Gorillaz "Plastic Beach"

Opening with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the Gorillaz “Plastic Beach” promises it’s listeners to be freewheeling. From the minute you pop it in, you don’t know quite what to expect. Enjoyed by audiences that take interest in trippy space-rap, this album will leave you craving more.
The Gorillaz are a virtual group that consists of cartoon characters. Why they hide their true identities we never know, but they put off an aura of mystery and uncertainty that can’t be ignored. If you aren’t willing to let your mind get lost in the lush, quirky tone of this album, don’t bother. For those of you who want to go on a little trip, “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach.”
“No War!
No Guns!
No Corps!
Just life.
Just Love
No Hate.
Just fun.
No ties.
Just me and my mind.
Just me and my wife.
But tell me if I'm dreamin'
'cause I don't wanna wake up till the evenin'
and I don't wanna be left sleepin'
from all the diseases
that I breathe in.”
Bashy smoothly spits out this in the track titled “White Flag” with a mystical approach challenging to negative thinkers. The universal theme is broadly displayed throughout the album: Life is not as bad as we make it seem. Take your mind to it’s own plastic beach and try to see some optimism in the world around you.
Plastic Beach moves the listener in and out of a daze, featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mick Jones, Mos Def, and the Lebanese National Orchestra. Somehow this virtual band has pulled off yet another excellent album that is full of energy and surprises. They stay with their Gorillaz roots; quirky toned, multiple genres, and happy -go- lucky attitude, but they have obviously evolved and added another element to their project. This time, instead staying simply at stoner music, they have themed their album at giving a positive attitude to ecology and in so doing create a consumer friendly album.
While listening to the Gorillaz, don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel celebratory and playful. For a minute, it allows you to forget about the stresses of life, and appreciate how easy we really have it in this era. It takes us back to the simplicity of life without all the consuming politics, opinions and advice. It slyly transports us to a more happy place and allows us to adopt an alternative perspective.
Plastic Beach comes together with its funky twists and takes pieces of all its contributors. The unit of their work is smooth and features much more rap then previous Gorillaz albums. Being more musically evolved, it gives us a taste of orchestration and not just a sound board. People who enjoy artists like Beck, Daft Punk, Gnarls Barkley, Portishead, and Massive Attack will find this right up their alley. It also blends into the rap genre, but cares about much more universal issues like happiness.
Cloud of Unknowing is a bit melancholy and doesn’t really fit with the rest of the bright tunes. The song borrows the title from a Christian theme, and that throws off the already decided tag. We’re then launched into the final piece, “Pirate Track” which is arguably the happiest one of all. Aside from this difficult switch, the album transitions smoothly and flows throughout its entirety with ease.
Plastic Beach sticks out, because it appeals to many. Crossing the boundaries of soul, hip hop, alternative, electronic, and plain poppy goodness, this is sure to catch the ear of many. How many other artists do you know that can completely transfer you to another place without actually leaving your bedroom? If you like to put your mind at ease, and don’t mind a hippie happy day at the park then please, buy this album. It may just fit right alongside with anything else you have in your collection.
And this month, "The Fall", an album produced by the Gorillaz on strictly an Ipad, will be available in stores!

Jessica Lea Mayfield "Tell Me"

An album written about a tortorous, hellish relationship that you still can't bear to leave isn't the easiest thing to write or describe. Jessica Lea Mayfield has the experience of a much more seasoned musician even though "Tell Me" is only her second full length album.Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, "Tell Me" has that sad blues feel but still manages to sound upbeat. She blends a hint of country with her sad, dark, indie- rock songs, keeping us interested in what moody change she might throw out next. Mayfield's voice is haunting and convincing especially in lyrics like "my self esteem is heating up the room, you're intimidating as all hell, but I ain't scared of you" which she sings in  "Our Hearts Are Wrong". In another track "Nervous Lonely Night", she tells us "I didn't mean to fuel the fire, now I'm alone watching the flames go higher, drunk on thoughts of you, red wine and tequlia too".We as listeners get an exclusive invitation into the mind and life of Mayfield as she explores her disturbed sense of love. If you're wondering why you recognize her voice, maybe you've heard her in Dan Auerbach's solo album on "When the Night Comes" or the Black Keys "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be".

Adele "21"

I will be the first to tell you that mainstream vocalists and "artists" as they call themsleves have gone to dirt.There's a new major occurence of female singers/songwriters who don't have anything unique about them. It seems like everything they play on the radio now truely fits a cookie cutter mold not only lyrically but vocally and musically. As far as I'm concerned, Leona Lewis, Keri Hilson, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and you-name-who-else have all molded into one terribly boring supermold. However, among these "artists" there is someone special who really blew my mind, even though I went into is with the opposite attitude. Adele is an English singer songwriter who came to fame after her first album (which I didn't care for) in 2008. However, working in a record store doesn't let you escape everything and I was forced to give this new album a chance. Like I said before, I was blown away. Go ahead, give yourself a surpsise and look a picture of this girl and then listen to her voice. It's not what you expect it to be. This girl has got some serious soul. If it weren't for heartbreak in some form or another, lyricism would not have much a basis for existence. Adele has had her heart torn out with a dull blade and dragged behind a truck on a dirt road for miles and miles. And the pain and emotion in her voice alone tells the listener that. She does it in a way that acutally makes us feel for her though, instead of being reminded of our 7th grade heart break and that one record that we just knew was written just for us. I am also a firm believer that The Cure is really the only band that should sing lovesong and reggae/rock/rap/god knows what else should stop trying to cover it. Once again however, Adele has changed my mind. On 21 she does a fierce cover of Lovesong that really just makes you want to have the most intimate moment of your life. Talk about making a make out disc for your high school lover! But seriously. Adele takes us through her love life by making us feel bad for her, breaking us up, making us relate, giving us jealousy, saying **** you to love, and then ultimately saying I loved you I learned from you and I will miss you. I strongly encourage you to give this album a listen, and not just if you've had your heart broken.

