Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Four: 10-1

So here we are, again, still way too late, but we won’t hold that against me will we? Without any further ado let’s finish this bad boy and move on with 2012 tunes, eh?!

10. Thundercat- Golden Age of the Apocalypse



There was a period towards the end of my time in high school where I got really into 70’s jazz and fusion, most notably Herbie Hancock and bass god Jaco Pastorius and his work with Weather Report. I liked the funky vibes, and especially with Weather Report there was a very cheery mood that somehow managed to stay cool without getting stupid and sounding like elevator music. Now, in 2011 I was graced to hear Suicidal Tendencies’ bassist Stephen Bruner, under the stage name Thundercat, release an LP in the same line of that 70’s fusion, this time interjected with some 00’s flare. And the end result is a surprisingly tight and unique brand of bass lead electronically injected fusion. It’s surprising a hardcore punk bassist would decide to make a jazz LP, and perhaps more surprising that it is not only good, but great. Cheers!

NOTABLE TRACKS: Fleer Ultra, For Love I Come, Jamboree

9. J. Cole- Cole World: The Sideline Story



Signed by the great Jay-Z, there was a lot of hype behind German born and North Carolina rasied J. Cole. After a handful of mixtapes and a few years paying dues, Cole released his first full length LP in Cole World: The Sideline Story. And I must admit, at first I was put off to the LP, as the pun-based album name is really, really corny. But when I finally decided it was time to push play on The Sideline Story I felt as though my early judgments on the corniness of the albums name were only keeping me from hearing the awesome tunes on the LP. Now, Cole isn’t the best at what he does, but the way he presents his work is his strong point. This LP is unique, original, and really ambitious. A lot of people said Wale was going to be the ‘rookie’ of 2011, but Cole swiftly knocked Wale off his throne with incredible ease. And he proves a point that all hip-hoppers need smart lyrics and catchy beats to really hook in audiences. Cole is the full package and this album is proof.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Can’t Get Enough, Mr. Nice Watch, Work Out

8. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light



I’ve never been a huge Foo Fighters fan. I’ve always dug their classics, songs like “My Hero”, “Learn to Fly”, “Monkey Wrench” and more recently “The Pretender” are all jams that get spun pretty frequently for me. But I’ve never gotten really into their albums, and when I saw them live I was really disappointed. So, when I heard Wasting Light was not an overproduced, grandiose album filled with symphonies and such I was a bit taken aback. As the Fighters have gotten more and more mainstream, they’ve seemingly taken a lot of cliche steps. They lost their punk edge, they made an entirely acoustic LP, and got so overexposed everyone and their mother knows their lyrics. But back to the point, I doubted Dave Grohl and company could actually execute an album of fun jams, and oh was I wrong. Wasting Light is chock full of awesome, foot tapping arena rock tracks. And while that’s not the punky edge they had in their youth, it’s certainly several steps above what they were doing before. I feel as though Dave’s time in Them Crooked Vultures alongside John Paul Jones and Josh Homme really sharpened him up, and this album really feels awesome. I never thought it’d be a 2011 album that would turn me into a full fledged fan of this band, but here I am, finally waving the Foo Fighters flag.

NOTABLE TRACKS: White Limo, Rope, These Days

7. The Roots- undun



The Roots are easily one of, if not the, hardest working groups in music. Between their day job as house band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, extensive touring, Questlove’s side jobs DJ’ing and constantly tweeting and even throwing a giant concert for their hometown every year, it’s weird thinking that they have time to release new music. And I’ve found their last few albums to be a bit lackluster, 2008’s Rising Down felt like a poor retread of the bands 2006 classic Game Theory, then in 2010 they released the more rock-based How I Got Over and a quickly thrown together collaboration LP with John Legend Wake Up! Now granted, none of these albums are bad by any stretch, but they really lacked that passion and raw emotion present in both Game Theory and their prior classics like Things Fall Apart. But undun is a different beast altogether. It has a bit of the edge that made How I Got Over different, with all the emotion of Game Theory, and it has a story, a narrative. Which to me is just downright amazing. The band has been around since 1987, and now fifteen years later, they decide to make a concept album, and not just make one, craft one that’s breathtaking. The album tells the story of fictional Redford Stephens and his life...in reverse. Sort of like the serious How I Met Your Mother of hip-hop. And the topics touched upon, the energy in both the music and Blackthought’s lyrics, and the overall vibe of the album is top notch. This album is easily the bands most ambitious work, and sits atop the list of their best.

NOTABLE TRACKS: One Time, Tip the Scale, Lighthouse

6. Jay-Z and Kanye West- Watch The Throne



This album may be the most talked about album of the past year. The hype behind it was astronomical, and many feel that it didn’t deliver upon being released. There was a lot of people saying that Jay and Kanye are wealthy, powerful people just rapping about their wealth and power. And you know what? I agree. And I love it. While this album isn’t perfect, the good parts are great, and they come frequently. Also, Jay-Z hasn’t been this strong lyrically since The Black Album dropped in 2003. Not to mention this album touts party jam after party jam after party jam, and they are all songs that aren’t going anywhere. “Niggas in Paris” is going to be a staple of awesomeness for quite some time. And Kanye West’s production on this LP is near flawless. He has a very strong command of how to handle beats, as we’ve seen on his solo work and production work for others, but on this album he takes it to a new extreme. And it works. With this album the idea of high risk high reward comes into mind. These two bragged for 50 minutes while they sampled iconic artists and spmgs, things could’ve gone sour very easily, but instead these two men secure even moreso that they do deserve the throne that we are watching.

NOTABLE TRACKS: No Church in the Wild, Niggas in Paris, Who Gon Stop Me

5. Battles- Gloss Drop



Friends of mine had been recommending Battles debut LP Mirrored for years, and I’d always said “Yeah sure!” and never gave it the time of day. So when Gloss Drop came out, and the same comments started coming out, I figured it was time to give the band their due. And this album is really good! The mostly instrumental, sort of progressive, and always fun and funky Gloss Drop is a reminder that happy music doesn’t always have to have the Andrew W.K. style that so many people assume. This album is intricate and really musical and sounds really unique, but at the same time it always had me smiling and every time I listen to it I get pumped up. The way the trio play their instruments is really cool, and they weave within each others grooves and loops and create this just fun, and kind of schizophrenic listening experience. And the cover of this album is so weird. That deserves kudos too right?

NOTABLE TRACKS: Futura, My Machines, Rolls Bayce

4. Beastie Boys- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two



I wrote a lengthy review of this LP on this blog before, so I will keep this short: I didn’t expect the Beastie Boys to make a good album following the innovation-less To The 5 Boroughs and the instrumental The Mix-Up, but alas! They’ve proven me wrong. I love this album. A great LP from a great group. Listen to it and read my full review if you want to know my real in depth thoughts!

