Flying Lotus - Reset EP

Futuristic glitchy deep bass-heavy hard hip-hop beats. One of the most original artists in my eyes. He knows what the fuck is up. These tunes are bitchin'.

Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots

Energetic to no end. Upbeat and bluesy, with tons of catchy leads. Mingus, once again, proves he is a master of jazz. Easily a favourite.

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

The first time I listened to this, I had my volume on low. Big mistake. Upon turning up the volume, I took note of all the detail in the music. Rich and flavorful jazz, with songs ranging from ballads to upbeat bebop. Catchy rhythms and leads, especially by the saxophonists. Mingus and the crew are geniuses.

We™ - As Is

Chill out to a great mix of drum and bass, ambient, hip-hop, and trip-hop, featuring unique atmospheres and the ever-so-popular amen break samples.

Antaeus - Blood Libels

No fucking bullshit, straight to the point. Raw, blasting, loud, abrasive black metal in your face. I don't know why I've always hesitated to check this out.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Rich and beautiful instrumentation. So many good things going on here.

William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops I

The sound of decay; the world around you is falling apart.

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

That looks delicious. Strawberry fucking jam.

So it's been approximately two months, and Animal Collective has become my new favourite band. They make incredibly psychedelic, experimental, happy, and catchy tunes. I have problems staying still when I listen to a lot of their songs. This music is like a drug for me. And apparently this is music for drug users. I never thought I'd actually like any of this hyped indie stuff, but hey, it looks like Animal Collective is a great start for me.

Strawberry Jam starts off with Peacebone, whose introduction is just ever so reminiscent of old-school Nintendo-esque audio. Messy (but rather captivating) electronics scattered around, which then leads to a little bit more organization, which then leads into the pulsating kick drum sound, which then leads into the singing. The vocal melody (and everything about the song) gives off such a happy vibe. Chores, For Reverend Green, and Fireworks are also delightful songs which completely trip you out if you fully submit yourself to them. Cuckoo Cuckoo is a complete mindfuck, and a rather spazz-tastic track. Strawberry Jam ends off strong with Derek, which carries an extremely catchy melody.

Lyrics? ... lololol, man, these lyrics are fucked up. Just looking at them will inform you that Animal Collective do (or have done) drugs. Excessively? Maybe. Look at Chores, shit's quite evident. "I only want the time / To do one thing that I like / I want to get so stoned / And take a walk out in the light drizzle / At the end of the day / When there's no one watching". Rather humorous, if you ask me. But really, Animal Collective's lyrics are creative, drug-influenced, somewhat full of non-sequiturs (e.g. Peacebone), and most certainly, are incomprehensible works to be deciphered and interpreted.



Track picks (in no order): Fireworks, For Reverend Green, Peacebone, Chores

Heaven In Her Arms - Erosion of the Black Speckle

Hm... this is quite good.

Heaven In Her Arms' debut is a passionate (well, of course) screamo/post-hardcore album, with influences from progressive metal, post-rock, and even metalcore at times. The music is fantastic, but the vocalist are rather unfitting. He would work his magic a lot better in a black metal band. lol

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Charismatic cacophony.

Shpongle - Tales of the Inexpressible

I don't do drugs and this is still awesome.

Shad - The Old Prince

Wow. Such unexpected mastery coming from this underground emcee. Shadrach Kabango's second album, The Old Prince, presents such a wonderful experience. There's so many good things going on here, and it is full of traits that hip-hop albums these days should have -- soulful beats/music, lyrical prowess, and conscious topics. Shad is a seriously talented rapper in my eyes; he absolutely kills it all with his continuous multisyllabic rhyming and creative, fun wordplay. His lyrics piece together and make so much sense, with topics ranging from piracy to poverty. And he can even do this in such a comic manner -- listen to "The Old Prince Still Lives at Home," in which he humorously describes what his poor life is like. After a fantastic 40 minutes of quality music and rapping, Shad leaves off with a poem with a powerful message, which continues on from some of the album's earlier themes.

A masterpiece of hip-hop.



listen to: I Don't Really Like To, Now A Daze, The Old Prince Still Lives at Home

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun

Hypnotic, trippy, psychedelic, noisy, experimental, and densely packed with percussion. It sucks you in and gets you addicted.

