Freddie Gibbs - Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs

There are the obvious hot spots for rap:  New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, L.A.  After those you have the areas with promise:  Detroit, Boston, Seattle.  And then there is Indiana.  Well, here is Freddie Gibbs who is repping Gary, Indiana to the fullest (though I don't think he will ever reach Michael Jackson popularity).  On his mixtape (which is more an album than mixtape) Freddie viciously raps about the gangster life of Gary making it sound like a nightmare-ish hybrid of St. Louis and Detroit.  Basically, somewhere you would not want to visit.  But he does it with an air of pride and toughness that you listen and believe what he has to say.  His flow and content is reminiscent of Soul Food era Goodie Mob but instead of four toughass street kids, you just get one:  Freddie Gibbs.  This Indiana gangster rap album (weird, huh) is a promising release from a voice that will hopefully get recognized and, in the future, put out more material reminding us just how hard life can be on those Indiana streets.  

***"Summa Dis" is especially worth checking out.***

Freddie Gibbs - Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs

Bobb'e J. Thompson - "Bro Mitzvah"

This kid is blowing up.  Not only has he made great appearances in Human Giant, 30 Rock and Role Models (in which he showed the range he has as an actor), Bobb'e now has a sweet rap song/video to add to his resume.  Plus the kid can dance!

Bobb'e J. Thompson

Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall

Ah, mid-90s punk.  The radio friendly punk songs of Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid gave us up-and-coming youths some anthems that brought out the rebel.  Now, fifteen years down the road, Green Day is making bloated, politically-inspired "rock operas", The Offspring is remembering better times (seriously, what happened to them?), and Rancid has dropped another album of songs that look to copy the epic group The Clash.  Personally, Rancid was always a favorite as they were able to write songs that incorporated a number of styles (that punk has been ripping off for years) such as reggae, dub, and ska while still writing amazingly catchy hooks.  And they did it pretty damn well.  In fact, Life Won't Wait is a 90s gem that is still underappreciated today.  But alas, they have released a new album (their seventh) and things haven't changed (they even acknowledge their "survival" with "Last One To Die").  Nor have they improved.  Tim Armstrong and company have issued nineteen more songs to add to their catalogue.  But most are throwaways that will be forgotten after one listen.  The problem is that Armstrong (whose faux-British, slurry, intoxicated voice) does not sing as much as he should.  Rather vocals duties are distributed to the band's other members.  And they just don't have the punk swagger that Armstrong possess.  All the Rancid ingredients are here as they touch on ska, reggae, punk, political views and even Beggar's Banquet-esque honky-tonk Rolling Stones (with the excellent "Civilian Ways").  But the mix just seems watered down.  The vocals seemed subdued and at times uninvolved.  Maybe age is catching up to these rockers and the heart is not quite there anymore.  Even though some of the tracks ("Liberty and Freedom") do still have bite on them, the album as a whole lacks a true passion.  Isn't punk music supposed to brim with passion?  It's an attitude you either have or you don't.  Rancid still has it but time (and record company pressure) seems to be the enemy.  I'd like to think that punk doesn't die.  Unless, you have a band member with a serious drug problem.  Even then you don't die, you just fade away (right Johnny Rotten?).

2.9/5.0

Standout tracks:  "Up To No Good" "Disconnected" "Civilian Ways"

Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall

Southerngold

Here we have Brooklyn DJ Terry Urban's take on what would Santogold's eponymous album sound like if it were spliced together with some southern-ass rap songs?  The answer comes in the form of Southerngold.  Recognizable songs by Purple Ribbon All-Stars, Rick Ross, and others are thrown into the musical landscape of the Santogold album.  And all twelve tracks are in the proper order of the album just so those familiar with the album can keep up amongst all the rap insanity.  Seriously, it's pretty damn catchy but go ahead and cop it now as the Santogold camp (aka her lawyers) have issued a cease and desist against Terry Urban to stop distributing the tape.  Come on Santo; chill out, put this on, and light one up.  Maybe it will give you some ideas on how to not get confused with M.I.A. anymore.

Southerngold

MGMT - "Kids"

The Brooklyn based duo (who is so damn cool it hurts) have released a killer video (for a song everyone has heard whether they know the title or not) that is honestly a pretty cruel experiment on the video's star:  a baby.  I want to see this child five years from now and see if it's fucked up from being put through the torture session that is this video.  And stick with the entire thing as the last minute and a half transforms into a weird cartoon that feels like Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" combined with the acid-eating desert sequence of Beavis and Butthead Do America.  Good stuff.