NOTABLE TRACKS: Make Some Noise, Tadlock’s Glasses, Say It

3. TV on the Radio- Nine Types Of Light



First and foremost, when writing this, I need to say rest in peace Gerard Smith, the man responsible for the bass guitar on this album. Now, in the past few months I’ve fallen in love with this band. I’ve had their prior two LP’s Return to Cookie Mountain and Dear Science gathering digital dust in my iTunes, so I decided to give them spins and I found all of these things I missed in them when I first heard them. And Nine Types Of Light fits perfectly into the groups discography. Everything this band does is great. The unique voices, harmonies, the atmospheric guitar and thumping bass, the saxophone lines...I could go on and on. At the end of the day this group knows how to craft a solid LP of great songs. All the pieces fit together on this vast LP, and while the band is not for everyone, I am glad to have them click for me after all this time.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Second Song, No Future Shock, New Cannonball Blues

2. Danny Brown- XXX



While Odd Future may have cornered the mainstream market of hip-hop fans who want to hear obscene topics covered, they did so with a constant sigh of disappointment from me. Everything they did was pretty good and had great moments, and then fell flat on it’s face for being so dumb and repetitive. So where did I turn when I wanted to hear a vulgar, filthy, emcee who has no restraint rap over really strong beats? Well I turn to Danny Brown’s FREE LP XXX. The title of the album comes from the fact that he hit the big 3-0 in 2011 and because he is an abuser of illegal substances. And with both of those facts we have more life experience that the teens of Odd Future, and with the substance abuse we have credibility when talking about doing drugs and the highs and lows that ensue, whereas Tyler, The Creator has admitted publicly that he's straight edge. And the end result with this album is just extreme everything. The beats hit hard, the lyrics are clever and sometimes hilarious and super crude and violent. This just hits the nail on the head for what it’s trying to do. It’s tongue in cheek in a sense that everything is over the top, but it’s honest in a sense that it shows the listener a man who is absolutely absorbed in a life controlled by substances. Download XXX because it’s FREE.

NOTABLE TRACKS: XXX, Die Like a Rockstar, Monopoly

1. Grieves- Together/Apart



I knew nothing about Grieves and his production partner Budo going into this album. I saw a bunch of mini-video podcasts on the Rhymesayers Youtube channel, so when I saw it at FYE, I decided it was worth a gift card swipe. And sure enough this album blew my mind. If Atmosphere dominated the late 90’s and the 00’s with their brand of honest and gripping hip-hop, then I think they are passing the torch to these two. Grieves is a phenomenal lyricist. He throws references to corny 90’s things like tamagatchi’s without coming off like a Chris Webby or a Mac Miller, and then lines later he’ll be talking about losing loved ones. Being a recovering addict whose relapsed certainly helps Grieves in the credibility department, as his words hold a bit more poignancy knowing that they aren’t falsified. And he also manages to entertain while spilling his guts on the track. He can spin issues to being about him overcoming, and how life is worth living, instead of simply wallowing. And while his name isn’t on the album, the production from Budo is amazing as well. His use of live instruments that he plays most of the time (keyboard, trumpet, guitar, and percussion) really give the beats a natural feel, unlike some mainstream artists who have beats that feel as though they came off a conveyor belt. The passion and delivery on this album make it a standout LP among the lengthy and iconic Rhymesayers catalogue, and it is without question my favorite album of 2011.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Bloody Poetry, Tragic, Prize Fighter

That’s that. Hopefully I’ll post more on this blog in 2012. Who knows?

Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Three: 20-11

Okay, so I know I said this would be up last week, and it probably should’ve been up before January 1st, but who cares right? And if you really do care, you can blame my job and Arkham City, as those two things have chewed away at my time more than anything else. And my Arkham City save file just corrupted, so what the heck else am I going to do? Here are numbers 20-11!

20. Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math



Atlanta’s Manchester Orhcestra is a band I’ve slept on for a while. I like them, I liked their last album Mean Everything to Nothing so much that it ranked #16 in my Top 20 albums of 2009, and I honestly think that Simple Math is an improvement on that LP. The album is indeed a somewhat simple, yet still awesome rock and roll in an age that the great things about the gnere are being covered up by trendy indie bands and obnoxious pop music. And while these guys are conventional rock, they don’t do it in an Andrew W.K. style of just non-stop noise, they are methodical with their music and create a really cool 44 minute LP that doesn’t just rock your face, but challenges you a bit as a rock fan. It’s not experimental per se, but it is different than your normal batch of foot tappers and I really do enjoy that.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Deer, Pensacola, Pale Black Eye

19. The Black Keys- El Camino



I’d never been a big fan of The Black Keys until I listened to their 2010 LP Brothers, wherein I was promptly forced to apologize to friends who had been recommending them to me for years. So when I heard they were dropping El Camino a little more than a year and a half later, I was a bit worried that it would sound lazy and perhaps come off as a Brothers b-sides LP, and gladly El Camino isn’t that at all! While this album is more of an effort to be mainstream, as Brothers was too, it still succeeds at creating really catchy bluesy rock jams. So while the old school Keys fans are shaking their fists at this more poppy, mainstream sound, myself, and not to mention the Black Keys themselves are smiling and waving (and the band are laughing their way to the bank!)

NOTABLE TRACKS: Gold on the Ceiling, Hell of a Season, Mind Eraser

18. Evidence- Cats & Dogs



Producer, Rapper and Dilated Peoples member Evidence released his first LP on indie hip-hop label Rhymesayers, and the end result is a polished, straightforward hip-hop album. Ev covers typical hip-hop bases and does so with ease and great success. He effortlessly breezes across subject matter like a poor upbringing, his daily routine, death, his hometown, working with Kanye West and Will.i.am and several others over beats that are as smooth as butter. And this album is chock full of great guest spots, Rass Kass, Raekwon, Prodigy, Slug, and Aesop Rock to name a few, and Ev chooses their places wisely, as opposed to a more mainstream figure would, just tossing names onto tracks for exposure. And another thing that Ev does in his stoned out head is make a somewhat simple idea such as being late for a flight into a great track that makes that concept abstract, and the great “Late For the Sky” is the end result of that. So, I highly recommend this LP to people that want straight up hip-hop from a source that isn’t force fed to you by way of the radio.

NOTABLE TRACKS: It Wasn’t Me, Late For The Sky, Where You Came From

17. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter IV



Ah Lil’ Wayne, the most talked about rapper of 2011. So many people absolutely loathe everything he does, and then so many more people think he’s the best thing this side of Eminem and Jay-Z. And Tha Carter IV, his first legitimate hip-hop LP since 2008’s Tha Carter III, is exactly what fans expected it to be. It’s filled to the brim with party jams and a who’s-who of guest spots including Drake, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, NaS, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes and a whole lot more. Now, this album is not the kind of thing that is put together artfully, each track isn’t placed in it’s slot for a reason, and I think a lot of the backlash on this album is the fact that this LP feels more like a collection of unrelated songs than it does a real LP. And taking that into account, this is really good. I mean, yeah there are a few duds, but for the most part this album is fun and Wayne does a lot of good in showing off his guests. Not to mention he himself is one of the better punchline rappers to grace the radio. If you’re into fun music that’s full of brags and over the top ideas of people, enjoy Tha Carter IV.