Pendulum - Hold Your Colour

Kinda hard to describe... identical, unchanging, formulaic songs, but extremely high energy. Incredibly danceable, but don't pay too much attention to it or you won't be blown away (that's what I did, being the nerd that I am). Just turn this shit up and rave the fuck out.

Extra points for the sick album art.



Listen to: Slam, Fasten Your Seatbelt

pg.99 - Document #8

Document #8 stands as probably one of the most well-known albums within its genre. No surprise, since it is one hell of a listen. Relentless to no end, this is pure chaos straight to the head. Emotion just seeps out of this one in every way possible. Lyrically, this is quite outstanding; poetic and dramatic on a rather high level. Straight from the heart. As for the instruments, masterful composition is shown, à la hardcore punk/screamo. The last track (not the re-issue) is a mostly instrumental piece--epic, long, and beautiful.

Listen to this, and Your Face [will be] a Rape Scene.

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep

Supreme old-school vibe, thanks to the RZA's near-impeccable jazzy production, grotesque topics (fulfilling the "horrorcore" tag), and solid lyricism. Truly entertaining.

Autechre - Tri Repetae

(yes, that is the album cover, don't ask me why)

I'm surprised I haven't shared a couple of my thoughts regarding one of my most favouritestest albums in the world.

IDM gurus Sean Booth and Rob Brown drop some godly glitchy electronic beats in their extremely unique style here. Minimal yet absolutely intriguing, the tracks lean towards the more ambient side or the more IDM side (and sometimes both). Either way, you get the transcendent experience. Tri Repetae begins with Dael, which starts off with a slow, hard-hitting beat fused with glitches. Once the melody/bass enters, you get the impression that the song is sinister and evil. Doesn't really sound like it would work in an electronic album like this, but holy shit does it ever. Listening to the album a little more, you get more of the glitchy clicks and cuts used in beats -- something Autechre is quite known for. Another one of their distinctive traits is that they slowly add thin layers of music (whether it be synth, glitches, or beats) like stacking up a cold cut sandwich, until it gets really filled and you're satisfied with the result (gay analogy). You would notice a lot of that throughout Tri Repetae. C/pach is easily one of my favourite joints on this album, as it's basically a glitch-hop kind of beat. Eutow is also a bitchin' tune, with a fast-paced dance beat and deep synth melodies.

I could probably ramble on and on about this album, but I'll stop here to leave you hanging. A wonderfully textured album, rich with sound and packed with loads of material to enjoy. Listen to this!!!!11



Recommended tracks: Dael, Clipper, Eutow, C/pach

Earth - HEX; or Printing in the Infernal Method

I like this album. I like it a lot. A lot.

As track 2 started playing (because the first track is sorta like ambient filler), I was amazed, simply by the approach/style. Slow, brooding, looming, dark, desolate. This is the kind of music to listen to on an evening spent in barren (western desert) farmlands (as suggested by the album cover lololol). Clean guitars tweaked by high degrees of reverb and delay, slow drumming. I don't even know how to describe this in terms of genres, because it's droney like their earlier material, but it's not drone doom; it's really slow but it's not doom metal, in fact it's not even metal at all, it's sort of like post-rock but it's not, and there's a huge Western (ie. wild wild west lol) influence. Hmm... ambient western slowcore? Honestly, I don't know. But that just means that you'd have to listen to this to determine for yourself. The lead guitar playing on Raiford (The Felon Wind) further supports my statement regarding the Western influence, with images of deputies, cowboys, sheriffs, tumbleweeds, saloons, quick drawing, and revolvers being immediately and vividly painted in my mind.

The songs started to sound a little repetitive and same-y for me as I continued the album, but that was really not much of a concern as the unique and unmatched atmosphere created was truly captivating.

Earth - Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version

An hour and 13 minutes of encompassing, monolithic drone doom. Given that this band is the main purpose/influence of Sunn O))), you'd know what to expect from this album. Booming bass, downtuned distorted guitars, all that you could really ask for in a drone doom album. As soon as the album was done, my ears felt so empty without the drones, and I was craving for more.

I'd probably like this more if less notes were played (especially on the first track), but this is still an excellent record in my opinion.

Nasum - Shift

Absolutely unrelenting grindcore, with a twist of melody passages here and there. The entire album is a furious listen, with killer crushing riffs, blasting drums, and some really unforgiving vocals.

