The Swell Season - "Strict Joy"

"Strict Joy" was truly a treat to listen to... I can't recall having ever described an album in such a way before, but this music is absolutely beautiful.

The two artists, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, are both extremely talented. Throughout the album, both musicians sing and play multiple instruments. Their voices harmonize together very nicely, and I was pleased to hear some fairly uncommon instruments (compared to most music these days at least) - I think I even heard a zither or a similar instrument at one point.

The Swell Season's music is slightly reminiscent of Snow Patrol on some tracks. Overall, think along the lines of Damien Rice (especially on his tracks w/ Lisa Hannigan) and you'll have an idea of the genre. But maybe it's just the whole Irish thing going? Apparently, the Irish make some damn good heartfelt music.

This duo has an interesting back story too. If you've ever seen the movie "Once", I think that most of the soundtrack consists of music by these two, and I also think that the movie is about a couple. I've never seen the movie though, so I couldn't tell you. Anyway, I guess Hansard and Irglová dated for a while, then broke up, but still make music together. It makes the album a little more interesting, especially since I think it was made post break-up. I really don't know anything about that except that it's what I read online after I had listened to the album and I thought it was worth mentioning.

My main point: this album is phenomenal. You should get your hands on it for sure and let me know what you think after you take a listen.

My vote: 4.5 stars
My favorite tracks: "In These Arms" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UnwvI5Atwk&feature=PlayList&p=200C20BD5A1DA5F9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=15 & "High Horses" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q95R10IgX-Y & "Two Tongues" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCb75fiysrM

Pete Yorn - "Musicforthemorningafter"

Pete Yorn's voice is amazing. It really doesn't take too much more than that to make a great album. Yeah yeah, of course I consider the lyrics and the actual music that he's singing to. But with a great voice, you can spice up a dull song. Though, Yorn's songs are far from dull to begin with.

Yorn uses a couple tricks and effects for his music right from the get-go on Musicforthemorningafter... which just makes it all the more fun. Tracks on this album cover a reasonably large range; the songs vary from upbeat and happy tracks, to ones oozing with so much sorrow and pain that you can actually hear it in Yorn's voice. I'm quite the sucker for depressing music so I get a little treat at some points. Don't worry though, this isn't an album that you'll be crying through. There are definitely enough changes in mood to keep you listening and happy.

I can't help but wonder about the album title...and I've concluded that this music may actually be good for the morning after. I've listed a couple of my favorite tracks below, but really every track on Musicforthemorningafter is great music. This is one of those albums that I liked on the first listen...and it hasn't gotten old either. I've had it for a couple of years now and still love listening to it. Basically...I HIGHLY recommend this one.

My vote: 4.5 stars
My favorite tracks: "Lose You" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUXLzKWxLs & "For Nancy" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9AG0ltjkA0 & "A Girl Like You" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF9ctxsjBPk

Mos Def - "The Ecstatic"

Frankly, this album irked me a bit. I'm all for alternative hip-hop, but I feel like Mos Def took it a little too far on this one. To be able to pull of 80s beats, sampled beats from Indian music, and songs in Spanish all in the same album is a bit far-fetched. Even so, it's not exactly the instrumentals that bother me on this album.

I actually enjoy all of the beats on this album...definitely some awesome producers on these tracks (i.e. Madlib and J. Dilla). I just don't really appreciate how they're mixed yet, and how Mos Def handles each one. His flow is very unique, and many of these beats don't compliment it. It even sounds like he's off-beat in some instances. That's not always a bad thing, but it did strike me in the wrong way this time.

If you listen to the tracks that I've chosen as my favorites, you'll see that they're not far off from old school Mos Def. Probably an indicator of my overall sentiment.

I'll give my honest opinion: Mos Def's music has been subpar (for my standards at least) since he left Rawkus. I mean, if you've ever seen Brown Sugar, you'll know what I'm talking about...Rawkus keeps it real... true hip-hop without any of the extra fuss tacked on. I'm not trying to hate on experimenting with different sounds, but I'm not feelin' the new sounds that he's got going on this album. Really though, I think Mos has been off a bit since his album "The New Danger". This album is a pretty significant improvement from that one.