NOTABLE TRACKS: John, 6 Foot 7 Foot, Abortion

16. Death Grips- Ex-Military



Every now and again I like it when the music I listen to grabs me by my collar and smashes my head into the ground several times and leaves me with the impression of “Wow, that was crazy.” and with Death Grips FREE LP Ex-Military, that’s exactly what happens. It’s loud to the point of being disturbing, and the lyrics are militant. Now, I know there has been aggressive hip-hop, but this breed of aggression brought classically angry groups like N.W.A and Public Enemy to mind, just with a tinge of DMX’s rage into them. And just like with those classic militant hip-hop, the beats on Ex-Military are part of the reason why this comes off as so over-the-top. And those beats can be attributed to Hella drummer Zach Hill, whose diverse ear gives the beats the edge over the rest of the beats floating around the internet. Now, I know this kind of music isn’t for everyone, in fact, many people I’ve recommended this to have disliked it. But the commitment to the insanity, as well as the way it just never ceases, really makes me love this LP. And did I mention it’s FREE?

NOTABLE TRACKS: Beware, Lord of the Game, Thru the Walls

15. Patrick Stump- Soul Punk



So in 2011 I found myself falling in love with Fall Out Boy, a band I loathed during high school and college. And seemingly right as I grew more and more fond of FoB, their lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump released his solo LP Soul Punk. The album can be taken as literally as the title. It’s a great infusion of Michael Jackson and Prince style soul music with that punk rock edge that Fall Out Boy made famous in the mid-00’s. But to the Fall Out Boy haters of the world, this album isn’t weighed down with obnoxious song titles and overly dramatic lyrics, well not as much as Fall Out Boy, it’s just a solid, fun LP of songs that show that Stump doesn’t need Pete Wentz to put out hits. For fans of both Fall Out Boy and those classic artists like Michael and Prince, this album is worth a listen. Maybe you’ll leave it jaded because it’s that clown from Fall Out Boy, or maybe you’ll appreciate a fan of a genre doing his best to modernize it, at least that’s what I got out of this.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Explode, Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers), Dance Miserable

14. Mastodon- The Hunter



For years friends of mine had been trying to get me into Mastodon, now not even just metalhead fans, though they were trying too. It was as if the band retained their credibility while appealing to a broad audience. And on The Hunter, it appears as though they are reaching out to the mainstream a bit more openly. This album doesn’t feature epic tracks, in fact the longest track on the album is only slightly over five minutes. Now, just like with The Black Keys, I can be called out for being a bit of an amateur fan of this band, but I can’t deny that I really like this album. It hits hard, and granted, it might not hit as hard as their earlier albums, and it might not be as sludgy either, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t pretty awesome. So picky fans can be picky, but please allow me to enjoy my entry level metal music for at least a little while.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Black Tongue, Curl Of The Burl, The Hunter

13. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver



Pitchfork’s #1 album of 2011 really had a strong impact on me as well. I sat on this one for a while and when I finally turned it on for the first time I just sat with the speakers cranked up and my jaw hanging a lot of times. This album is just sonically awesome. I know a lot of people have chastised Bon Iver for not caring too much about the mix on this album, and that it could have a completely more well rounded sound if time were put into mixing and whatnot, but I think the flurry of sounds thrown at the listener is beautiful. I’m generally not a fan of atmospheric indie music, but throughout the course of this album I was taken places in my ears and brain that I’ve only dreamed of! Very rarely do I love a Pitchfork favorite, but with this album I’m forced to shut up and say they made a good call.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Holocene, Wash, Minnesota, WI

12. Chickenfoot- Chickenfoot III



And immediately following the indie darling is the cock rock masterpiece of 2011. Now for those that haven’t seen my insane number of tweets about this band, Chickenfoot is the definition of a supergroup. Fronted by solo artist and former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, featuring VH bassist Michael Anthony, solo guitar god Joe Satriani, and drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Chad Smith, the group make the exact style of music you would assume them to make. And this album is really, really, really fun. I was a bit skeptical going into it due to the limited promotion and the short time between its announcement and release date, but I was silenced immediately as I first popped this into my CD player. It just runs its course and easily entertains. For those that do know Chickenfoot, and have listened to their self titled debut, there may be questions of “How is this any different than the first one?” and to me the differences aren’t really blatant, but they are present. The band feels more at home with the songs on this LP, and the cheeziness seems to be embraced in the right ways a bit more. And I absolutely love that. There’s no age to these guys, as these tunes feel like 20 year olds could be churning them out. And I mean that as a compliment, not a slight! Not to mention the 3D packaging is AMAZING.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Alright Alright, Up Next, Dubai Blues

11. tUnE-yArDs- who kill



Connecticut born tUnE-yArDs was an act I had a hard time getting into. Maybe it was just because I was stubborn, or maybe it was because the vocal looping was annoying to me at first, but once I escaped that imaginary barrier, I really loved this LP. And what I think is the factor that made me love it is the fact that at the end of the day, regardless of the indie blog press it’s been getting, is that this is essentially stripped down pop music. Now, maybe this isn't Miley Cyrus or Ke$ha pop music, but with some more conventional instruments playing these tunes instead of vocal loops and ukulele this could be mainstream! And I give credit to tUnE-yArDs to keeping this as weird as possible.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Riotriot, Bizness, You Yes You

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!!

Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Two: Let Downs and Honorable Mentions

Hello! Back again with the albums that didn't make my Favorite list! Shame on them! Or if it's the honorable mention area, good effort!

The Let Downs:

1. The Strokes- Angles



The Strokes are responsible for one of the most iconic albums of the 2000’s with their debut Is This It? Not to mention their follow-up LP’s Room On Fire and First Impressions of Earth had a handful of gems on them, regardless of their failure to live up to their predecessor. So when it was announced that the band was back together after hiatus I expected great things, and following the release of the single “Under Cover of Darkness” I thought perhaps the band could make another iconic LP. Alas...this album is so flat and void of emotion aside from “Under Cover” and the cool guitar line in the track “Metabolism”. It’s clear the band doesn’t get along, considering singer Julian Casablancas e-mailed in his vocals and feedback on the music, and guitarist Albert Hammond Junior spent much of the recording process battling drug addiction. The point in which this album, and to a certain degree the band as a whole, looked bleak was when Casablancas said in an interview that he was proud of “About 60% of the album.” Next time I release an album to the masses, I’m going to make sure to tell them it’s only a little more than half good.