Dark Night of the Soul

Back in 2006 Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) released Dreamt For Light Years In the Belly of a Mountain and on that album he received production help from studio wizard Danger Mouse.  The collaboration went so well that the two decided that at some point down the road they would team up again and release an entire album of original material.  Well, it's 2009 and that product is now out.  Sort of (in two different ways, read on).  All though all lyrics, music, and production were handled by the two, singing duties on all the songs (except one which he shares with Nina Persson on "Daddy's Gone") are delegated to various guests.  And the majority of the songs work.  The style Linkous and Danger Mouse have crafted on this album is one of melodic, production heavy numbers with a dense atmosphere.  That is until you hit the weird (and totally unfitting) tracks 4-6 in which Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Black Francis (Pixies), and Iggy Pop all turn in rock songs that just seem completely out of place in context of the album as a whole.  On the other end of the spectrum, the tracks which feature Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) results in a perfect combination of lyrics, dreamy vocals, and overall production.  The album's cherry (though not best track, yet would fit perfectly into one of his surreal, mindfuck features) boasts none other than auteur David Lynch on vocals.  And he is the (kind of) third member of Dark Night of the Soul as Lynch was so moved by the album that he took a series of photographs which are being sold in tandem with a blank cd-r to burn the album.  That's right.  As hinted earlier, thanks to legal trouble it looks as though this album will never be officially pressed and released, so the closest thing to a "physical" copy of this album you will get to is the photograph book as done by Lynch.  Which is a shame because this album (atleast 75% of this album) deserves to be properly released to the public.

Official website:  http://www.dnots.com/

3.7/5.0

Standout tracks:  "Jaykub" "Daddy's Gone" "Revenge feat. The Flaming Lips"

Dark Night of the Soul

T.I. - A Year and A Day

The other week T.I. began his jail sentence in a prison in Arkansas that will put him on a kind of "hiatus."  But just a few days prior to the start of his stay, T.I. went into the studio and laid down some verses that MLK (who keeps the annoying DJ callouts to a minimum here) has turned into a nice sendoff to the leader of the Grand Hustle crew.  Interspersed throughout the mixtape's run are fellow Grand Hustle members and friends wishing their best to their fallen (of sorts) comrade and dropping verses (including the excellent up-and-comer B.o.B.).  But once his sentence is over and he has served his year and a day (hence the mixtape's title) he will no doubt be ready to release a new album as productivity is a T.I. specialty.

T.I. - A Year and A Day

Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone

Yes, this is a terrible band name.  Now about the album.  On paper Dkroyd reminds one of Los Campesinos! as both bands have a number of members (in Dkroyd's case it's six), reside across the pond (Scotland) and a sense to write power pop songs.  But that is about it.  Beyond the single "Black Wax", Dkroyd is far more aggressive and borrows heavily from emo/punk (with a sound similar to At The Drive-In) and even delves into metal at times (the closing moments of "The Greater Than Symbol and the Hash").  Although their influences are varied, their sound isn't so much.  The two drummers pound away as the two guitarists play power-punk chords and the lead vocalist screams (singing every now and then).  Together the album does give a good taste of the band's (assumably) high intensity live show and there are moments when things slow down and the pop sensibilities are noticeable ("Some Dresses").  But in general, be prepared for a 90s emo/punk/pop/doom metal influenced, drum-heavy album with highlights few and far between.

3.0/5.0

Standout tracks:  "Black Wax" "Totally Bone" "Some Dresses"

Dananananakroyd - Hey Everyone

Wale - "Chillin" (with Lady Gaga)

Although having released a number of excellent mixtapes (including last year's The Mixtape About Nothing which was one of 2008's best efforts) and guest appearances here and there (last year's Roots album) fans and skeptics are awaiting his first official album (Attention:  Deficit).  Until then we have a single that showcases Wale's original flow and clever wit (as well as dapper fashion sense).  Along for the ride is young pop princess Lady Gaga (who looks totally uninterested throughout the video's run and I doubt her and Wale shared any actual screentime together) to give the song some single/radio cred.  Although not his best work it is a chance for a larger public to get acquainted with one of the moment's best rappers.

