Trent not only delivers one of his more consistent statements on this EP, Trent (along with new found member Atticus Ross) surprisingly and shockingly takes a more then welcome return to the dark side, with some of the heaviest songs NiN have made period.

Favorite jams: Branches / Bones, The Idea Of You, Burning Bright (Field on Fire)

Lest favorite: Dear World,

This album is a strange one. On one hand, it doesn't take much risks in providing energetic and thought provoking tracks, but on the other hand it's one of the more experimental and unique Nine Inch Nails albums to come out in a long time. No matter how you shake it, this album still has some fun and unique ideas at play, both sonically and lyrically.

Favorite jams: Various Methods of Escape, In Two, I Would For You

Lest Favorite: The Eater Of Dreams

There is no denying that this is a political album. This is a shockingly and bluntly political album. And now, it's aged like fine wine. It's an album that has stood the test of time, and while it's not the most musically interesting Nine Inch Nails album, it is the most culturely relevant Nine Inch Nails album.

Favorite jams: God Given, Vessel, Me, I'm Not

Lest Favorite: The Warning

This is a relentless album. In length, it's relentless. With it's experimentation, it's relentless. With the overall playing, it's relentless. And with the lyrics at play here? It's almost hard to listen. It's the closest Trent has come to actually dying for his art, and here his art is tearing him apart. And it's strangely fantastic to listen to.

Favorite jams: The Wretched, Somewhat Damaged, The Big Come Down

Lest favorite: Complication

This is Trent finally conquering his fears. The fear hasn't gone away, but on this album, in all of it's early 2000s glory, the fear seems much more fun, much more lively, much more accessible, and much less...well, fearing. It's a fear of letting the past go in order to move forward, and Trent and Co. move forward with long strides.

Favorite jams: Beside You In Time, You Know What You Are, Getting Smaller

Lest Favorite: The Line Begins To Blur

While some of it's sounds and styles can seem somewhat dated and by the numbers by today's standards, it's still a rip roaring and insanely detailed industrial album that deserves all the attention it gets, even if it's still trying to wipe off the 80s slime off it's highly polished back.

Favorite jams: Sanctified, Something I Can Never Have, Head Like A Hole

Lest favorite: Down in It (R A P T R E N T)

This is angry. It's really angry. It's the record that defines angry. It's short, loud, and extremely blunt. And good lord is it angry. The rage, the hate, the passion, the fear, the whole depressing tone of it all, the nihalism, has been cranked up to ten. And it gives off fabulous results.

Favorite jams: Gave Up, Wish, Suck

Lest Favorite: Uh...Help Me I Am In Hell?

Dead Star is one of the greatest Muse songs of all time, and it's housed in a nice compact EP with some other great tracks. Solid release.

He took out his penis so that he could hold a note on the keyboard.

(But genuinely, it's actually not too bad if your into noise music, but it's too short to really stick.)

An absolute bonkers pop-prog-jazz-rock adventure that tests the limits of what becomes both self indulgence and what becomes insanely creative. Creating a world straight out of an LSD wet dream, it's insanely creative, insanely well performed, and...well, insane, but in the most charming way possible. (The song titles alone should have given that away)

Favorite jams: Neoprene Byzantine, That Brahmatron Song, Happy Days

Lest Favorite: Pink Lemonade

While not as loud or abrasive as previous efforts, clipping. continues to develop their already intriguing sound, all while keeping it in a strange sci-fi tale of slavery, artificial intelligence and false gods. An intriguing record to say the very lest.

Favorite jams: Air Em Out, Break The Glass, A Better Place

Lest Favorite: Interlude 02 (Numbers)

One of the best experimental hip-hops records to come out in this new slew of ground-breaking and exciting Hip Hop. Loud, dirty, and addicting as hell, Daveed Diggs and Co. are prooving themselves to be one of the loudest and smartest voices in rap.

Favorite jams: Story 2, Body & Blood, Get Up

Lest Favorite: Williams Mix

It's loud, abrasive, angry, dirty, grimy, hard to hear at times, and defiantly challenging. But it's defiantly something that needs to be experienced. From the high pitched noise of "get.it" to the one phrase nauseam of "outro", the beats and instrumentation is not going to be for everyone. But what it does have is something otherwordly: Daveed Diggs, who could go down as one of the best voices in hip-hop.

Favorite jams: killer, story, guns.up

Lest Favorite: bullshit

While it's not the biggest, most ground-breaking or transforming hip-hop record of the year, it's still a decent debut that offers much more lyrical ideas then the average rapper, hopping from emotional hard hitters to full on bangers. A good way to start the career of one of the more interesting figures in the "YouTube" hip-hop scene.

Favorite jams: Malcolm, Twelve 27, White Trash

Lest Favorite: Umami

Somehow NSP have outdone themselves both musically and comedically, delivering both their funniest and musically polisehd album to date.

Favorite jams: Danny Don't You Know, Heart Boner, Eating Food In The Shower

Lest favorite: Outro (Patrol)

Ninja Sex Party continue to improve their sound as a group and produce more catchy, uplifting, and intensely funny music on this record, with a clear prog element thrown into the mix to keep things fresh and interesting.

Favorite jams: Peppermint Creams, Party of Three, 6969

Lest Favorite: Outro (City)

A fantastically funny and insanely entertaining album that, while the production doesn't really stand out, will have many coming back again and again for a fun and hilarious ride.

Favorite jams: Objects of Desire, Three Minutes of Ecstacy, Accept My Shaft

Lest Favorites: Outro

This could have been great. The beats are solid, Bobby's flow is surprisingly good here, and there defiantly is some passion here to be enjoyed. However, this talent and passion is used for a measly 18 minute "mixtape" that feels more like an EP then a full release, and lyrics that seem to only be about being "edgy for edgys sake" instead of being "edgy with a purpose" like his peers. Which is a real shame, because Bobby seems to now his way around words, and could ... read more

An old-school Beatles/Pink Floyd hybrid throwback but with the ferocious guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix, the absolute bass insanity that only Claypool could apply, and the lyrics of a King Crimson record. Suffice to say, it's bizarre, bonkers and fun as hell to witness in all of it's prog-rock weirdness.

Favorite jams: Breath of a Salesman, Cricket and the Genie, Oxycontin Girl

Lest Favorite: There's No Underwear in Space

Full of 80s swagger and funk filled groove, one of the more unique funk acts in recent years prove that they can construct a full length album as well as they can construct a tune. While it does suffer from pacing issues, for a debut album, it's pretty damn solid.

Favorite jams: Phantom Racer, Starlight Brigade, Feels Pretty Good

Lest favorite: The Perfect Product