Lunar Aurora - Elixir of Sorrow

Great music, cold production, and solid musicianship all contribute to an excellent black metal album.

(lol I don't really know what to say, but check it out anyway. if you're into this kind of stuff, of course)

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

*retains the original picture size for trippinnnnn' purposes*

Animal Collective is probably one of the most critically acclaimed bands out there. Now, I personally can't say that they're good or not since I haven't listened to their stuff. Merriweather Post Pavillion is my first Animal Collective album.

And it's got some pretty interesting stuff. I'd never think I'd like this kind of music, let alone anything from the indie scene. With tags like experimental neo-psychedelic freak folk indie rock, you'd know exactly what to expect from these guys. They make use of their electronics in such an intriguing and, you guessed it, psychedelic way. Just look at that album cover. There's a ton of effects in the music, and even the vocals alone are almost like effects. Panda Bear and Avery Tare exhibit great singing, with layered harmonies. The lyrics are strikingly poetic too.

I'm actually only around halfway into the album at the moment. I guess I'm for some really great stuff.

Be back in half an hour lol

update: okay so I got mildly bored towards the end, but then the last track caught my attention with its energy. But for sure, I really like what's going on throughout the album; a psychedelic-as-hell mindfuck trip.

July 16 update: okay this is fucking awesome from start to finish

December 3 update: album of the fucking year

Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer

Ill hip-hop. This one's quite special since it's a concept album. The premise is set in the first track; Masta Ace and Fats Belvedere are countin' stackz, and Masta Ace says that you may be wondering how they got all tha cheese. The story is told throughout the album.

A Long Hot Summer is conscious, hard-hitting, entertaining, and deep. Ace really brings the heat with his lyricism, covering topics like poverty, life in the hood, street violence, and his fate. Soda & Soap is a creative track, in which he makes frequent allusions to different soda drinks and soap products ("She danced at this club and made the guys holler / And in a minute, made like a thousand dollars", "Everybody now and then bound to struggle / I just grab my wife and we lay and snuggle / We talk about the ivory coast, how one day / We gonna sail on the tide and get whisked away"). The skits don't ruin anything at all, since they're crucial to the storyline here.

Highly recommended. Not the kind of hip-hop you'd see every day; don't miss out.



Listen to: Da Grind, H.O.O.D., Beautiful, Soda & Soap

Robert Rich - Illumination

Dark, deep, and brooding ambient.

I like it.

Mono - Under the Pipal Tree

You know what sucks about Mono?
Their music really doesn't change much from album to album; generic stuff.

But you know what doesn't matter about Mono?
Their music really doesn't change much from album to album; generic stuff.

Why?
Their music contains so much energy and beauty.

I really don't know how they do it, because their albums sound really similar. Their songs are formulaic (typical post-rock crescendos, build-ups, climaxes, soft parts, etc). But I really had a hard time putting this album down as soon as I hit play.

Corea - Los Peores 7 km de mi Vida

Screamo band Corea, hailing from Spain (lol?), dropped this great album in '04. They fall under that screamo/post-rock category, with bands like Envy and City of Caterpillar. Corea differs quite a bit from these two bands though. The post-rock parts in their songs are really unique, with some unconventional and complex clean guitar playing. Also, Corea adds noise elements to some of the songs on this album. Sounds like it really wouldn't work in the middle of a screamo album, but underneath the wall of noise are some beautiful guitar melodies and singing (this would be on track 6, entitled "Siete Kilometros"). There are moments of absolute brilliance on this album, but there are some mildly dull moments. Still an impressive record overall.

Arvo Pärt - Alina

Beauty in minimalism. Simple piano parts, simple string parts, yet highly effective.

True music for reflection.

Arvo Pärt is the man!

Gaiser - Blank Fade

(Jon) Gaiser puts out a really lovable ambient/minimal techno record with Blank Fade. It is a really long album (running time of almost and hour and a half), but I felt that listening to the whole thing was an entertaining experience and well worth it. Encompassing atmospheres; groovy rhythms, sampling, beats (lol); I think that it's all here.



Check out: Face Down, Descending Order

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

UK hip-hop? Yeah, it exists. And Mike Skinner does it pretty well here.

This one's a concept album. It's kind of like an everyday life story of your average drug-head. The story is rather practical, and so, you might find it not very interesting at first, but some of the lyrics will make a fun listen.

