Here we see Idles become the snarling, biting and feral animals that they present themselves as in their newer records, and by god is it enjoyable to witness. While the instrumentation doesn't go full Brutilism yet, they still have the energy and biting satire in their lyrics that make them one of the most interesting post-punk bands of the 21st century.

Favorite Jams: The Idles Chant, Romantic Gestures, Queens

Lest Favorite: Nice Man

While not as biting or as snarling as Idles more popular records, but it's still got the tight composition and catchy hooks that prove that Idles don't need to be firing at all cylinders to make themselves entertaining.

Favorite Jams: Meydei, Germany, Two Tone

Lest Favorite: 26/27

Not only does it borrow the wild experimentation of Nine Inch Nails and other great Trent projects, it's got a new sense of grime, dirt, unease and in all honesty, fun, that has been missing from Trents more infamous projects. While it's not much to snack on, it's a delectable taste for what it's worth.

Favorite Jams: BBB, A Drowning, The Space In Between

Lest Favorite: The Believers (even though it's a great tune)

While some tracks work better then others, Gerard Way proves that's he's more then just the My Chemical Romance front man, with aggressive instrumentation and catchy hooks to make this more then a mediocre solo record, and the wacked out tone of any great Gerard Way project. It's a great record that might be the starting stone of a great solo career.

Favorite Jams: Juarez, Brother, Maya The Psychic

Lest Favorite: How It's Going To Be

Usually, The Front Bottoms endlessly narcissistic and snarky delivery comes off as annoying rather then charming, but with Back on Top they finally hit the sweet spot between charming and creative, making probably the best record by them to date.

Favorite Jams: Laugh Till I Cry, The Plan (Fuck Jobs), Help

Lest Favorite: Ginger

Probably one of the more exciting, energetic and off the wall solo projects to come from MCR, Frank Iero brings to the table a dark, dingy, fun and almost nostalgic look back at My Chemical Romances more heavy roots, glazed over with some of the more sad and dark lyrical content from any MCR project to date. It's bloody good fun.

Favorite Jams: Neverenders, Weighted, Blood Infections

Lest Favorite: Stage 4 Fear of Trying

While a cover album of themes of various horror films from Mike goddamn Patton sounds like a kind of predictable journey, then clearly you've never heard of Mike Patton, with Fantomas changing the original compositions to become disgustingly heavy and completely off the wall, which in Fantomas's favor works strangly well.

Favorite Jams: The Godfather, Cape Fear, Charade

Lest Favorite: Untitled

While i'm not as antiquated to jazz records as most, I can at lest appreciate the tight, precise and extremely impressive instrumentation, which is composed interestingly and enough to keep this record from being a one stop shop for jazz craziness. It's a interesting and fun jazz record that will leave you wanting more, even if it's a fleeting yearning.

Favorite Jams: Untitled Original 11386, Slow Blues, One Up, One Down

Lest Favorite: Vilia

While they may not be the most well-known band from the 90s, Failure's Fantastic Planet is a distorted space rock fueled odyssey is pretty damn solid. The crunchy riffs, the almost Weezer-esq vocals, the tight rhythm section and it's kooky sci-fi tone send this record from being boring and forgettable to fun and creative in seconds.

Favorite Jams: Stuck On You, Daylight, Saturday Saviour

Lest Favorite: All the Damn Segue tracks

Chevelle deliver a sound here that seems to be missing in rock now-a-days: Tool. They sound almost exactly like Tool here. Like, shockingly like Tool. And I don't mind Tool, in fact I quite like Tool. And Tool is a band that I (among others) would love to hear from again. But for now, Chevelle are quite the stand-in.

Favorite Jams: Door to Door Cannibals, Joyride (Omen), Got Burned

Lest Favorite: Rivers

Devin and Che are both extremely talented musicians, and they certainly deliver here. The two forces combine to create a spacey, ethereal, beautiful and dreamlike journey into the darker side of southern rock, and it's pretty fantastic. It's mellow, sleepy and slow, but never boring or un-energetic. It tows the line between slow and interesting quite well, creating a record that has a sense of creativity and passion that's been missing in country.

Favorite Jams: The Code, Deathscope, ... read more

Eh? It's instrumentation and overall delivery is fun, aggressive and destructive, and some of the riffs, yelps and playing really does show off some the chops of Cane Hill. But at the same time, the record spends a lot of it's run-time trying to do two things. One: It's trying to showcase the "best" of the 90s, and it really only showcases the less interesting and less fun nu-metal version of the 90s. And Two: It's trying to convince you how crazy and fucked up it is, even though ... read more

While not game-changing or genre pushing, Cancer Bats put together a fun, entertaining, heavy and bouncy hardcore punk record that will, if our interested in the punk scene, put a smile on your face for how damn fun it is.

Favorite Jams: Beelzebub, Devil's Blood, Dusted

Lest Favorite: Buds

"Hello, welcome to banger hotline, how may I take you order?"

Hi yes, I was wondering if you could give me one of BROCKHAMPTON's best banger to date?

"Yep, we've got it right here. Do you want a side of melodic outro with that sir?"

Sure, why not.

"That'll be $15 dollars sir."

This is an interesting record. On one hand, its not the most groundbreaking and genre defying record out there. Hell, it's pretty basic when you get to side two. But at the same time, it's got various moments of genuine brilliance, that combine early Rush with early Bach, and it's a glorious mash up that somehow works for fans of both. It's interesting, and at only 37 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome at all.

Favorite Jams: Foreplay/Long Time, More Than a Feeling, Hitch a Ride

Lest ... read more

There are genuinely some really great tracks here, all tightly composed and well performed. But that's about it. There's not a lot here outside of a catchy melody, no tone or anything that's interesting or memorable. It's fine if your not looking for something that interesting, and if this is your first rodeo into this type of music you can do a lot worse, but if your a hardened rock fan then this probably wont do too much for you outside of a couple good tracks.

Favorite Jams: Devil in a ... read more

There are many records that many point to as their starting point into taking music more seriously. May I introduce to you mine: The Beatles at their craziest, off the wall and their most entertaining.

Favorite Jams: A Day In The Life, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Lest Favorites: Within You Without You

It's goddamn Abbey Road. It's a classic pop-rock album. It's the goddamn Beatles at their best. There is really nothing I can say that can add to the conversation. It's a masterpiece.

Favorite Jams: Oh! Darling, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Side Two (Tracks 9-16)

Lest Favorite: Octopus's Garden

It's sometimes can be too goofy and dark for it's own good, and sometimes does verge on edgy for edgy's sake at times, but for a majority of the record it's fun, frantic, off the wall metal that many will get a kick out of.

Favorite Jams: Torn Apart, Smells Like a Freakshow, Blod

Lest Favorite: Use Your Tongue

While sometimes the track-listing can be inconsistent in terms of quality, the great tracks are really great. Avatar are one of the more creative forces in metal right now, and the entertainment value on their albums are off the charts. It's fun. It's energetic. It's sometimes crazy, but always entertaining. It's Avatar.

Favorite Jams: Hail the Apocalypse, Bloody Angel, What I Don't Know

Lest Favorite: Tower