Review: Jay-Z - Kingdom Come:

Upon first listen I wasn't as impressed with this disc as I was when The Black Album came out. Come to think of it, most of The Black Album hasn't held up over time (despite the fact that it's been only three years) so maybe this one will.

Stream about half the album and listen to clips from the rest

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Gang Starr - Mass Appeal- The Best of Gang Starr:

Upon first listen I was very suprised at how well most of these tracks hold up. Considering my naievete concerning the group and their output most of these tracks sound fresh and vibrant. The production is great and non-intrusive (a must) while the flow can sound indifferent at times yet still succeeds.

Stream Mass Appeal, Skills and Take It Personal

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Review: Converge - No Hereos:

Upon first listen it's a return to a certain form. Noisy, heavy, visceral. Things that were lacking from You Fail Me are here and present along with a splash of melody and an acoustic guitar. Overall it succeeds for fans of Converge. It's just too bad I'm not a fan of Converge.

Stream the entire album

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Review: Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury:

Upon first listen I was disappointed. I never listened to their debut, but did like Grindin' when it hit. The flow seems uninspired and the beats, while non-intrusive (always a plus), aren't anything to write home about. Yet I cannot escape the hyoe that is Clipse, so maybe it's just me. Ok, it's just me.

Stream the entire album

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Reviews: Rage Against The Machine x2

Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against The Machine: Upon first listen I can't believe how boring and unimaginative this is. It certainly doesn't hold up well after almost fifteen (!) years.

Stream the entire album

Purchase for $11.14

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire: Upon first listen I was surprised at how the singles from this disc, which I like when they came out, were lackluster. Almost pedestrian.

Stream the entire album

Purchase for $8.44

Review: My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade:

Upon first listen it's not as good as I was hoping (and hearing) but it's certainly as not as bad as 90% of the bands they grouped in with. Certainly near the top of the pop-punk list when it comes to album of the year.

Stream clips from the entire album

Purchase for $12.64

Review: Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies:

Upon first listen I have to ask; what happened to the sheer brutality of their previous efforts. Trading in sheer power for melodicism and (presumably) MTV2 acceptance is certainly a lame endeavor in my book. But whatever works for them, just don't expect me to pass this disc along.

Stream clips from the entire album

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The Brother Kite - Waiting For The Time To Be Right:

Upon first listen it's certainly a solid pop-rock with an indie feel type of album. It's not going to see a lot of rotation but it's nice to listen to.

Stream the entire album

Purchase for $10.40

Review: Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me:

Upon first listen I am disappointed in myself. Sometimes music snobbery gets in the way of good bands and Brand New is that good band. I had always dismissed them without hearing more than a note or two as being whiny, pretentious and everything else wrong with the current crop of 'emo' bands. It's too bad as this is a really solid pop-punk type album that deserves more credit than most of their peers.

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Review: Blood Brothers - Young Machetes:

Upon first listen I disliked their earlier work all the way until I saw them live. That's when all the pieces of the puzzle called Blood Brothers seemed to fit. So I was moderately excited about a new album that I could evaluate in a better light than previous. What I listened to was a solid album of every kind of music and a lot of noise. And most of it works. Most of it.

Stream clips from the entire album

Purchase for $8.00

Not Dead, Just Busy

What with Christmas, Work and Zelda. I've also been spending some time catching up on my favorite albums this year. Not sure what they were cause I panned them when they came out? Keep up with my last.fm page on the right. Regular updates should resume in the next few days.

Review: The Beatles - Love:

Upon first listen I was expecting more. Every bit of media acknowledgment concerning this release gave me the impression we would be hearing 'new' songs. Instead, we got the same songs, just tweaked which was obviously the intent, just not what I was expecting. It's still hard for me to survey this album when the tracks are still so familiar.

Stream Strawberry Fields, Octopus' Garden, Lady Madonna and While My Guitar

Purchase for $9.72