Isis - Wavering Radiant

Let's see.  7 tracks long with all the songs (sans the interlude) surpassing the six minute barrier.  Sounds like an Isis ablum.  The latest effort from the Los Angeles (via Boston) metal gurus is just another in a line of prog inspired "nerd" metal.  Sure, you get the growling vocals (which, as always, are completely incoherent) and crunchy metal guitar, but with Isis they also offer a kind of atmosphere to their sound (that doesn't want to send you to your local satanic cult meeting).  From the outset (and excellent opening track "Hall of the Dead") the listener is gently brought into the album; that is until Aaron Turner starts howling.  But this time around, Turner splits his vocal-time between the metal yell and legitimate singing.  Also injected into each track is the keys (and general electronic ambience).  Sometimes they are merely an added ingredient to the Isis recipe but at times ("Stone to Wake the Serpent" has a great, gothic organ that is lays in the track nicely) the sound reaches a kind of Pink Floyd-esque sound (as well as prog-ish dweeb sound).  New listeners will immediately think of the Tool similarities (their guitarist Adam Jones actually guests on two of the tracks) because of the prog-metal tendencies of weird time structures, lengthy tracks, total disregard of generic song structure, and general mood of the album.  But don't lump them into a copycat kind of band because Isis has molded their sound over the past decade and this album is a welcomed collection to their catalogue.

4.1/5.0

Standout tracks:  "Hall of the Dead" "Ghost Key" "20 Minutes/ 40 Years" 

Isis - Wavering Radiant

Janelle Monae - Metropolis: The Suite Chase

What would the female counterpart of the legendary Andre 3000 sound like?  Answer:  Janelle Monae.  Equally obsessed with weird funk and old school soul the two are brother/sister that are not officially brother/sister.  From the first seconds of this EP you know exactly what you are going to be into.  An obscure weirdness that is a joy to listen to.  It is easy to transport yourself into this crazy world that Monae has created with this short (yet awesome) album.  Beyond the (all too) preachy "Mr. President" the beats are relentless, the vocals (and lyrics) are all over the place, you are treated to an opera (of sorts) and a Prince-eque solo ("Many Moons") is thrown in just for good measure.  Just listen because the 20ish minutes that you spend listening to this little gem are worth it. 

4.1/5.0

Standout tracks:  "Violet Stars Happy Hunting" "Sincerely, Jane"

Janelle Monae - Metropolis 

Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2

It has been a decade since these two east coast rapper collaborated on 1999's Blackout!  And in the time since they have released a movie (How High), starred in a sitcom (thanks Fox), and dropped other albums individually along the way.  Now, they are back together and have released Blackout! 2 (catchy title, huh).  And although ten years have passed, the two still play off each other in the same manner:  lots of cultural references (even Zohan is name checked), jokes and puns, and songs about their favorite (ahem) plant (the excellent "Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers").  Redman's efforts on this release were to be expected as he has stayed the same (more or less) rapper throughout his career but Method Man was coming off a very impressive showing (Wu Tang's 8 Diagrams) that reminded listeners of the Meth of yesteryear.  And together the two don't disappoint.  But they don't really impress either.  This release is little more than a nice party album which showcases the two charismatic rappers.  What is upsetting is their attempts to "update" their sound with the use of T-Pain-esque hooks (provided by Poo Bear (?!) on "I Know Sumptn") as well as tunes which seemed produced for no other reason than single/club use ("A-Yo").  But when the two are on, they are indeed on (just check the short but braggadocious "Dangerous MCees") and prove how they have been able to stay around an ever-changing genre for the past two decades.  The album's true highlight comes in the form of the southern-rap inspired "City Lights".  With a beat provided by Norwegian DJ Nasty Kutt (that's right, Norwegian infused southern rap) and the appearance of UGK's Bun B, the song comes together flawlessly and hits on all cylinders (with Bun B outshining the two stars as he flows in and out of the beat like a true southern rap legend).  Even Wu legends Raekwon and Ghostface guest ("Four Minutes to Lock Down") but the song sounds like a unused track from the W era (with Redman, as usual, sounding completely out of place amongst Wu-Tang).  Ten years might have elapsed but listening to Blackout! 2 wouldn't suggest that.  Although not going to set any new standards for either of the album's stars (as the album is very up and down), it is nonetheless worth checking out for fans new and old alike.

3.3/5.0

Standout tracks:  "City Lights" "Dangerous MCees" "Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers"

Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2