Fitz and the Tantrums - More Than Just a Dream

Looks like a heart. Sounds like a time machine.

First things first, this record shouldn't exist. It literally came from the 80's through as-of-yet undiscovered scientific means. I tried burning it with fire, and banishing it to the negative zone. I cursed it with a mouse skeleton and some incense, and then I eventually broke down and finished listening to it. It made me regret the third and fourth sentences.

This record is pretty great. It's bleeding soul, and echoing great rhythms from a time when music was literally supported by a platform made of cocaine-mortared bricks of more cocaine.

Childish Gambino - Camp

Trees. Motherfucker.

Donald Glover ain't just that guy you saw on Community. That show is the shit, and that's true. He's trying to tell you he's got more goin' on than that. And he does. M#th$r F*uck#r.

Gambino is doing a Kanye impression here, nobody is arguing that. However, I might go so far as to say I prefer Glover's impression to the real thing 30% of the time. If this is the type of protégé we can expect Kanye to leave in his wake, we're in for a bright and Kanye-sounding future ahead of us. I got no problem with that. See "Backpackers" and "Fire Fly."

The Black Keys - El Camino

The original concept for the El Camino.

The Black Keys seventh studio album, El Camino is drenched in Black Keys goodness. Danger Mouse is back in the production seat, and I couldn't be happier about that. Danger Mouse is to music what MSG is to Chinese food. I don't care if it has more sodium than a Pakistani salt mine, it tastes good, and I don't want to live that long anyway.

The tempos are back up, after Brothers slow jams saturated the radios for a while. The wiki says that this is because of the difficulty that the boys had playing through them live. Interesting thing about Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney: they groove too fast to slow down. When they aren't out of control break-neck rocking, I think they lose their powers and turn back into shitty Clark Kent.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher is as hard to photograph as Bigfoot.

To begin, I thought I hated this man for causing every amateur musician in the world to take up guitar specifically to learn Wonderwall to impress girls in beanies at low attendance house parties. As it turns out, this man can really write. He's also a great singer. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I can't help but feel a bit betrayed by my tastes. Shut up tastes! I tell you what to like! Not the other way around. For anyone who isn't following this rant, Noel Gallagher is credited with the majority of the writing for the English easy rock group Oasis.

Now that that's out of the way, I actually couldn't get enough of this record. For the first time in a while, I agree with the labels decision to release "If I had a Gun..." as the first single. This is an awesome track that I wouldn't mind replacing Wonderwall in the guitar catalog of new-to-the-game hippies.

Das Racist - Relax

They forgot to dive away from the explosion, none survived.
The alternate band name was: Facial Hair in Front of Fire.

So first things first, this album came out a little while ago. However, before I jump into reviews of albums coming out this year, I'm trying to get through some of my favorite albums of 2011, and releases I simply haven't gotten around to listening to.

That being said, Das Racist's last release "Sit Down, Man" has got to be one of the most listened to records in my Winamp collection. (Yeah. I don't use iTunes. Shut Up. I don't know why. Don't let it stop you from being my friend.) So I'm literally disgusted with myself at how long this was out before I first listened to it. This record starts an finishes feeling very familiar, for those that heard any of those tracks. Throughout the record there are even overt references to both Sit Down and Shut Up. "I'm at the Newcastle" anyone?