mos def  "the new danger" dangerous truth of truths...simply georgeous blend of hip hop, jazz blues, soul gospel, r&b, and black rock...takin it fuckin back, and it rocks with living colours rythym tanden of will calhoun and doug wimbash with dr know , guitarist of amerikas greatest punk band bad brains and bernie worrels magic forming his band black jack johnson, in a tribute to jack johnson, the first black boxing heavyweight champion of the world (1908-15) heralded on miles davis's rocking tribute album from 1970.  "i'm black and they won't let me forget it...i'm black and i won't let them forget it" hassled and basically jailed for a preference of white women, american johnson lived abroad in france...the state of rap and the best of music.

yohimbe brothers "the tao of yo" more genre hopping, my friends r sick of hearing it- from the vernon reid is god - best guitarist since jimi- ther i said it...and dj logic...hip hop meets zeppelin 5

vernon reid and masque "known unknown" instumental bliss...can't get enough vernon, man...peace

nick cave and the bad seeds "abattoir blues/the lyre of orpheus" --"get ready for love,,,war is coming...from above" nicks throaty john cale vocals with gospel singers....beautiful...best rock album of the year. war is coming...get ready for armaggedon - blissfully dancing in between the fucking, as jefferson starship on blows against the empire sang - "we'll fuck in your streets with the fear of dying...we'll ball in your parks with the fear of living"  

comets on fire "blue cathedral" mc5 meets sonic youth...soul burning noise

the thermals "fuckin a"  "pray for a new state...pray for assassination"  best punk cd of the year, anarchy with wit from seattle

wilco "a ghost is born" ...state of the plains, country rock

green day "american idiot" ...state of the punk union, punk opera

brian wilson "smile"  yes, over thirty years later the beach boy records and releases the planned masterpiece that could have been finished before the beatles psychedelic masterpiece sgt peppers - it was shelved after 95 recording sessions and dissension and non support within the ranks, deemed "inappropriate music" by the record company. brian heard the seminal peppers and flipped and went into seclusion, coming out of his l.a. mansion rarely, and to assist in releasing the groundbreaking # 1 single from the smile sessions "good vibrations". the beach boys followed with two disjointed albums with hit singles none the less, but the volley from the west fizzled and the beach boys lost out in the psychadelic era, along with brothers decent with manson, madness and death. decades later, a revived brian wilson, with collaboration from long time friend and lyricist van dyke parks (and hashish and lsd partner back then),and alt rockers the wundermints put together a road show of smile and with help from original tapes have released the wonderful "smile", and in 2004, it is a masterpiece. a sprawling, lush, orchestrated piece of americana, melding a landscape of american indians, environmental concerns, growth of suburbia, with relenting humor and positiveness - with beautiful beach boys harmonies recorded using an original tube console identical to the one the beach boys used for their harmonies in the 60's at western studio 3.  a gershwin stoked doo wop from plymouth rock to hawaii, a west coast story - a hotel california- an underlying darkness. a broadway show across the plains to los angelos evoking the smoky forties, zany cartoon soundtracks to rock and roll, "surfs up" and culminating with the acid sonic eruption of "good vibrations".  timeless.  

the futureheads  s/t  certainly a vocal group, a harmonius gang of four with 2 to 3 minute blasts of art pop punk crisscrossing stabs of  guitar over rythmic bottoms, reconstructing wire and the ramones- using a "my sharona" riff, devo dishes, eno green worlds, xtacy and doo wop and stepping into the future to feed your head and make you dance the fears away.

battles  "the eps"

converge  "you fail me"

zu and spaceways  "radiale"

big satan - tim berne, marc ducret, tim rainey  "souls saved her"

probot  s/t

mission of burma  "onoffon"

sonic youth "sonic nurse"

hot snakes  "audit in progress"

banyan  "live at perkin's place"

charalambides  "joy shapes"

arcade fire  "funeral"

fiery furnaces  "blueberry boat"

paul motion band  "garden of eden"

fantomas  "delirium cordia"

prurient  "the baron's chamber"

mouthus  s/t