Jaco Pastorius: Modern American Music… Period! The Criteria Sessions
Recorded two years before his self-titled debut, these sessions hold, not just some of Jaco's best work, but some of the best jazz you'll hear all year.
Nathan Stevens
Antwon: Heavy Hearted in Doldrums
Antwon's newest release is sex-obsessed, messy and often excellent.
Apollo Brown: Thirty Eight
These beats are crying out for rappers to be on them.
Little Dragon: Nabuma Rubberband
Delectably strange pop from the consistent Swedish quartet.
Asher Roth: Retro Hash
Asher Roth avoids "I Love College" and presents an odd mixed bag.
Smoke Fairies: Smoke Fairies
If their previous work sounded like a misty and foreboding forest, then Smoke Fairies is the sound of perfectly manicured lawns.
Teebs: E S T A R A
Flying Lotus cohort delivers a blissed out release.
Blood Red Shoes: Blood Red Shoes
Grittiness becomes a crutch.
Pharoahe Monch: PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The beats jump back and forth between great and subpar, but Monch's lines are as great as ever.
Cloud Cult: Unplug
Occasional corniness aside, Cloud Cult have crafted an excellent live album.
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib: Piñata
Madlib and Freddie Gibbs drop one of the best hip-hop albums in recent memory.
Frankie Cosmos: Zentropy
Frankie Cosmos makes excellently witty and crushingly sad indie-pop on her fantastic debut.