The album starts off with a sampled horns section, and then Skinner lazily wheezes out "it was supposed to be so eaaassssyyyy". You'll probably laugh if you hear that part, and then you'll laugh even more once he starts "rapping". My first time listening to this album, I thought I wouldn't be expecting much since Skinner has a terrible flow/no flow whatsoever. His flow sounds really careless, almost as if he was narrating his story to somebody, in verse. If you're looking for virtuoso-like MCing, don't listen to this. There's something about that flow though. I don't know how to describe it (lol fail), but it adds a lot to the atmosphere of the album. Like on "Blinded by the Lights", The Streets writes about this drug trip, and as if it was happening at that moment, his flow as he tells the experience makes it sound really real. Also, there's a good amount of humour throughout the CD, and that makes me want to listen to it so much more.

The beats are really simple. Garage(-influenced) kind of stuff, with some piano and guitar samples, as well as synth melodies. Not that this is a bad thing though, since I like these beats. A lot. (I'm a fan of that UK grime/dubstep/garage sound, so that explains it.)


Listen to:
- It Was Supposed to Be So Easy
- Fit But You Know It (this one's hilarious)

Uusitalo - Tulenkantaja

Well here is a nice electronic album by mr. Sasu Ripatti under one of his names, Uusitalo. This isn't house-y like his Luomo work, or glitchy like his Vladislav Delay stuff. Instead, we have some electronic dance/techno-ish music.

I certainly like the approach here. Nice and light, with simple beats and interesting synth melodies. The first couple of tracks are kickin', but the rest of the album (starting from the half-way point) seems to drag on.

I'd still recommend it. This is a great record.



Check out: Paskaa Musaa, Odottava Peto, Kalajuttuja

High Contrast - High Society

Some pretty good drum and bass going on here, in that groovy liquid funk style. It has its great tracks (Racing Green, Twilight's Last Gleaming), and it's not-so-great tracks.

I'm not much a fan of vocal sampling in drum and bass, but I guess it works fairly well on this album.



Check out: the aforementioned songs

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein

Hailing from Harlem, Vordul Mega and Vast Aire drop this tight hip-hop album. It's abstract, it's intelligent. Both MCs are amazing; they have great flow, and absolutely stellar lyrics. Their diction is Mega Vast, and they create some rather interesting, vivid imagery ("Yo it wasn't even like that / I wanted my cardiovascular to fight back" -- The F-Word). The topics covered on the album are pretty unconventional. Well, actually, not really. Relationships, poverty, New York life, self-superiority, etc. But they describe each topic with such incredible and creative lyricism ("You were a stillborn baby / your mother didn't want you but you were still born" -- Iron Galaxy). Sometimes, I felt that some of the lyrics made no sense, but it took me multiple listens through this album to see what was going on. This is abstract material.

El-P's beats are really cool. They're relatively slow, atmospheric, hazy, and thick. He throws in some bizarre samples, some that sound like 8-bit audio pieces.

It does have a running time of around an hour and 15 minutes, but that's not so much of a problem for me since the lyrics are truly captivating.

Ill shit. Check it.



Listen to: Iron Galaxy, Raspberry Fields, Vein, The F-Word, Painkillers, Pigeon

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven!

Welcome to post-rock, where there are millions of bands who sound like each other.

Except for a few. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is one of those few.

lift yr. skinny fists like antennas to heaven! is without a doubt one of the most innovative post-rock releases of our time. If you've ever come across this band and were intrigued by the song lengths... well then. Each long song is divided into smaller movements, making parts a little more distinguishable. The movements are usually triumphant post-rock compositions (with epic build-ups), ambient pieces, and sometimes even silence. Sounds like it wouldn't work out, but to me, the mix is perfectly fine and the album flows well.

My favourite song (yes, song. that includes every containing movement) here is definitely "Sleep". What I love about this band is that the violin/cello/whatever bow instruments they use add so much to the music. The second movement of "Sleep", "Monheim", is an hauntingly beautiful post-rock piece. The build-up of reverberating guitars and drums leads up to an explosion of emotion, which is almost a march-like piece with an effects-heavy guitar melody. The movement dies down into a subtle and quiet guitar interlude, until it begins it's build-up into the third movement of the track, "Broken Windows, Locks of Love pt. III". This movement is the absolute highlight of the album for me. It's sublieme, and it just leaks and drips emotion. As stated, the bowed string instruments contribute so much to the music, and in this particular movement, the violin melody (mixed with guitar harmonies) is absolutely stunning.

