I love Fela Kuti. I have for some years now. I also love Blackalicious, and thusly, Chief Xcel, who serves as one-half of the group. So, I was filled with much anticipation and intrigue when I heard that Xcel would be mixing an entire album of Fela\'s work.

Endicott\'s debut album, The Words In Ink Don\'t Lie, is a mix of many different, fast, aggressive genres of rock \'n\' roll. You have hardcore and speed metal mixed with a little bit of punk rock. There are aggressive vocals going back and forth, with shrill yells and echoed moans of melody throughout the album. There are also lots of heavy, thrashing guitars, typical of the hardcore/punk rock sound.

I wish I could write a review for this album that didn’t make it so obvious that I’m a huge fucking fan of Flogging Molly. In my heart, they can do no wrong. I try not to miss their shows when they come around, because it’s an experience like no other. And I definitely do not miss a new album when they release one.

When you think about cult classics, what comes to mind? Films that have somehow found an audience beyond their initial release. Before the advent of home video, being a cult film aficionado was even more difficult. You had to wait to see the actual film in an actual theater: midnight movies. Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) comes to mind. And this month\'s Freak Film is the heir to Rocky Horror\'s throne.

Someone once said that during times of great oppression the most creative and amazing art happens. It was either Marilyn Manson or Brutus \"The Barber\" Beefcake. Can\'t remember which. Regardless, I really believe that to be entirely true. And The Future Dictionary Of America (McSweeney\'s Books/Barsuk Records) is proof positive of it.

Grit Records wants to change the face of hip-hop. And they want it to start with their upcoming label compilation, Grit City: Volume One, which hits stores this month.
Grit Records was formed in 2002 by hip-hop aficionado KRS-One and Inebriated Rhythm founder Mahlon Williams. Designed solely to usher in a new era of sound, Grit Records concentrates more on the music and the lyrics, and less on the typical G-money, bling-bling, Pen and Pixel nightmare rap of today. And they\'ve got the artists to prove it.

Suddenly, I\'m standing looking at myself in the mirror. It\'s 1988. And though there are holes in my jeans, you cannot see my pasty white legs because of the black spandex underneath. Bandannas wrap around the tops of my fringe-covered boots, and there are somewhere between 20 to 40 jelly bracelets going up each arm. I\'ve got a cheap JC Penney guitar in hand that I splatter-painted to cover up the non-cool sunburst pattern that was once its face.

Do I like these records? Oh yeah. So why not give them their own individual 300-word shine? Because I feel that they’re both going to suffer from the same unfortunate condition: being overlooked. The public can be real ignorant of the world going on just beneath radio level. Especially when it’s good.

The band that influenced grunge poster boys Nirvana and stoner rockers like Monster Magnet show why they’ve been inspiring other bands for the last 20 years with their latest release. Pigs Of The Roman Empire is the band\'s 200,000th release, and, as always, a great experimental jam from the fine folks at Ipecac.