I Am Not A Human Being - Lil Wayne

I Am Not A Human Being - Lil Wayne (2010) 


Favorite: "I Am Not A Human Being" "I Don't Like The Look Of It" "YM Banger" (ft. Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda, Tyga)



Least Favorite: "I'm Single" Wayne's storytelling is in full effect, but it's just too slow to keep my interest.
"Popular" his rhyming just seems lazy & the hook is not doing it for me.
hiphop

XX - The XX

XX by The XX (2009)

really chill debut album from this British trio who have been blowing up since it dropped last year.

The XX live at the Hollywood Palladium - September 22, 2010

got to see them live a couple weeks back at the Hollywood Palladium as they kicked off their most recent (and apparently last, for a while) tour. Great show. remarkable amount of lesbians there.


Favorite: "Shelter" "Infinity" "VCR"


Loving this remix by Nosaj Thing too: "Islands" (Nosaj Thing remix)

and their videos are very well done - especially this one, directed by Saam Farahmand...


The xx - islands (Official MV) from JOOONAE LEE on Vimeo.

To Lose My Life - White Lies

To Lose My Life by White Lies (2009)

British rock - very new-wave influenced

Favorite: "E.S.T." "From The Stars" "The Price Of Love"

Ephemeral Exhibits - Starkey

Ephemeral Exhibits by Starkey (2008)

I've been getting into dubstep a decent amount lately. I like the wobble.

Starkey's part of the Trouble & Bass crew out of Philly. He's kind of blowing up right now. He was even selected by Ninja Tune luminary, Amon Tobin, to create an exclusive EP to premiere the "featured artists" section of Tobin's website. 

"Gutter Music" definitely starts things off strong.

"Pictures" is a little repetitive for me.

"Miracles" is a little less intense with more atmospherics & a haunting vocal sample.

"Marsh" is also a lot more on the chill side & switches up drastically about 2 minutes in. In fact, it's almost as if it's two separate tracks because there is a noticable pause between the two parts of the track.

I think my main problem with the harder tracks like "Pictures" & "Escape" is that they run too long, as if intended to be used in a mix.  However, if that's the case, those longer versions should have been released separately as extended mixes & the versions on the album should have been shortened to flow more continually with the vibe of the rest of the album.

Shine Through - Aloe Blacc

Shine Through by Aloe Blacc (2006)

When this album came out, I assumed it was just a solo from the emcee from the LA underground hip hop group Emanon.  Imagine my surprise when I put it on only to encounter Aloe singing (some of it in Spanish), multi-cultural polyphonic rhythms & practically NO rapping. The one song he does rhyme on, "Caged Birdsong," features a girl singing on the hook & is one of the weaker tracks on the album.

Vocally, he reminds me of Anthony Hamilton, tho his voice is not as strong.  Lyrically, he's not as well developed and his phrasing isn't as nice.  

He covers John Legend's "Ordinary People" in Spanish.  He also covers Sam Cooks "Long Time Coming" but with a hip-hop inflected, bass-heavy beat and a dreamlike string loop.  Not my favorite version of an amazing song.

I'm a fan of Aloe's rapping on previous efforts (like with his group, Emanon) much more than his singing, but this album has some nice selections for the summer.

Favorite: "Patria Mia" "Busking"

Least Favorite: "Want Me"

The Invitation (mixtape) - Donnis

The Invitation (mixtape) by Donnis (2010) 

mostly not so good. he does flow on some tracks.  but sometimes his style is a little too close to Lil' Wayne (in the way he does his similes).

decent tracks: "Yep" "OMG" remix "Gone"

"Everyone Nose Freestyle" is pretty good

really, the high point is Yelawolf destroying it on "Country Cool (remix)"

So Far Gone EP - Drake

So Far Gone EP - Drake (2009)

hate.it!

really not sure why so many people love this guy. 

he's awful. 

only song of his I actually like = U-Turn "Style, Class, Flair" (the Emynd "Money To Blow" Blend) i.e. Drake with some DISCO... soooo appropriate. 

U-Tern "Style, Class, Flair" (Emynd "Money To Blow" Blend) by Emynd

Consolers Of The Lonely - The Raconteurs

Consolers Of The Lonely by The Raconteurs (2008)

Favorite: "Many Shades of Black" - very heartfelt fantastic soul song. sounds like it could be a cover of a '60s soul track.