Enough fellatio towards one song (lolol)... the other masterpieces on this album contain brilliant movements to them as well. The atmospheres throughout the album are wonderfully grandiose. There are a lot of emotions evoked through listening to this. I guess I won't explain them all that much though... just buy the album and see for yourself the magic held within this record.

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Whoa wait, so I haven't reviewed this yet?

... >_>

Well it's an obvious classic, if you had not known that already. When this album was dropped in stores, it was probably the most original and fresh hip-hop album of its time. There are so many new ideas presented here. Where to start?

The lyrics are absolutely insane. In many ways. They're hardcore, raw, vulgar, violent, really friggin' creative, aggressive, innovative, etc. By first impression, you might think that nine members would be hard to listen to. But hell naw. Surprisingly, each member of the Wu is distinct from one another. Ghostface Killah has got the loud and high-pitch voice, GZA has some superb lyrical skills, Inspectah Deck has a sick flow, Ol' Dirty Bastard's voice is totally wild, etc. Each MC brings the energy on his turn.

And now for the beats. They rule. Even to this day, they are still unlike anything I've ever heard. RZA really knows what the fuck he's doing. Each beat carries a really intense atmosphere. Some are dark as hell, some are chilled out, some are hard-hitting. The sampling here is genius, and really appealing to me -- piano samples, horn samples, organ samples... RZA's got it all.

This review might be a little incoherent, but that's only because there are oh so many good things to say about this album that I lose track of my thoughts. hah


Listen to: every song!!!!!1111

Luomo - Vocalcity

So this is pretty much my first house album.

And goddamn did I ever get off to an awesome start.

Luomo, aka Vladislav Delay, aka Uusitalo, aka Sasu Ripatti, creates some absolutely groovy (well I could expect that all house music is this way, lol) microhouse/minimal techno. The atmospheres produced are so encompassing that you... well, I, just want to immerse myself in these lengthy tracks. Yes, they're lengthy, and they become that way from the minimalism. Blah blah, yeah, minimalism = repetition, but when it's done right, the outcome is fantastic.

The first track, "Market", begins right away with with the pulsating bass drum (common in house music), synth chords, and synth bass. The short-played synthesizer chords were what caught my attention the most. Heavily syncopated and played with a really catchy and bouncy rhythm. As the track progresses, clicks and cuts are layered, as well as vocal loops. Vocalcity indeed? Yeah.

Synkro has got to be my favourite track on the album. The bass is so damn bitchin', and the vocals just get implanted into your mind. "... because you move/ ... the way you move".

The album closes off with a slower-paced and less intense "She-Center", but it still carries the mood and atmosphere of the preceding tracks.

It got me hooked real fast. I could imagine that this album would be perfect for dance/chillout purposes. Highly recommended.


Listen to:
- Synkro
- Market
- Class

Converge - Jane Doe

So how the fuck did I not like this before?

I am currently listening to Jane Doe for my third time I believe. The first and second times were not good experiences (lol, stupid me). After those two listens, desperately trying to enjoy the album, I just put this album down, thinking it was pretty shitty.

And now, about a year later, this fuckin' dominates. This is hardcore/mathcore/metalcore/... music, done right.

Chaotic, dissonant, cacophonous, wild, yet coherent... from the heavy-as-fuck tracks to the tracks with clean parts, every song is just dripping with raw intensity and emotion. Jane Doe ends off perfectly with a slow and epic title track.

An otherworldly ride through hell. I really do not see anything wrong with this album.



Listen to: everything.

Boris - Heavy Rocks

Heavy, intense, fuzzy, rockin' stoner metal album. I like Boris because whatever genre they attempt, the outcome is, at the least, decent.

Heavy Rocks starts off slow and droney with "Heavy Friends", a perfect introduction to the album. Right away, you will be grasped by the production -- raw, noisy, and damn bass-heavy. The riff will destroy you by its extreme weight, and the vocals towards the end are a great way to end the track. Stoner bliss. Beginning the second track, "Korosu", is where the tempo gets boosted. From here on, it's fast-paced stoner fun.

