CDs Part 2

Here's the second part of my favorite cd's of 2007. Enjoy

Kanye West- Graduation

This CD really surprised me since I never listened to Kanye West before. The album has a perfect blend of pure old school type rap and even radio-friendly singles. The dimension that I liked most about the album, and even West as an artist, is that he incorporates issues in society into his music. I think the main difference from early rap albums and today, is that artists don't write about the problems of society anymore, but rather choose to write about women, their money, and partying. The albums biggest single to date, "Stronger," is just the tip of the iceberg on this great hip-hop record.

Radiohead- In Rainbows

Much like the Minus the Bear album from part one, I just picked this up about a week ago. Since I had never listened to Radiohead, I really didn't know what to expect from the bands latest, digital only release. There was a great deal of hype leading up to the release, due to the fact that the band was only releasing the album via their website, and had the consumer chose the price they wanted to pay. The record start to finish is dazzling. The opening track 15 Steps seems to just enlighten the listener, and gives you the feeling of "I need to know what's coming next." Very rarely an album comes along with no filler, but Radiohead's In Rainbows is one of those records. It's beauty and brains blended together to make one of the best all-around albums of 2007.

The Number 12 Looks Like You- Mongrel

A little change of pace from Radiohead, but still another very solid record. TNTLLY released their follow up LP to 2005's Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear., with 2007's Mongrel. The band brought back much of the same force that made them the MySpace name that they are today, with brutal songs like opening track "Imagine Nation Express," and "Alright, I Admit It...It Was a Whore House." The thing that has seperated The Number 12 from a lot of other Grindcore acts is their ability to dip into the waters of Mathcore, with the song "Jay Walking Backwards." This New Jersey sextet's sophmore album on Jersey based Eyeball Records won't disapoint old listeners, and is sure to please new fans looking for something that is genuinely "experimental."