As a parting note, I will say that I think this is the type of album that will grow on you after listening many times through. I've only listened to it a couple of times, but I think there is some promise for future days. I understand what Mos was trying to do here. He's been out of the game for a while and NEEDED to come back with a strong release after crashing and burning on "The New Danger". He wanted to bring a fresh, but familiar, sound. Anyway, I'll come back and update my opinion as necessary after listening to "The Ecstatic" some more.

My vote: 2.5 stars
My favorite tracks: "History" ft. Talib Kweli - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdqG6EfOe6g & "Auditorium" ft. Slick Rick - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hYXqTN38 & "Priority" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkUs13bIBao

Saul Williams - "Amethyst Rock Star"

Saul Williams speaks the truth, and you've gotta respect him for that. "Amethyst Rock Star" features a bunch of William's spoken word tracks set to some rockin' beats (literally).

If you're into rap for the artistic nature of it, then you'll appreciate this album, regardless of whether you end up hating or loving it. Williams successfully satisfies the inner-poet in hip-hop heads with this one. The man's words stimulate intellectual thought...can't say that about most artists nowadays, sadly.

I'm not quite sold on the instrumentals on this album though. I suppose I'm not really listening to it for the music, but rather the poetry. I haven't listened to his other album releases yet, but hopefully they feature slightly more interesting beats (just as long as they don't take away from the lyrics).

Williams' complex lyricism cannot be matched by anyone I've heard, as of late. Alliteration, consonance, metaphor, simile - all part of Williams' arsenal. I'm pretty sure he's used every sort of poetic trick that exists for anyone to have up their sleeve. Then again, I'm not poetic enough to know that for sure. I am, however, fairly sure that most people would find it nearly impossible to decipher what Williams actually means with many of his slams.

"Amethyst Rock Star" provides a fresh and reassuring alternative to pretty much any type of music that most people listen to, be it mainstream radio, underground hip-hop, or indie rock. Worth a listen for sure, but try not to let the music take away from the art. Realize it for what it is, and you'll at least semi-approve. Listen to it for the musicality, and you'll be disappointed.

My vote: 2.5 stars
My favorite tracks: "Tao of Now" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRN9YTXEXkU & "Untimely Meditations" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMOVrVS75cM

Mr Hudson - "A Tale of Two Cities"

I heard of Mr Hudson thanks to my brother, who downloaded the upcoming album and said he thought I'd enjoy it. So...I did a bit of research for myself and found Mr Hudson's older album, "A Tale of Two Cities". Glad I took a listen!

As you'll be able to tell through his ridiculously thick accent and use of funny words, Mr Hudson is a British musician that I can't quite put under any one particular genre. Vocals resemble Coldplay on some tracks - especially "Upon the Heath", and the Kooks on others. It may just be that I can't differentiate one British band from another, but that would be my two cents if you want to know what you're getting yourself into. Pretty much, if you took the sounds of Coldplay and the Kooks and put them looped to some simple drum beats to accent the bass and piano notes, you'd get Mr Hudson.

Oh, another interesting point that I haven't mentioned yet - I notice that everywhere I search Mr Hudson online, they all come up with no period (".") after the Mr part...just something to note.

To listen to this whole album, check out Mr Hudson's myspace page. Like I mentioned before, he's coming out with a new mixtape/album titled "Straight No Chaser" featuring the likes of many famous American artists (check out "Supernova" ft. Kanye West). For now, Mr Hudson gets my rave review.

My vote: 4 stars
My favorite track:
"Bread & Roses" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4aX00fy9k&feature=related,
"2x2" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlxsdWsik&feature=related &
"Upon the Heath" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtEumm88SI0

Ratatat - "LP3"

It looks like you can certainly count on Ratatat to create some innovative music. Talk about instrumentation! I was quite impressed to hear a harpsichord on the track "Dura". I rather like the new spin they put on ridiculously old sounds. Does anyone even produce harpsichords anymore?

The rest of the tracks on this CD are same old, same old for Ratatat. Good, but don't stand out too much in the crowd. All in all, this is an okay album.

For what it's worth, Ratatat did a better job on their CD "Classics". Maybe that's why it has such a ballsy album title? Just food for thought.

I would recommend checking that one out if you're just starting to listen to Ratatat. However, if you're a long-time Ratatat fan, give "LP3" a listen and make your own decision.

My vote: 3
My favorite track: "Dura" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9huLvX63Uf4