DEAD MEADOW
OLD GROWTH
MATADOR

by Nick McGregor

Over the past ten years, Dead Meadow has steadily strengthened its position as connoisseurs of all things stoner rock, that hard-to-describe but easy-to-recognize hybrid of psychedelic metal and hard rock.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
XL Recordings 2008

by Nick McGregor

Riding a wave of Internet hype into 2008, the four lads of Vampire Weekend could seemingly do no wrong on their much-anticipated self-titled debut.

CAT POWER
JUKEBOX
MATADOR

by Nick McGregor

Cat Power’s ascent from underground sensation to mainstream stalwart has weathered the twists and turns of 13 years and eight albums, but whether this sultry songstress (real name Chan Marshall) was ready for her second collection of cover songs is up for debate.

What’s a hip-hop album without flashy jewelry, fancy cars, or stacks of money on the cover? More importantly, what kind of hip-hop album doesn’t even reveal its featured MC’s name? The answer to both of those questions is simple: an exceptionally good hip-hop album. Saga of the Simian Samurai, the 2007 collaboration between Bay Area producer TomC3 and acclaimed New York MC Prince Po, is that unusual rap CD that matches gritty, progressive beats with offbeat, razor-sharp lyrics. And even though Prince Po (half of the former Organized Konfusion) dabbles in the usual subjects of women, drugs, and ghetto life, he does so in a way that simply blows contemporary rappers out of the water.

After bursting onto the scene in 2005 with their self-titled mish-mash of stoner rock, psychedelic folk, and classic metal overtones, Black Mountain returns in 2008 with what could arguably be the hardest-rocking album of the year (OK, so it’s only February). In The Future is, for once, not a cheeky cliché, but an actual explanation of where this Vancouver, B.C., five-piece is headed. Grinding Black Sabbath-style guitars, pounding drumbeats, eerie synths and organs, and soaring, breathy vocals combine to tie the 1970s and the 2000s together.

Environmental Youth Crunch
Let’s Ride
Bakery Outlet Records 2007

Environmental Youth Crunch may sound like a hardcore band’s name, but this St. Augustine trio deals more in upbeat pop-punk riffs and heartfelt lyrics than anything the word “crunch” denotes. Well known for playing local shows in their underwear, EYC combines fun-loving live antics with thoughtful examinations of our species’ effect on the environment, often calling out developers, Wall Street types, and politicians point-blank. But instead of insisting on confrontational or extremist viewpoints, this Bakery Outlet Records band relies on humor and even a bit of heart-on-my-sleeve balladry to make its point known.