2. Tyler, The Creator- Goblin



In the first quarter of 2011, Tyler, The Creator and his cronies in the Odd Future movement had the world in their hands. After a shockingly bizarre performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and the viral success of the music video for the song “Yonkers,” it seemed as though there was no way Goblin wouldn’t live up to the hype. When the LP dropped, the hardcore OFWGKTA fans ate it up and praised it, however, I can’t stand it. There are some great tracks, some good ones and then the rest of this album is god-awful. There are songs on this album that I would go as far as to say are among the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life. With so many well-received mixtapes and digital albums under his belt, I assumed Tyler would know how to please a mainstream audience. But unfortunately Tyler was perhaps a bit too cocky with his song choices, and the end result is upsettingly bad. I pray that he can regroup and make his next LP, Wolf, a cleaner and more well thought out effort.

3. Lupe Fiasco- Lasers



Five years into the hip-hop game, Lupe Fiasco seemingly had the world in his palm. He’d achieved both critical and relatively commercial success with his first two LP’s Food and Liquor and The Cool. And the longer he awaited after the latter of those two albums, the more unintentional hype he put behind the LP that we came to know as Lasers. And when it dropped the negative reviews came from all corners, and I didn’t want to believe them. But then I listened to this album. It’s infused with poppy, electronic beats, and the lyrics are not nearly as potent as they once were. Lupe Fiasco could have cemented himself as a mainstay in the genre, but all of the things I’ve just mentioned, as well as lazy guest spots did a lot of damage to Lupe’s image. This album really is a fiasco.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers- I’m With You



After longtime guitarist John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2009 and was quickly replaced with touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, there was a bit of unease from hardcore fans. Could the band continue to play funky jams and entertain fans without the signature sound of Frusciante (not to mention his vocal harmonies)? And the answer was yes. Klinghoffer fit in very well. The problem was, the entire band decided to record and release a more or less lazy LP on every front. Where once Flea slapped and popped strings left and right, here he plucks his way through riffs, like the single “The Adventures of Raindance Maggie”, and where once lead singer Anthony Kiedis crafted quirky and fun lyrics, now he seems like an awkward older guy trying to grab onto the youth inside of him with lines like “Hustle me bitch and you best beware!” And you can’t say Klinghoffer takes away, it’s almost as if he’s not even there! The guitar is almost a secondary instrument on this album. And perhaps the biggest let down of this LP is that there are moments of sheer greatness, tracks like “Monarchy of Roses” and “Look Around” are amazing, and different than the “Can’t Stop” and “Give It Away” style that RHCP have sort of gotten stuck in. But the goods are too little and the mediocres are far too many. Is there any ounce of decency left in the Chili Peppers? Yes, they just seem to brush over it. I pray they can regroup and forge onward instead of holding their current ground, as the new stylings they played with on I’m With You could flourish if given more time to develop.

5. Childish Gambino- CAMP



Troy from NBC’s Community, a.k.a founding member of the Youtube comedy group Derrick Comedy a.k.a Donald Glover a.k. Childish Gambino finally released his first studio LP following a string of free tapes and the aplty titled EP earlier in 2011. And to put it bluntly Gambino can’t be taken seriously. While he is a fiery lyricist, and delivers some downright amazing punchlines, the overall themes of songs are diminished, as they almost contradict each other from track to track. Glover keeps saying he’s pining after one girl, and then has a track about how his fake girlfriend has a key to his house and he doesn’t want his real girlfriend, and how his girl is a Maxim model. Then he says he wants to be relatable to the black community as an alternative to what you hear on the radio, then he makes a brag track in the same vein as Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne or a more commercial Tyler, The Creator. And how can he seem relatable when he keeps saying he great he is? I really enjoyed this album after the first few listens, but the more it sunk in, the more I just got frustrated with how lazy and inconsistent this is. I had very high hopes for this LP and while it does offer some cool beats and good punchlines, its lack of any real focus really brings it down.

The Honorable Mentions:
(note: the term ‘honorable mention’ does not mean that these next LP’s deserve the 21-25 slot on my list, it means they stood out in one way or another. Quality is not always what makes the effort honorable.)

1. Bad Meets Evil- Hell: The Sequel



In a further step to return to the notoriety he had in the early to mid 2000’s, Eminem reunited with former ally Royce Da 5’9” to deliver Hell: The Sequel, a 9 track EP that’s just as vulgar, violent and vicious as the filthiest tracks in Em’s discography. And Royce is no chump on the mic, as fans of his solo work know. It’s an impressive EP lyrically, and reminds us that even though Em has found commercial success with songs about overcoming obstacles like “Not Afraid” he can still chew you up if he wants to. What brings this EP down is the need for hooks. Tracks like “Lighters” and “Above the Law”, while potent in their lyrical content, feature gag worthy hooks that belong on someone else’s songs. So yeah, cheers to Em and Royce for spitting fire, even after being in the game for so long, but us real hip-hop fans don’t need Bruno Mars singing hooks. Hopefully following the success both critically and commercially of this and Em’s last LP Recovery, we can see the man truly regain his place as one of hip-hops greatest lyricist.

2. Drake- Take Care



With his first album, the ambitiously titled Thank Me Later, Drake did nothing more than brag about how great he was, regardless of how little time he’d spent in the spotlight. And that left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. So when Take Care started getting raving reviews I was skeptical about whether or not it was worth my time to listen to it. But I succumbed to the peer pressure and finally gave this album a few spins, and while I’m not a huge fan of it as a whole, there’s a whole lot of audacity going into this release. Drake opens up his soul and pours it all over the duration of this, and for the first time in history, I’ve felt a connection to him. He talks about how fame can’t buy him money, regardless of how much fun he appears to be having. And he has the balls to sing a good majority of this album. So to me Drake could’ve coasted along with another LP full of brag tracks where he sings hooks and then raps verses, but on Take Care he really explores a lot of things musically. So I do give credit where credit is due.

3. Mac Miller- Blue Slide Park



I’d first heard Mac Miller on Chris Webby’s track “I Need A Dollar” wherein Miller killed Webby in a verse that seemed to take little to no effort from Miller. So after hearing his K.I.D.S mixtape and getting really excited from that, I was ready to enjoy Blue Slide Park. And I did. It’s a solid output. It’s not great. But there are a few things that I really admire. Number one is the fact that it sold 145,000 copies in its first week. Now Miller is not a mainstay on hip-hop radio, nor is signed to a massive record label. He’s toured extensively and built a following off of social networking and releasing mixtapes. So, it’s good to see his hard work pay off. And what else makes this album so notable? The fact that regardless of his affiliations with Wiz Khalifa, Maroon 5 and several other mainstream music figures, Miller doesn’t have a single guest appearance on this album. In an age where most hip-hop albums don’t go more than two tracks without guests, this kid from Pittsburg put out an album with ZERO guests and sold 145,000 copies in a week. That my friends, is incredibly honorable.