Bright Eyes "The People's Key"

"Took the fireworks and the vanity the circuit boards and the city streets, shooting star, swaying palm tree, layed something at its feet." If you know Bright Eyes, you know that this is referencing each of their albums throughout the years. This is also confirming the rumors that this is the last album from Bright Eyes as we know them.
"The People's Key" is Bright Eyes 7th studio album, and it's unlike anything they have ever done. Instead of going forward with the country-folk sound that they have become known for, they go back to their early desire to eagerly discover what might come next. This time though, there's a bit of a twist. This time, the album is an exploration of the meaning of humanity and time and frankly, it's a bit spooky. It's a science fiction adventure with narrating done by "Denny" of the band "Refried Ice Cream".
There aren't any banjos, mandolins, or harmonicas in this chapter. The boys (Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, Nathaniel Walcott) invite some special guests for this one. We get memebers from The Faint, Mynabirds, Autolux and Cursive.
This album might be one of the happiest Bright Eyes album with the strongest theme. If you're ready for an adventure, take a listen to "The People's Key".

Talib Kweli "Gutter Rainbows"

I am a huge fan of  (pardon my scenester terrminolgy) the "underground hip hop movement." Therefore I love Living Legends, Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers etc. The main reason why I love this genre is because it generally has more concern than sex, money and drugs. It's oftentimes just average Joe's who want to talk about their lives, hardships and even triumphs. It's also focused on politcs sometimes. However, there is some "mainstrem" if you dare, hip hop that I also love. I think that the Wu-Tang Clan is fantastic. As a fan of the whole genre, I am also a huge believer that the West Coast hip-hop movement is one of the most exciting things that ever happened to the states. I love Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and other "OG's". All this being said, I love the knew Talib Kweli album "Gutter Rainbows", because I think that it does a great job bridging the gap between what's considered mainstrem and what's considered underground. I'm not saying that Talib is an OG by any means. I'm just saying that I think he does an incredible job at appealing to more of a mass audience than most hip-hop artists. "Gutter Rainbows" features guest appearances from Jean Grae, Blaq Toven, and Sean Price among others. Production on the album is done by many different producers including 88 Keys, Blaq Toven, and Ski Beatz. One of the highlight tracks off the album is "Uh Oh" which features Jean Grae. The album maintains an upbeat soulful hip-hop feel all the way through. My least favorite track off the album is easily "How You Love Me", because it sounds like something off a T-Pain album which is a little too mainstrem for my liking. For people who are most interested in the "mainstream" side of things though, I'm sure it'll be a hit. Through and through this has got to be one of my favorite releases so far of 2011. I know it's early to say that, but I do sift through a lot of releases. If you're looking to put a little hop in your step check this out. Also, my first link mentioned in this post goes to UGHH.dot which is the best website for anything underground hip-hop related. Check it out.

Iron and Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean"

When the title for the new Iron and Wine was announced, I was already extremely exciting. There is something about "Kiss Each Other Clean" that I find to be irresistable. When the album was finally released on January 25th, it was more then I could have asked for. When a band can totally evolve and build musically while still maintaining the sound that made us fall in love with them in the first place, they have gained my full respect. That is exaclty what this album does. The vocals are still feathery and hush hush, but the tempo has been turned up. Listening to the album makes me feel like I want to go on a springtime adventure. I don't know exactly how to describe the experience besides that it is colorful and joyful. It's almost like falling in love for the first time and feeling that light airy carlessness. The music is still folky and soft, but with a new element of indie pop instead of just folk. It's almost like Iron and Wine were just injected with a burst of smiling energy. If you liked "The Shepherds Dog", give this a spin. I think that you'll love it! Walking far from home is the "Single"

Decemberists "The King is Dead"

The new album "The King is Dead" was released on January 17th by Capitol Records. The opening track, with it's soothing harmonica, transports you to a southern porch on a hot summer night. The Decemberists have once again managed to capture the moment in an album that leaves you feeling blissful and free. Unlike "The Hazards of Love" (their previous release) "The King is Dead" is strictly a country-folk album. As the group troops on, you can hear an almost gravitational pull towards the country style. Colin Meloy is beautifully complimented by organs, pianos, accoridans and most importantly John Moen's voice. As you travel into the middle of the album, "Rox in the Box" starts to give you a build up that promises not to let you down. "Down by the Water" is melancholy, but in my opinion, the peak of the album. As you travel towards the end of the album in "This is Why We Fight" you'll find yourself feeling like you have suddenly discovered why you fight with the ones you love. A beautiful piece of music makes you feel like something is different after you have heard it. The Decemberists have without a doubt, accomlished this with "The King is Dead". For a limited time the album is available at Graywhale for only $9.60. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this album.