Although there are some not-so-interesting tracks, I truly admire the attitude of this album.

tip: I listened to this at a low volume one time. That sucked. \m/


Listen to:
- Korosu
- ワレルライド (Wareruride)
- Rattlesnake

Boxcutter - Oneiric

Fuck man, I love dubstep. Kind of an outlandish statement since I only really listen to Boxcutter and Burial.

Anyways, Boxcutter puts out some great shit here on Oneiric. In comparison to Burial's material, Oneiric has more intense music, characterized by the uses of synth. Also, Boxcutter takes a more IDM and drill 'n' bass approach to dubstep, resulting in some interesting experimentation.

While I still need more listens through this album, I must say that "Skuff'd" and "Brood" are incredibly heavy, and the synth melodies/loops are friggin' catchy.


Check out the aforementioned songs, as well as "Sunshine V.I.P." and "Silver Birch Solstice".

Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

Meh. It's sorta long, and after being exposed to GZA and Inspectah Deck (lyrical masters), this album just really isn't that great. Especially the lyrics.

The beats are good though.

Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By

Fantastic electronic chillout stuff. The synth/melody work is really effective (aka chillll). The beats are sick -- in the style of trip-hop/hip-hop.

Just sit back and relax to this music.


Look out for: ... well... every track is awesome.

The Cinematic Orchestra - Les ailes pourpres (Crimson Wing) OST

note: I am a TCO fanboy.

I haven't seen the film, but I could imagine that The Cinematic Orchestra's music is completely fitting to it. With feelings and emotions ranging from tranquil to dramatic, this is some of TCO's best work. Dare I say it (even if it makes me look really stupid), but the orchestral arrangements here are really cinematic (lololololololol). "Dance" is a really cool track, set in a 5/4 time signature, making it Mission Impossible-esque. The OST closes off with a nice vocal track.


Check out (if you can):
- Transformation
- Dance
- Exodus
- Hatching

Common - Electric Circus

... I didn't like this. Execpt "Come Close". I can't help but think that Common really set a high standard for himself with Resurrection and Like Water For Chocolate.

Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit/He Miss Road

Incredible afrobeat music. It just makes you wanna dance.

The first couple of seconds (the fucking sweetest funky guitar riff) got me hooked, and the rest of it was really consistent and jazzy and I couldn't stop listening. Given the length of the songs (11 minutes on average) and all the wonderful saxophone parts, the melodies stick with you for a long time.

Speaking of "shit", I had trouble taking one because at the time all I could think of was the music from this album. Really.

Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music I

Wow, this was one hell of a musical experience. Two lengthy songs à la electronic/glitch/modern classical/post-rock. Damn. Violins, violas, drums, and piano throughout, chopped up by glitchy clicks and cuts. The drum programming is pretty cool here; some drum parts on the songs are borderline drill 'n' bass.

Despite the length, the album flows very nicely.

Epic, beautiful stuff.

Air - The Virgin Suicides

I really like the style (chill pop) and the production, but only a couple of songs here grab my attention (Highschool Lover, Playground Love, Suicide Underground).

The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

I love these guys. This album is pure entertainment, much of it through comedy. Take "Oh Shit" (lol) for example. The Pharcyde have serious balls to recount the(ir?) most embarrassing stories. True or not, they are fucking hilarious. "Ya Mama" is also a hot track, in which all four members diss each other's moms. Honestly, how much more entertaining can that be? I was laughing through the whole song. On the contrary, "On the DL" is about some of the deepest feelings and stories that generally wouldn't want to be shared with others (hence, keep it On the DL).

The beats are great -- they're brushed with numerous jazz samples that give it the old-school vibe. Oh yeah, the skits are funny and are quite fitting.

All in all, I love this.


Listen to: Ya Mama, Oh Shit, On the DL

Mobb Deep - The Infamous

Hip-hop at its rawest. Havoc and Prodigy really tear it up here, descriptively narrating about life in the hood. The beats are terrific -- cold and dark. The only thing that brings this album down a bit are the useless preludes, which come in a lengthy form. They don't really affect the album all that much though.

If you're a fan of the east coast hip-hop sound, check this shit.


Listen to:
- Shook Ones pt. II
- Survival of the Fittest
- Cradle to the Grave