4. Wale- Ambition



I’ve been an on and off fan of Wale for some time. I enjoyed his tape The Mixtape About Nothing, hated his debut LP Attention Deficit, and then loved his mixtape More About Nothing. So when Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group signed him to a deal, I was both excited and scared. Could Wale deliver an LP on a major label that delivered the lyrical poignancy that he became known for on his mixtapes? And he did! Ambition is exactly what its title implies, and Wale can finally be proud of both commercial and critical success. This isn’t the best hip-hop album of the year by a long shot, but the fact that Wale transcended a record label watering down what makes him who he is and delivered a solid LP proves that the music industry is not run by corporations, but by individuals and groups of people with drive. I think with some fine tuning, Wale can follow up Ambition with something equally hungry, just a bit more fine tuned.

5. Primus- Green Naugahyde/Yellowcard- When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes/Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- Rocket Science





Why have I lumped a funk metal band, a pop punk band and a bluegrass band in one category? Allow me to explain. All three of the groups I’ve placed here are among my favorites. Primus is without question my favorite band of all time, Yellowcard was my guilty pleasure all throughout high school and college, and The Flecktones were a group that really challenged me musically, and continue to do so. Essentially, all three of these groups are in my ‘top tier’ of bands. And all three released good LP’s in 2011. However, all three groups produced albums of tunes that sort of fit in with their prior releases without really doing much to grow artistically. I’ve listened to all three of these albums extensively and really enjoy them, I just can’t call these among the best of the year because the bands are musically treading water. So good tunes yes, but charging forward musically instead of standing still would’ve pushed them from the honorable mentions onto my favorites. No big deal!


Alright folks! Numbers 20-11 will be up soon, with numbers 10-1 up shortly thereafter! Hope you're enjoying 2012! The world will end this year!

Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part One: The Queue and The Preface

So here we are, the end of 2011, a brand spankin’ new year less than a week away! I know I haven’t been all that present this year on this blog and I do apologize for that. But I’ll do my best to update more in 2012. I may move over to Word Press soon! But enough of that. Just as I did last year, I wanted to give you all, the very small number of readers, a list of the albums I have listened to from the past year year. So that way, when you say “Where is The King of Limbs on your Favorite’s list?” I can say, “I didn’t listen to it, didn’t you look at the list of albums I listened to?” and you will be sad. So here it is folks in alphabetical order.


2011 Albums I listened to:
1. Adele-21
2. All Pigs Must Die-God Is War
3. ASAP Rocky-LiveLoveA$AP
4. Atmosphere-The Family Sign
5. B.o.B.-E.P.I.C. (Every Play Is Crucial)
6. Bad Meets Evil- Hell: The Sequel
7. Battles- Gloss Drop
8. Beastie Boys- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
9. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- Rocket Science
10. The Black Keys- El Camino
11. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
12. Cage The Elephant- Thank You, Happy Birthday
13. Chickenfoot- Chickenfoot III
14. Childish Gambino- CAMP
15. Childish Gambino- EP
16. Chris Brown- F.A.M.E.
17. Common- The Dreamer/The Believer
18. The Cool Kids- When Fish Ride Bicycles
19. Danny Brown- XXX
20. Death Grips- Exmilitary
21. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows- D.R.U.G.S.
22. Drake- Take Care
23. Everlast- Songs of the Ungrateful Living
24. Evidence- Cats & Dogs
25. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
26. Frank Ocean- Nostalgia, Ultra
27. The Go! Team- Rolling Blackouts
28. Grives- Together/Apart
29. Hail Mary Mallon- Are You Gonna Eat That?
30. J. Cole- Cole World: The Sideline Story
31. Jay-Z and Kanye West- Watch the Throne
32. Kendrick Lamar- Section .80
33. Lights- Siberia
34. Lil B- I’m Gay (I’m Happy)
35. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter IV
36. Limp Bizkit- Gold Cobra
37. Little Dragon-Ritual Union
38. The Lonely Island- Turtleneck and Chain
39. Lupe Fiasco- Lasers
40. Mac Miller- Best Day Ever
41. Mac Miller- Blue Slide Park
42. Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math
43. Mastodon- The Hunter
44. Patrick Stump- Soul Punk
45. Primus- Green Naugahyde
46. Pusha T- Fear of God
47. Pusha T- Fear of God II: Let us Pray
48. Raekwon- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
49. The Roots- Undun
50. Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
51. Slaughterhouse- The Slaughterhouse EP
52. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
53. Steel Panther- Balls Out
54. The Strokes- Angles
55. T-Pain- rEVOLVEr
56. Tech N9ne- All 6’s and 7’s
57. Thundercat- The Golden Age of Apocalypse
58. Tune-Yards- w H o K i L l
59. TV on the Radio- 9 Types of Light
60. Tyler, The Creator- Goblin
61. Wale- Ambition
62. The Weekend- House of Balloons
63. Wiz Khalifa- Rolling Papers
64. Yellowcard- When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

The Preface:
Okay, sixty four albums this year. That’s a lot. A lot more than I’ve listened to in past years. There are some obvious ones that’ll get knocked off just because they don’t live up to the hype, or I just expected them to be bad. But this year has been a year of real musical discovery for me. Maybe it’s because I had a lot more free time over the past several months than I did in college, or maybe it’s because I’ve been reading blogs like The Needle Drop and a little Pitchfork, or watching reviews on Youtube, but I have expanded my pallet a lot more this year. But don’t let me listening to more give you the impression that these blogs and websites and vloggers have a stronger influence on how I feel about what I'm listening. I love suggestions, but I still have the same tastes I’ve had in the past. So you can say “So he listened to St. Vincent, how can he put Yellowcard or Limp Bizkit above them on a ‘best of’ list?” and I remind you this is NOT a ‘best of 2011’ list, this is my FAVORITE albums. Don’t confuse the two. You may see some albums on this list that don’t show up on others, and that’s because I love what I love. So, I hope you enjoy the list as it comes to you! It was a tough one to make!

Best of 2010: Albums #10-1

Ladies and gentlemen...here it is...very late, as per the trend on this blog...but the top 10 albums of 2010 are here! Let's go!

10. OK Go- Of the Blue Colour of the Sky



OK Go is one of those bands that I wasn’t really sure that I would enjoy. I knew about the treadmills and loved the mousetrap-like video for “This Too Shall Pass” but whenever I’d ask for advice on whether or not they were good beyond their videos, it seemed that none of my friends has actually listened to them, even the hip Long Island friends! So, thanks to the magic of the internet, I acquired Of the Blue Colour of the Sky knowing that I enjoyed “This Too Shall Pass” and hoping that the rest would at least be listenable. And it is a privilege to say that the rest of this album is really listenable. The band definitely meshes together very well, and as an audio junkie, it’s awesome to be able to say that the album is mixed really well. And it’s not just the sound of the record, the songwriting is top notch too, frontman Damian Kulash Jr. has a firm grip on how to craft a catchy, fun pop-rock song. In the age where the music video is dying, it’s great to see a band make such bold videos that compliment equally bold pop rock music. I may have to go listen to their back catalogue now.

