The brainchild of ex-Roc-A-Fella royalty Damon Dash, Blakroc pairs the Black Keys with hip-hop’s finest, including Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris, and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Novices to rap production, the Akron, Ohio blues duo sometimes struggle not to swallow the emcees voices, but more often they provide a psychedelic squall of gritty guitars and dirty drums ripe for shredding by the upscale names in Dash’s Rolodex. Loose and rollicking, this is the rare jam session worth jamming six months from now.
An underdog prior to becoming a multi-platinum, Vitamin Water-hawking, brand behemoth, 50 Cent made his name as a mixtape messiah: fearless, unhinged, and as caustic and cold-hearted as “30 Rock’s” Jack Donaghy. See “So Disrespectful,” which finds 50 mocking G-Unit underlings-turned-adversaries the Game and Young Buck on everything from their sexual proclivities to their drug habits. No longer on top, he swaps his cynical Soundscan-striving for a streetwise sneer to deliver his finest album since his debut. Call it Get Rich and Start Trying.
Earlier this year, breakbeat pioneer Adam Freeland released “Cope,” the second rock album from his side project Freeland that included contributions from the Pixies’ Joey Santiago, Spinnerette’s Brody Dalle and Tommy Lee. With “Cope Remixed,” industry friends and acts from the Marine Parade label turn its founder’s compositions into 24 dance club-friendly remixes and covers, all of which represent a taste of what the Britain-based dance label is today. – Sofia M. Fernandez
Nostalgia runs thick in this sweet collection of country-tinged mellow odes to yesteryear, including the naughty romp that is “Your Father’s Basement,” wherein a gaggle of stiff-dicked adolescents furtively spy the neighbor’s backyard pool in the hopes of glimpsing girl-next-door nip. “Lakes of Wine” is a kaleidoscopic group skinny dip in vino, and “This Old World” includes tales of torn dresses and motels. The album is a soulful soporific, all smooth edges and slithery sounds from David Wingo, also the composer of the “Gentlemen Broncos” score. – Amy Lyons
Best known as the voice of Mazzy Star’s 1994 hit “Fade into You,” the mysterious Hope Sandoval finally resurfaces with her second release of the decade. As you can tell by the timeline, Sandoval prefers to work at a languid pace and that’s reflected in the music. Backed by My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm O’Ciosoig and other collaborators, Sandoval gently croons her way through the album’s 11 tracks that’ll ooze like thick honey through your speakers and could help you battle insomnia if you need a drug-free sleeping aid. – Craig Rosen
One-time electronic duo Soulsavers broke out of the electro-ghetto with 2007’s “It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s How You Land,” featuring former Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan crooning such epic tracks as “Revival” and “Spiritual.” While there’s nothing quite as stunning on “Broken,” there’s still plenty to savor with Lanegan returning for psychedelic slow burners like “Unbalanced Pieces,” and Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce, Will Oldham, and newcomer Rosa Agostino lending their pipes to the album’s other tracks. “Broken” may not repair your fractured soul, but it will certainly soothe it. – Craig Rosen
Specifics have yet to be revealed about who is part of MADVILLAINZ beat crew but for starters, in DJ-friendly 320Kbps MP3 VBR audio: Here’s their remix of GAZZILLION-EAR.
