumpets in a wind tunnel than music. It ends up being a very narrow cross-section of the career of a man with over 500 entries on IMDB.com.
THE GRADE: C
- Staff Member #716
HorrorPops certainly "bring it on" in their latest psychobilly album. Bring It On! is much more focused, showing more of their vicious personality than their last album, Hell,Yeah. To put it bluntly, the album’s awesome.
THE GRADE: A+
- Sal Swayzo
If you get real happy every time you hear a Pete Rock beat or a Jay Dee track, you’ll get just as happy hearing Kev Brown’s I Do What I Do. The producer/MC doesn’t copy the aforementioned’s sounds. He just ranks right up there with them. And he compliments it perfectly when he takes to the mic.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Remember that Moby disc where he took all those old blues and gospel field recordings, and set them to the kind of beats that sell cars/movies/out? Well, King Britt did something kind of like that with this, but the beats are more fitting than commercial-ready. The album’s tambourine gospel recordings make you feel like God’s in the room, and King Britt’s accompaniment adds a little smoke and darkness to the mystery.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Laura Veirs does sing and write songs, but what makes her stand out is the fact that her beautiful voice compliments an extremely thick and well-structured band perfectly. There is no audible fight on this disc for a spotlight, which means it all flows together flawlessly. Mix in some great storytelling, and you've got a disc that can go head-to-head with the likes of Beth Orton and The Sundays.
THE GRADE: A-
- Wayne Chinsang
Sweet Jesus! Did Missy Elliot just have a kid with Joe Strummer? Because M.I.A. is the living embodiment of Missy’s dance-floor domination, and Joe’s social awareness. If Arular doesn’t make every bone, muscle, and nerve in your body shake like a rebel possessed, you aren’t human.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Madness is responsible for one of your favorite Eighties tunes ("Our House"), and one of the coolest love songs ever ("It Must Be Love"). They’re also the epitome of fun, and extremely influenced by old Jamaican music. The Dangermen Sessions is them paying homage to some of Jamaica’s greatest, including Desmond Dekker ("Israelites"), Max Romeo and Lee Perry ("I Chase The Devil", a.k.a. "Ironshirt"), and a cover of "Taller Than You Are" that would make Lord Tanamo proud.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
I’ve always considered Aimee Mann one of the greatest living singer/storytellers, and Mike Park is easily her peer. He just doesn’t have the commercial success that Miss Mann has been granted. But North Hangook Falling is another concrete step toward that, combining perfect pop melodies and impeccable storytelling, heavily inspired by his own personal reflections on his Korean heritage.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Morningwood is kind of like Garbage, but a lot better, more fun, and less depressing.
THE GRADE: A
- Sal Swayzo
The kids in the band Orange are kind of geeky, but I mean that in a good way. Social Distortion-esque songs about growing up in Los Angeles and youth are their main influence. This is like a mix of vintage punk (anthems and classic riffs) and new punk (poppy choruses), with some slight geekiness.
THE GRADE: A-
- Sal Swayzo
This is contemporary country music, make no mistake about that. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll probably enjoy just about everything about this album. As I’m not the biggest aficionado of the contemporary style, I tried to listen very objectively. I found that Loveless has a lovely voice and is showcased especially well in the third track, a duet with Emmylou Harris.
THE GRADE: B
- Fphatty Lamar
This is not only one of the strangest CDs I've ever gotten, but it's also one of the best. Why? Because Richard Hawley can actually sing. He’s a Brit crooner who’s orchestrated an album that sounds like something most people my age probably won't get, and that's fine by me. I like keeping little gems like these all to myself. Somewhere in Heaven, Roy Orbison is looking down and smiling, and somewhere in Hell, Sinatra is looking up and smiling.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
Simple Minds comes back to make the album we have all been hoping U2 would make again. Lush and timeless melodies weave tapestries of different worlds. This album is anything but black and white.
THE GRADE: A
- Night Watchman
Like Simon and Garfunkel’s quietest, most thoughtful, low-key songs. Only more solemn.
THE GRADE: B
- Fphatty Lamar
This might be one of the sweetest albums every recorded. Dawson’s influences are up his sleeve, rather than on it, pulling from them when needed without letting them overwhelm the originality of his songs. Words like "lush", "rich", and "layered" barely do the instrumentation justice, and the songwriting is so strong with melody, you’ll find yourself singing along from the very first listen.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
Simply put, this is amazing. There's a great history behind how this seven-piece combo came to be, but all you need to know is they're responsible for one of my favorite albums this year. Dirge-like tunes like "Sing My Funeral Song" stand out as being instant age-old classics. And while they're bound to get the Squirrel Nut Zippers comparison, know that they are darker and dirtier than the "Put A Lid On It" kids. And yes, that's positive.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
I don't know if this is what the band wanted this record to sound like or if it wasn't mastered properly, but there is really great "Interpol on Valium" music here that is suffocating underneath tons of static. Break through, music! Break through!
THE GRADE: B-
- Bethany Shady
A great mix of electronic styles, industrial, world, hip-hop, and rock with a rotating cast of vocalists keep you guessing where this album is going. The great thing is your guesses are usually wrong, but you’re never disappointed. This album will keep you guessing and exploring for a long time to come.
THE GRADE: A
- Night Watchman
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