Album Review: DRAKE - "Take Care"

Bottom sixes and chains / and some bracelets and rings / all of the little accents that make me king

4 out of 5

Toronto's golden boy's still Midas

This sophomore album is a powerful hip hop/R&B hybrid that sounds very Drake, but thankfully not as boring as his debut Thank Me Later. Separating the songs into two distinct camps allowed Drake to create better-crafted, focused songs that more importantly, spared us from the droning, slot-tempo messes that plagued the first album. An emotionally transparent album  that travels through the rapper's many sides from his bravado to his self-depreciation, Take Care is certainly a fascinating whirlwind journey into Drake's conflicting psyche. Cool slow jams too.

Album Review: TRASH TALK - "Awake EP"

"Yeah the good die young, but the great survive to burn alive"

4.5 out of 5

Quantum of furious hardcore punk

Clocking in at around 9 minutes, Trash Talk's latest release is a lean, mean, thrashing dream. The EP's five songs efficiently portray the bands frustrations over violent hooks, racing drums, and aggressive guitars - a truly enjoyable sonic assault.

Album Review: JUSTICE - "Audio, Video, Disco"

They really like crosses...

4 out of 5

The French house duo Justice is back to bring to the world their sophomore effort "Audio, Video, Disco." After listening to their debut CD †, I made the bold statement claiming that these guys are the heirs to house-gods Daft Punk - Justice's second album proved to me that that was no fluke but they are truly disco messiahs from the church of Daft.  

Courtesy of the group themselves - a medley of the whole album:

 Justice - Audio, Video, Disco (Medley) by etjusticepourtous

Album Review: MASTODON - "The Hunter"

Coolest whittling project ever

4 out of 5

The fifth full-length album from sludge/alternative/progressive metal gods Mastodon, The Hunter explores new territories while still bringing the passion and intensity they've always been known for.  Unlike the ever increasing prog-metal showcases of their previous albums, here they set out to produce a "super-heavy Led Zeppelin" album filled with riffs and songs that are easier to digest.  As a result of this recipe change, they created an a hard rock album reminiscent of the fantastic Queens Of The Stone Age - and trust me, that's a very good thing.