"The Switch & The Spur" "Carolina Drama"
"Five On The Five" - not such a fan of the singing/lyrics but they rock HARD on this one.

Least Favorite: "Rich Kid Blues"

Fantasies - Metric

Fantasies by Metric (2009)

really pop-y rock (or rock-ish pop) but I dig it.  the female vocalist, Emily Haines, has a very straightforward, sweet voice that pairs nicely with their simplistic keyboard-heavy melodies.

Favorite: "Sick Muse" "Front Row" "Stadium Love"

Least Favorite: "Gimme Sympathy"

Sea of Cowards - The Dead Weather

Sea of Cowards by The Dead Weather (2010)

2nd album in as many years from this quartet of rock stars.  Uneven as their first, with the singing taking on an even rougher edge this time around.  There are some gems tho, for sure, just none that grabbed me as much as "Hang You From The Heavens" did from their first album, "Horehound".

I did see them live after the release of both albums tho and thoroughly enjoyed both shows.  I'd recommend seeing them live without hesitation...go see them if you get the chance!

Favorite:"The Difference Between Us"

This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem (2010)

most recent (and apparently last ever!) album by this electronic rock outfit.  some songs are more rock, some more electro.

"Pow Pow" reminds me of something from David Byrne/The Talking Heads.

Favorite: "I Can Change" "You Wanted A Hit" "Home"

Least Favorite: "Drunk Girls" "One Touch" gets too repetitive with the shouting on the hook

Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

Maximum Balloon by Maximum Balloon (2010) 

I take no effort to conceal my adoration for TV On The Radio. So when I heard that there was a side project coming out from their engineer, I was all about it.  Then I forgot all about it until a remix of the first single popped up on RCRDLBL.  

I'm still kind of digesting the full album. There's definitely a lot going on there. Tons of guest appearances (on every track actually), including one by David Byrne! 

Favorites: "If You Return" (ft. Little Dragon)  "Tiger" (ft. Aku Orraca-Tetteh)  "Pink Bricks" (ft. Ambrosia Parsley) "Absence of Light" (ft. Tunde Adebimpe) and I really like that remix! 

Doo-Wops & Hoodlums - Bruno Mars

Doo-Wops & Hoodlums - Bruno Mars (2010)

This album...ugh! so sappy. I don't know exactly why, but this album infuriates me. It's so squeaky clean with its crystal clear vocals and bright melodies.

Not totally sure why I thought I should even listen to this album.  I had heard a few of his songs..."Billionaire" being the obvious one, invasive as it is.  Clearly I'm not his target audience...pretty sure that's teen and tween girls.. I guess what aggravates me is precisely that: this is what's being produced and marketed to tweens and teens right now.  With so many talented and genuine artists making music out there, that this is what someone deemed worth of attention just blows my mind.
Not that it's bad, per se, it just lacks soul, and I don't mean that he needs more bass in his voice or anything like that.  It's a spirit thing and this record just ain't got it.  The producers even tried to manufacture some soul credibility by adding a few guest appearances by Damian Marley, B.o.B. and Cee Lo Green (the latter being the highlight of the album). But even that did little to hide the fact that this is a mass marketed product plain and simple.

Favorite (if you can call it that): "The Other Side" (ft. Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.)

Georgia Warhorse - JJ Grey & Mofro

been listening to a lot of new music lately.  just keep forgetting to take some time and post about it here. I'm going to try to remedy that going forward here.... but reviews will likely be more sparse. 

Georgia Warhorse by JJ Grey & Mofro (2010)

heard an interview with JJ on NPR the other day. That's how I found out this album was even around. He did a live studio performance of "Lullaby"...very pretty.
The rest of the album has more of a rock edge, but is all very soulful.

Favorite: "Lullaby"

Something For The Rest of Us - Goo Goo Dolls

"Something For The Rest Of Us" by the Goo Goo Dolls (2010)

Guess I'm not the "us" they're talking about for this title.
Nothing appealing about this for me... to the point that I couldn't even listen through every track to find a favorite & least favorite.
Too much good music to waste my time listening to things that don't do it for me.
Actually, just finished skipping through, and the final track "Soldier" isn't awful, but I probably wouldn't add it to the rotation.