Notable Tracks: “WTF?” “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe” “End Love”

9. B.o.B- B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray



I think B.o.B is one of, if not the breakout star of 2010. While I’d heard him a lot during the summer of ‘09 with his song “I’ll Be In The Sky” he seemingly disappeared without making much of a mark by the end of the year. But, The Adventures of Bobby Ray came out only a few months later, and made him a certified music superstar. Having three huge crossover hits with huge crossover collaborators (Bruno Mars, Hayley Williams and Rivers Cuomo) took B.o.B from having that one song that you heard on hip hop radio stations to having all of those songs that people quote on their Facebook statuses. And what I love about B.o.B is that he does it all well. It’s pretty clear that he’s the creative genius behind this album, whereas many rappers get handed beats and spit over them, Bobby Ray is undoubtedly steering the ship that is his musical career. And while he’s not the next Eminem or Jay-Z lyrically, his presence is a lot of fun, and he knows how to deliver catchy songs without making his audience feel like they’re being degraded (I.E. Soulja Boy, New Boyz, and my favorite V.I.C.). And while Mars, Williams and Cuomo appear on his radio friendly hits he has the guts to bring on performers that don’t get frequent radio play like Janelle Monae and Lupe Fiasco to help make some good tunes as well. If this list was based purely on mic skills and things that make classic hip-hop albums classic, this would certainly not be here, but to say that this album is not entertaining and absurdly catchy is a lie. And when an artist does that well without screaming “YOU!” a million times on his track, that deserves applause.

Notable Tracks: “Nothin’ on You” “Past My Shades” “Fame”

8. Elvis Costello- National Ransom



I’ve always liked Elvis Costello, but I’ve never really taken the time to listen to anything other than his epic two disc greatest hits album. So when I saw he had a new album out, I decided to actually give it a spin front to back. And it’s great. One of the most consistent albums of the year without question. Costello is an entirely unique entity in the rock and roll world, both historically and at the moment. While too many rock stars fade into the past making music that sounds like its in the wrong decade, or even going as far as to re-record classic hits, Costello makes tunes that sound fresh yet still retain his trademarked sound. Is this an album that re-defines the aging rock star? No, but it shows that you don’t have to sell out to keep the train going. KISS and AC/DC could learn something from Mr. Costello.

Notable Tracks: “A Slow Drag With Josephine” “Dr. Watson, I Presume” “My Jezibel”

7. LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening



I was in the front seat of my buddies car when he put on “Dance Yrself Clean” the first track on This is Happening, and I just had to listen in awe to the audio bliss that it is. The song just builds and builds and builds to the point where you’re almost done expecting a payoff, sort of like Coldplay’s eternal classic “Viva La Vida” but NO! It kicks, and when it does, my brain just imploded and I had to listen to the rest of the album. And what’s great is that the other songs are just as funky and catchy as track 1. I don’t really know any of LCD Soundsystem’s other albums, nor do I really know much about the dance genre in general, but nonetheless I was super satisfied by this album overall. Not too many albums can be so catchy and still have decent lyrics, especially in a genre like this. So hats off to the Soundsystem, good work gentlemen.

Notable Tracks: “Dance Yrself Clean” “Drunk Girls” “Pow Pow”

6. Wale- More About Nothing



Last year Wale released his major label debut Attention Deficit, which got decent reviews, but was a tame, toned down version of the Wale the world got to know through his mixtapes, the most well known of which was 2008’s The Mixtape About Nothing, which quirkily combined serious issues with sound clips from the TV show Seinfeld. When I heard Wale had released a sequel mixtape, aptly titled More About Nothing, I was torn. Having heard Wale lose his lyrical edge on Attention Deficit made me question whether or not it was worth my time, but thinking it could half as good as the original Mixtape About Nothing, I felt it was my duty to at least give Wale the 70 minutes of my time. And what this piece of work does is show that maybe Wale isn’t a major label kind of guy. While so many signed rappers use mixtapes as a way to bide time between albums, Wale actually says a whole lot on More About Nothing, even making mention that he wasn’t proud of Attention Deficit and the way he was treated by the folks at Interscope. At the core of this mixtape is Wale’s incredibly sharp eye for what to say and when to say it, that eye being the missing link on Attention Deficit, where studio executives placed him next to Lady Gaga instead of any serious political and social issues. So where other rappers would use this format to simply keep fans happy, Wale delivers a socially potent album that once again brings in Seinfeld lines to make light of some of the things he talks about. If the folks at Interscope know how to cultivate Wale into a mainstream artist that can say the things he says the way he says them on More About Nothing, he can become an unstoppable force in hip hop, but if they keep him on a short leash, mixtapes may be his only outlet to truly be himself.

Notable Tracks: “The Soup” “The Eyes of the Tiger” “The Work Workin”

5. Vampire Weekend- Contra



After their 2008 self titled debut, Vampire Weekend took absurdly catchy indie rock to a new level that alienated the hipster folks that helped them gain the attention that made them famous. After touring for a while and gaining a nice mainstream following they released Contra in early 2010, and the album certainly packs the same punch as its predecessor in many ways. The guitars aren’t heavily distorted, the subject matter is similar lyrically, and the music is still for the most part a lot of fun. What’s different this time around is the scope of it all. While on the debut Vampire Weekend is sort of a straightforward guitar, bass, drums, sometimes keyboards, vocals kind of band, on Contra they rely more heavily on the keys, as well as some samples, which in my opinion brings the band down. On the song “Diplomat’s Son” there is a just barely recognizable sample of M.I.A. in the background, which made me scratch my chin and say “Is this necessary?” but for their few missteps the band also charges forward musically. Songs like “Cousins” would fit perfectly on the debut, which is good, but increasing the keyboard presence gives us the poppy “Holiday” and tracks like “Run” and “Giving Up The Gun”. It’s pretty clear that this band knows what they’re trying to do and while there are a few more missteps on this album than on their debut, the goods far outweigh the bads on Contra and it is certainly worth any rock fans time.

