Lana Dey Rey "Ultraviolence"

It's hard to imagine, it's only been a little over a year since the not-so-silent invasion of the reigning songbird of solemnity took the throne over her army of lovesick Brooklyn twentysomethings. From the viral sensation of "Video Games", to an abysmal (and much-debated) Saturday Night Live "spectacle"- Miss Del Rey has crooned, murmured and whispered her live fast/die young mantra to the top of the not-pops. Here she is millenials, your new mistress of mope.

To say Lana Del Rey's debut, "Born To Die" (and subsequent "Paradise" EP), is an acquired taste is something of an understatement. Del Rey harkens to the days of Silver-Age Hollywood, forlorn trysts of unfathomable comprehension and sultry smoke-curls of ex lovers ripped straight from a harlequin romance novel- or at least that's what you'd be lead to believe since her lyrics are about as subtle as a brick through your front windshield. Semantics aside, the young starlet/harlot/darlin' (to borrow her turn of phrase) has indeed carved a niche for herself and even more surprisingly- EVOLVED!

Her recent release, "Ultraviolent", finds the damsel in distress treading into choppier waters with the direction of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach behind the helm as Producer.  Nearly gone are the lush strings backed by Hip Hop-worthy beats we found in her earlier catalogue; Auerbach has since introduced her to the healthy application of feedback & blues-laden guitars.  Naysayers may be wary to find the result is far more inviting than expected- we find ourselves slowly collapsing blissfully to the soundtrack of a lost spy movie as dictated by the diary of a teenage girl.

THE ROOTS- "...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin"

The Roots are a hip hop mainstay- the Philly-bred group's eclectic mix of pensive lyricism and live-instrumentation has continuously left the Clear Channel radio rap fodder decades behind in the dust.  With the founding fathers Tariq "Black Thought Trotter and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson at the helm, the group has released over a dozen records, landed the role of house band for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, and easily remained a must-see live-act. Their latest release, entitled "...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin", sees them raising the bar (yet again) and giving the hip hop community a run for their money.

Since the release of 2002's "Phrenology", The Roots have cleverly managed to slip in their jazz tendencies and avant garde detours increasingly with each record. "...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" is choked-full of disjointed instrumentation and film score-worthy production that makes it  hard to believe this is the same band that gets drowned out by the sound of applause nightly on your television when it would seem more at home serving a residence at MoMA. Serving as a matured companion piece to last year's "Undun", this is the welcomed logical next step for The Roots.

Get your copy of The Roots' "...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" HERE!

Ben Frost- "A U R O R A"

Ben Frost has carved a modest niche for himself in the hearts- and more importantly, ears- of the avant garde/ambient music community.  Juxtaposing a pastiche of tangible soundscapes against swirling strings and minimalist drone, Frost's previous works could easily serve as aural brethren to the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never or Tim Hecker (with whom he previously collaborated with on the album Ravedeath, 1972). His latest release "A U R O R A", however, launches him into darker and  more idiosyncratic territories.

Opening with a cacophonous swirl of synths and distortion fed through layers of distortion (and a hint of extra distortion for good measure), Frost is swimming in a sea overwrought with a newfound romance of electronics. The organic textures previously explored are all but sparse here, effortlessly substituted with a bevy of futuristic assaults. "A U R O R A" exists in a world where percussive static leads armies of knob-turning machinery crushes over their well-intentioned rain forests. This is science fiction; the sonic equivalent of a Philip K. Dick novel. From the opening blasts of ethereal noise to the textured bleeps of the closing track, "A Single Point Of Blinding Light", "A U R O R A" works seamlessly as a lone movement.

If you're looking for the sounds of the future, Ben Frost is certainly standing on the event horizon.

You can buy Ben Frost's "A U R O R A" here!