Jim Jones, 'Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment)' (Diplomat/Koch)
Incessant chatter clutters up coulda-been rap contender.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 12.04.06 4:00 AM
This MC "capo" of Cam'ron's Harlem-based Diplomats clique constantly fills the usual empty space between bars with loony catchphrases ("Fly with the stars / G4 flights, 80 grand large"), and these flamboyant ad-libs almost overshadow his competent, if overlong, third solo album.
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Sufjan Stevens, 'Songs for Christmas' (Asthmatic Kitty)
The holiday gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving.
By Barry Walters 12.04.06 4:00 AM
Collecting four privately distributed EPs, plus a new one, this two-hour, five-disc retrospective of the Brooklyn songwriter's Christmas-themed output documents Stevens' transformation from unremarkable folkie Jesus freak to unorthodox Christian mega-talent.
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The Low Frequency in Stereo, 'The Last Temptation Of...' (Gigantic Music)
Peppy Scandinavians raid their record collection.
By Jon Young 12.01.06 4:00 AM
Creating good trash rock is tricky -- come on too silly or too smart and you kill the buzz. This Norwegian quartet get it just right on their breezy third album, flinging punk aggression, surf-guitar twang, new-wave angst, and psychedelic weirdness into the same tangy, overheated stew.
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Nellie McKay, 'Pretty Little Head' (Hungry Mouse)
Art-pop ingenue resurrects disputed major-label album.
By Barry Walters 12.01.06 4:00 AM
Late last year Columbia sent this New York alternative cabaret singer's 16-track second album to some magazines (including this one) for review (read more), despite her intention to release it as a more sprawling 23-track disc.
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Music As Torture: War Is Loud
UPDATED: At Guantanamo Bay, the military is attempting to break down Muslim prisoners by bombarding them with ear-splitting rap and metal, leading human rights activists to ask: When does an interrogation tactic become pure torture?
By David Peisner 11.30.06 5:07 PM
[Writer's note: When I was researching this story on the U.S. military and intelligence agencies' use of music as an interrogation tool back in 2006, I spoke to A. John Radsan, who had been assistant general counsel at the CIA from 2002 to 2004. I was specifically interested in trying to nail down exactly who had authorized the use of music in this manner.
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Snoop Dogg, 'Tha Blue Carpet Treatment' (Doggystyle/Geffen)
We get it, dogg, you're a pimp and a thug, let's move on.
By Lane Brown 11.30.06 4:00 AM
To hear Snoop Dogg tell it, this was supposed to be a return to the gritty sound of his early Death Row records. But the closest he gets here is lead single "Vato," a Neptunes-produced burner that almost makes him sound menacing again. Everywhere else, though, he's just retracing past missteps.
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