Notable Tracks: “Cousins” “Run” “Giving Up The Gun”

4. The Dillinger Escape Plan- Option Paralysis



When presented with The Dillinger Escape Plan a few months ago, I was really perplexed. What on earth was mathcore and why should it be worth my time? However, after listening to their 2007 album Ire Works and their Mike Patton collabo-EP Irony is a Dead Scene I found myself unable to not go out of my way to listen to them. I don’t really like modern metal music for a lot of reasons, but Dillinger just hooks me in. Where a band like the Mars Volta just do things in excess for no apparent reason, everything in the Dillinger Escape Plan has a purpose musically, especially on Option Paralysis. While the vocals may be a bit tedious and obnoxious for those who dislike metal, any musician can appreciate the structures of each song and the musicality of each performer. It’s chaotic and schizophrenic, but it all fits like a glove. While I can guarantee most people reading this would not enjoy listening to the Dillinger Escape Plan, for those that enjoy loud, energetic, and best of all, musical tunes, check out Option Paralysis, it will blow your mind and probably your headphones too,

Notable Tracks: “Gold Teeth on a Bum” “Widower” “Parasitic Twins”

3. Gorillaz- Plastic Beach



In my initial review of this album (link here: ) I said I was upset that the mystique of the cartoon characters that made up Gorillaz was gone and that the music was sub-par in comparison to Demon Days. However, as each day passed and I found myself walking the halls of Hofstra, the streets/subways of New York City, and driving around suburban Connecticut, Plastic Beach always seemed to call my name. It is corny and sometimes the guest spots are a tad too mainstream or off-kilter for their own good, but it’s a perfect summer pop album. And this perfection is attained by one thing, the keyboard lines. While not to say the rest of the music lacks, in fact the rest of the music is above par, it’s just the synth lines are perfect. “Rhinestone Eyes” and “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach” go from cheesy to incredible thanks to these simple synthesizer chords, and they highlight the great songs on this album too, adding depth to more straightforward hip-hop songs like “Superfast Jellyfish”. While I still stand that it’s not as good as Demon Days, after being drawn to this album time and time again, I can’t deny that it is a fantastically fun, and perfect for those sunny days.

Notable Tracks: “Superfast Jellyfish” “Plastic Beach” “White Flag”

2. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy



What is there to say about this album that hasn’t been said already? It’s a work of art. It’s an album that from top to bottom does everything it sets out to do perfectly, never once failing. I remember after buying Graduation, I knew the words to every song within a week, and I said to myself that that’s how I would gauge the greatness of MBDTF. And sure enough, within days I was humming along and rapping through every song with Kanye and his guest list of greats like Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, John Legend, the RZA, and too many others to count. The one thing keeping this song out of the number one position is the fact that the songs run on a bit too long. I find myself prone to skip tracks after it hits the 4 minute mark. But as an album, MBDTF is incredible top to bottom, it just seems that some songs run on a bit out of the context of this work of art. Is this Kanye’s best album to date? Yes. Can he make a better album following this? I hope.

Notable Tracks: “Dark Fantasy” “So Appalled” “Runaway”

1. Big Boi- Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty



After an undeniably catchy introduction that lasts less than a minute, Big Boi’s first words on Sir Lucious Leftfoot sum things up perfectly, as he says “Damn, and that wasn’t nothin’ but the intro.” The brief and casual show of confidence in his work throw this rollercoaster of an album off the track incredibly well. From top to bottom this an awesomely fun and well put together album. Does it tackle the social issues of The Mixtape About Nothing or does it boast a massive guestlist and grand instrumentals like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? No. But what it does do is deliver infectious song after infectious song with no remorse. Whether he’s rapping about banging girls or kicking someone’s ass, Big Boi always manages to make himself look great, and not just in his lyrics alone, but in his style and presence. While fellow Outkast member Andre 3000 always had an out-of-this-world appeal, Big Boi kept himself rooted in the southern hip-hop landscape that helped make him the star he was in his early career. While not to say that he hasn’t progressed musically, his sound is a bit more ambitious than it was in his Outkast days, he’s not going off the rails quite as much as Andre has been (there’s no cartoon for children that Big Boi is producing, at least not to my knowledge). In this day and age where everything is overanalyzed and hypercriticized, Sir Lucious Leftfoot is an album that indulges in the things that please our ears, catchy beats, simple yet well put together lyrics, and just the notion that we all want to have a damn good time. We should revel in this album, because artists that are still down to have this much fun without being ironic and obnoxious are getting to be hard to find.

Notable Tracks: “Turns Me On” “Shutterbug” “Tangerine”

That's it! Post some comments. I'm going to be posting a little ditty about misc. favorites of 2010 like Wrestler of the Year, Movie of the Year, Song of the Year, color of the year. I don't know what else I can do! CRAZY!

Best of 2010: Albums #20-11

Okay ladies and gentlemen, here is the first 10 entries in my top 20 of the year! Hope you enjoy!

20. Rob Zombie-Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool



When I was in sixth grade I used to listen to the tracks “Meet the Creeper”, “Dragula” and “Superbeast” several times a day. Then in high school I bought the first Hellbilly Deluxe at one of FYE’s several “Buy 3 get 1 free!” sales and surprisingly enjoyed it beyond a nostalgia level. A few weeks ago, after listening to Rick Ross’s Teflon Don, iTunes automatically put on what was next in the playlist, Rob Zombie’s Hellbilly Deluxe 2. I had every intent to change it, but as soon as it started I felt like that sixth grader walking home from elementary school with my Walkman on full blast. Without as much of an “ehhh” I made it through the entire album and enjoyed myself. While HB2 is not a piece of timeless art, it’s fun, and it’s retro (weird thinking that sounding like a ’98 album is retro) and it never really takes itself too seriously. Not to mention psychobilly prodigy John 5 brings his country flavor to the music, adding a quirky new dimension. For those that publicly or privately enjoy the Zombie in all of his glory, Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is an album for you. If you don’t enjoy the Zombie…then get out of here!

Notable Tracks: “Jesus Frankenstein” “The Man Who Laughs”

19. Devo- Something for Everybody



Aging geeks. That is exactly what Devo are. And on Something for Everybody they make it abundantly clear. While many bands try to retain their heavy credibility into old age (see KISS) or try to turn their music to prove that they have become wise in their years (see Johnny Cash) Devo are the same guys, just 20 years older than the last time we heard something new from them. This album sounds as if they wrote it in the 80’s and re-mastered it now, tweaking some lyrics to be more relevant to today’s audience. The Mothersbaugh’s, the Castle’s and drum god Josh Freese are really in tune to what made Devo great in the day, and allowing fans to pick what songs were on the album certainly made it Something for Everybody. Not the bands best work (I mean, they peaked in the 70’s) but a fun album that knows just how corny it is. If there was only a young band like Devo today.

Notable Tracks: “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” "Please Baby Please" "Step Up"

18. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.- Record Collection



Record Collection is an album that has me scratching my head every time I listen to it, thinking “Is this really all that good?” I think the fact that it has me so intrigued listen after listen means that Mark and the crew are doing something right. The first two tracks wham off collaborations with hip-hop vets Q-Tip and Ghostface Killah over catchy synthy beats. It’s different than the Dap Kings influenced Version, in a sense that every song is not arranged in the same fashion. And as it keeps going the guest spots get more and more strange, creating quite the interesting vibe. Boy George, Spank Rock, and the London Gay Men’s Chorus all contribute interesting and odd parts to snappy fun tracks, making the listen not only fun but fascinating. I still prefer Version, and the complete wackiness of Here Comes the Fuzz even, but Record Collection is a nice showing that proves that Ronson doesn’t have a formula to fit into.

