Lloyd Banks - "V6: The Gift" 2012
I was never a fan of him or G-Unit, but every once in a while I just like to check out people like this to see where their career is at. This album is surprisingly not completely terrible and actually sounds better than most of his old material. It's slightly dated sounding and maybe would have seemed pretty tight like 10 years ago when he was still a big name, but in 2013 this just sounds like some decent east coast thug rap. Check out "We Run The Town" featuring Vado, "Open Arms", and "Terror Dome".
Lapalux - "Nostalchic" 2013
Everyone online has been clamoring about this album, and I gotta say that it does sound really great in headphones where you can hear all of the sound design going on. This is hitting that realm in between electronic and modern pop that is maybe slightly progressive sounding to the average listener, but to people that listen to a lot of new music of all styles, this is right on par with how everything should be sounding currently, and you've gotta admire someone who knows exactly how to walk that very thin line. This guy is also still in his younger 20's, and I see this as only the beginning for him. He'll probably become a pretty huge star in years to come as long as he can keep creating quality new music. I like how a lot of these songs are instrumental in nature, but use a lot of vocals within the beats, so it doesn't completely alienate people who need to hear voices in songs in order to enjoy them. Check out "Without You" featuring Kerry Leatham, "Guuurl", and "Straight Over My Head".
Skream - "Skreamizm Vol. 7" 2012
This is a weird entry to this series. Half of the songs are dubstep, like you'd expect, but it seems like he's trying to bring it back to 2006 with the sound of them, which is cool for me, but I bet a lot of people consider these songs "too soft" or something, or they'll say "where's the drop?". Then there's a pop song featuring Kelis that isn't good or bad, just out of place seeming and this track, which is almost like Mr. Oizo lite, and I don't mind if he takes his career in this direction now as long as he starts to make it a little more complex than this song is. Check out "Junkyard Dispute", "Inhumane", and "Scrooge's Revenge".
Philip H. Anselmo & Warbeast - "War Of The Gargantuas" 2013
So this is a split EP of some pretty damn awesome metal. I just saw them both perform together during the Down tour, and Warbeast is excellent live. Phil hasn't sounded this on point and enthusiastic since the mid 90's either. It will be interesting to see what his upcoming solo album is like if the song on here is any indication. Check out "Conflict", "Family, Friends, and Associates", and "Birth Of A Psycho".
Krista - "Space Tom Test" 2013
This is a truly great single by done by James Pants & Vex Ruffin as a duo. This is the official backstory they gave for this project: "Krista is a sophomore in college who likes CosPlay, going to movies and Second Life. She grew up listening to the red-light basement racket of James Pants and the minimalist punk of Vex Ruffin, so she was understandably ecstatic to find out that the pair had made a 7″ record in her honor, complete with tales of concealed carry, heartbreak and interstellar love – especially made for laptop speakers. Exactly the kind of modern sound she was waiting for, and exactly the right style to play out to her friends when the time came."... Hopefully a full length is in the works, because these 2 make a great duo. A perfect match. Get it here.
Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire - "The Man In The High Castle" 2012
He's been making a pretty big name for himself recently and i'd only heard some cool sounding guest appearances, so I thought i'd check this out. Apparently, he leaked this mix behind his label's back because they don't understand how marketing works in the modern era, and he keeps putting it back up for free download when they take it down. In any event, this is probably the perfect way to get introduced to his style. The rhymes and beats throughout this mix are super duper tight, and now i'm definitely going to need to check out the other releases he has out there.
Freddie Joachim - "Waiting" 2012
This falls into that range of jazzy instrumental hip hop. You can tell he enjoys Pete Rock and DJ Spinna a whole lot, if that gives you any indication of what the overall sound is like for this instrumental beat album. I think this is definitely cool, but I am still wanting a little bit more from these tracks as well. Great for background music though, and I really like the instrumentation. Listen or download here.
Wavves - "Afraid Of Heights" 2013
This is a strange rock album to me. It literally sounds like it was made in the early to mid 90's, and I guess I don't know what to think about that. There's glimpses of Nirvana and Weezer and other lesser known bands from that era, so if that appeals to you, you might wanna give this a listen. My personal opinion on the quality is that this is a fine rock album with great pop sensibilities, but I probably only truly enjoy 3-4 songs on here. I also know i'm not the target audience either, and I think they did a decent job of putting together a good rock album for the indie hipster set. Check out the video for the title track, "Dog", and my favorite track from the album "Sail To The Sun".
Serengeti - "Kenny Dennis EP" 2012
As far as I can tell, Serengeti is now playing different characters within his music like an actor plays roles in movies, and Kenny Dennis is one of these characters. The flow and voice he uses for this remind me of Son Doobie at times, and it alternates from being funny and being annoying to me depending on my mood. Beats were done by Jel and Odd Nosdam, so you know everything is tight as hell on that end. Check out the video for "Shazam", "Flat Pop", and the title track.
Flying Lotus - "Melbourne Marvels" 2007
This was a mystery internet find, and as far as I can tell, this is like a beat tape and not a mix. What it is, is fucking awesome. I highly recommend trying to seek this out for yourself, if you're a fan. Check out this track as an example.