Notable Tracks: “The Bike Song” “Introducing the Business” “Bang Bang Bang”

17. Weezer- Hurley



Here it is. Soak it up ladies and gentlemen. Weezer has returned. After three consecutive flops and a departure from Geffen, it seemed as though Weezer had 2 options. One was continue making watered down pop rock under an independent record label, and the other was take some time to record a good album that makes people remember why they love Weezer. What they did falls somewhere in the middle. A year after the laughably bad Raditude, Hurley shows a band that may have been held back by the people at Geffen, but also a band that knows how to make fun pop rock. What was lost between the heavy Maladroit and Hurley? Who knows, but there’s no denying that while it’s not classic, it is certainly a FUN POP ROCK album. The bands critics keep saying they’re never going to be as good as Blue Album or Pinkerton, and my response to that is WHO CARES?! Can’t we just enjoy what they’re making? I thoroughly enjoy this new sound, do I like it better than Blue and Pink? No! But I like it! Rivers may have lost his mind with some of his lyrics (“B.o.B is dying to hang out!”) but he can still make a song that gets stuck in your head for days, and that’s a skill that not many rockers have in this day and age.

Notable Tracks: “Memories” “Trainwrecks” “Smart Girls”

16. Infant Sorrow-Get Him To The Greek



The soundtrack to the same named film, the fictional band fronted by off the wagon rock star Aldous Snow does exactly what the film needs it to do, rock. In the beginning of the film, Jonah Hill’s Aaron Green laments that Snow is the last remaining true rock star, and that perhaps the world needs people like him, and the songs on this soundtrack certainly prove that. They are funny and quirky in their lyrical content, but at the end of the day the just straight up rock. What’s the formula to the greatness of these songs? Is it the mix of having actual rock stars like Jarvis Cocker write music and have comedians like Jason Segel and Judd Apatow write lyrics? Maybe. But the point is that in a generation where all of our comedy music comes from geeky self aware comic groups like Tenacious D and Flight of the Conchords (no offense meant to either group) it’s great to see a Spinal Tap-esque fictional band that can not only make you laugh, but make you bang your head and tap your foot.

Notable Tracks: “Furry Walls” “The Clap” “Bangers, Beans and Mash”

15. The Roots- Hot I Got Over



I was not excited for this album. The constant delays, the shameless self promotion that it was “classic” by Questlove, and the fact that the Jimmy Fallon gig may have taken a toll on the bands songwriting skills, really had my thinking this was going to flop, especially following the star-studded and over the top Rising Down, but this album did deliver in an odd and satisfying way. It’s not the same Roots we’ve heard before, it’s a more driven, rock based sound, and it knows how to entertain. While Blackthought may not be spitting his most politically relevant lyrics, nor is Questlove pushing the band to their musical limits, this album is for once positive in its content and fun in its presentation. With such a vast discography, and a changing of the guard from the god of bass Hub to white boy Owen Biddle, it’s no surprise this isn’t their best work, but it shows that they still have plenty of potential to grow even more than they have over the years.

Notable Tracks: “Dear God 2.0” “How I Got Over” “The Fire”

14. Eminem-Recovery



There are a few artists that are so iconic, that you can’t help but root for through thick and thin. Eminem is one of those guys. Defying the odds and transcending race he became the voice of our generation and made all of us cringe and make sure our parents weren’t in the room when his music videos came on TV. But after the disappointments in Encore and Relapse, there was doubt that Slim Shady would return to true form, but Recovery showed that there is still life in the aging Detroit rapper. This isn’t the same, constantly angry at the world Eminem, this is a grown up who has more life experience than 90% of the rap community. And while he may not be as on point as he was in the past, he can still make rhymes and use his unique and intense flow to command respect. Is this as good as the Slim Shady or Marshall Mathers LP’s? No. But we have an album that never quite hits the lows that his prior two have, and we have a new sort of insight. He can still reference obscene things, but at the same time he can go and preach in songs like “Not Afraid” and it doesn’t seem awkward. I enjoy this album a lot, and if Em can hone his skills even more on his next album, he may have another classic in him.

Notable Tracks: “Cold Wind Blows” “On Fire” “Won’t Back Down”

13. The Dead Weather- Sea of Cowards



In his third consecutive year on the list, Jack White’s The Dead Weather put out another great album. The thing about Jack White is that while all of his music is good and entertaining, it seems as if he’s coasting by putting albums out so fast. And that amazes me. Released a year after their debut Horehound, Sea of Cowards packs the same bluesy, hard edged punch that the bands debut had, and it took less than a year to write and record! That’s incredible. This album starts off hard and effective with “Blue Blood Blues” and more or less keeps rocking until it ends. It’s punchiness musically can be handed to bassist Jack Lawrence and the man himself White behind the drum kit, and the vocals of White and Allison Mosshart just fit perfectly in the sleazy blues of the bands music. Jack White seems to be defying the odds in terms of his track record as of the past few years, and after Sea of Cowards I have high hopes for what is next.

Notable Tracks: “Blue Blood Blues” “Hustle and Cuss” “Gasoline”

12. DJ Muggs vs. Ill Bill-Kill Devil Hills




The third album in Cypress Hill DJ Muggs’ “vs.” series sees the California native team up with Brooklyn’s Ill Bill of Non Phixion and La Coka Nostra. The end result is a very nice dose of hardcore hip hop in a time where the hardest rapper on the radio used to be a corrections officer. Bill has a killer delivery and Muggs crafts great beats that both have a vintage vibe, while still hitting hard. Not to mention the guest spots are pretty good. The obvious Cypress Hill and Coka Nostra ones coming from B-Real, Slaine and Everlast, and surprises from Raekwon and Jedi Mind Tricks’ Vinny Paz help break up Bill’s talents. I like the continuity from Bill’s verses on La Coka Nostra’s A Brand You Can Trust to this album, still talking about how fat America is and his own difficult life, while peppering in political themes with government use of LSD and the illuminati. It’s an album that went overlooked by a lot of people, but it’s a nice combination of two similar forces that is a good time overall.

Notable Tracks: “Cult Assassin” “Amputated Saint” “Skull & Guns”

11. NaS & Damian Marley- Distant Relatives



Another album plagued by delays that made me fear what its quality would be bad, but again I am proven wrong. This disc is just a whole dish of odd-defying quality. While their prior collaboration on Jamrock’s “Road To Zion” showed the chemistry between the two men, Distant Relatives takes that chemistry to new and unseen levels. The dread-ed militant Marley combined with the clean cut, bling and fitted wearing NaS literally come together, combining cultures and styles in a hybrid reggae/rap that never gets boring. While it does run a tad long, it mixes things up enough to make it worth the listen. When not working strictly together, they bring in logical collaborators like Stephen Marley and K’Naan, and those sort of bizarre ones like Lil’ Wayne & Joss Stone (together on one track?). If there was one album that should have received a lot more mainstream attention, it is this one without question.

Notable Tracks: “As We Enter” “Nah Mean” “Africa Must Wake Up”

Stay tuned for the top 10! Surprises may ensue!