The Mix: Album of the Day : The Mix : Rhapsody

Not just a gaggle of Giorgio Moroder disciples, the Scissor Sisters are so '70s they rip off the Muppets (check "I Can't Decide" and imagine Fozzie singing backups). And yet, this follow-up to '04's Scissor Sisters is far less frivolous. That debut sounded like a few hipsters had stumbled across the right loops and stage names to birth a one-off goof. On Ta-Dah they attempt to turn that goof into something lasting. How lasting can slap-bass workouts inspired by '80s movies about skiing be? Like it or not, we're about to find out. [Garrett Kamps]

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Though the template of laying irreverent societal critique over bouncy Dr. Dre beats is left essentially intact, Marshall Mathers is darker and meaner. It mixes homophobia and misogyny with murder fantasies. The epic narrative "Stan" was Eminem's attempt to reconcile his responsibility as an influential public figure with his role as an entertainer and artist. But the distance between art and reality wasn't as clear as the song would lead us to believe, and the violent fantasy "Kim" reportedly led his wife, the song's subject, to attempt suicide. This is volatile, obscene and great art. [Sam Chennault]

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Death Cab have done some great work on their major-label albums, but it was their swan song for indie Barsuk where the band best balanced indie rock heart-on-sleeve earnestness with unmistakably precise songcraft. "Transatlanticism" is one long epic crescendo, a song about oceans that doubles as a wave you never want to break. "Lightness" is gorgeous in its concision, and "A Lack of Color" may be one of the saddest songs ever, no joke. The only way to improve this album would be to sell it with a box of Kleenex. [Garrett Kamps]

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Hear Joe Nichols sound like a younger, more rootsy version of Alan Jackson. Stripped-down instrumentation, endearing small town wistfulness, and gear-shifting, rambling roadhouse rockers emphasize the "traditional" in Nichols' torch-carrying New Traditional sound. [Eric Shea]

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Straightaways was Son Volt's middle child. There were no standout tracks such as "Drown" or "Windfall" (as heard on the band's first album). But like Jan Brady Straightaways is endearing. The album's moody, alt country-folk songs grow on the listener after repeated listening. There may be no hits, but isn't that what made Exile On Main Street so good? [Nick Dedina]

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The mythology surrounding Redding's prowess as a stage performer is for the most part based on his appearance in the concert film Monterey Pop and the Live in Europe album. Yet neither is representative of the soul legend's typical live show in the mid-'60s. This is why In Person at the Whisky A Go Go is such a vital document. Rather than Booker T. & the MG's, Redding is backed by his own band, with whom he possessed a unique chemistry. The balladry is, of course, heart-wrenching. But the high point just might be the ferocious rendition of "Satisfaction." The Stones surely loved it. [Justin Farrar]

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Released just four months after her death, Pearl is Joplin's only album recorded with The Full Tilt Boogie Band and features her biggest hit, "Me and Bobby McGee," and her a cappella ditty often played on classic rock radio, "Mercedes Benz." She wrote opener "Move Over" herself, and her takes on "Cry Baby" and "Get It While You Can" are definitive. Joplin was actually due in the studio to continue sessions for Pearl when she was found dead of a heroin overdose in her hotel room on October 4, 1970. One song, "Buried Alive in the Blues," is included without vocals. [Mike McGuirk]

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An indispensable tour through the work of one of America's greatest artists. Wonder's transformation into a one-man version of the Beatles (like them, he matched supple pop songcraft with breathtaking avant-garde experimentation) is well accounted for but this also shows how FREAKING amazing he was as a child prodigy and teenage R&B belter. [Nick Dedina]

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Lee Brice is an affable, well-rounded Nashville upstart who combines Toby Keith-style playful-rapscallion tunes with Bon Iver's ear for pretty sonic detail -- both the wordplay and the slightly arty studio flourishes are sharply tuned on Hard 2 Love. Aw-shucks hit "A Woman Like You" sets the tone; he drunkenly revels on "Parking Lot Party," convincingly mourns on "I Drive Your Truck" and sings the hell out of the strings-laden ballad "That Way Again." By track 11 it's probably redundant to be touting his love for "Beer," but ah, forget it, he's enjoying himself, and so are you. [Rob Harvilla]

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Under Construction is a testament to Missy Elliott's skill as a pop star. Yes, you read that right. Not to downplay her considerable abilities as an emcee -- the woman's got flow, and it's very much on display. But she also knows how to channel that flow into some conduits of serious pop genius. Almost every track here is steeped in Elliott's particular brand of pop brilliance: fierce, exciting, hopping with creative beats and, most of all, fun. Even less musically thrilling cuts like "P***ycat" are saved by Elliott's incorrigible wit. Forget construction. This is a finished product. [Rachel Devitt]

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If Pink Floyd were to collaborate with DJ Shadow and the cast of Sesame Street, this might have been the result. Bringing together obscure samples of children playing alongside Minimal Techno leaves an eerie yet comfortable impression. This 1998 release was a breakthrough album for listeners of both Downtempo and IDM. [Nicholas Baker]

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There's a warm, exuberant, distinctly Bon Jovian rasp to Georgia troubadour Kip Moore's voice on this debut, led by the raucous, bluesy radio hit "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck" (which commemorates how excited the ladies got when a young Kip traded up from an Isuzu). The rest of Up All Night prefers gentle pop-country grace to grit: Mostly it's lost love, not hedonism, keeping him awake, so soft-lit jams hailing romances both doomed ("Crazy One More Time") and successfully consummated ("Hey Pretty Girl") dominate. If "Tunnel of Love" is your favorite Springsteen song, here's your jam. [Rob Harvilla]

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This New York space-metal act tours as a quartet, but the five mind-expanding tracks on its private-press debut were made entirely by Ben Kaplan. He sets up momentously shifting walls of guitars and synths, propelling toward Mars over an incessant drum pulse. The density thickens from Hawkwind to heavy doom, but in tradition of early '90s Swiss visionaries Bloodstar, the swooshing minor-key beauty somehow yields a sense of hope. Good thing, given the generally pessimistic spoken predictions sampled from decades of uncredited sci-fi futurists, such as Arthur C. Clarke in "The Eternal Wanderer." [Chuck Eddy]

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2Pac is at his most boastful on All Eyez on Me, a two-disc set that's remarkably consistent, if unvarying, and wholly committed to a G-funk ethos. The first disc is packed with hits, including "California Love," "How Do U Want It" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted." Disc 2 strikes hard, too, but it sticks to ominous thug material like "When We Ride" as his trusty Outlawz crew eggs him on. "N*ggas is paranoid/ Trust a no-no," he raps on "Holla at Me," and he would soon indulge that paranoia as the vengeful Makaveli. But on All Eyez on Me, it's nuthin' but a gangsta party. [Mosi Reeves]

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Super jazzy and undeniably hip, the DP's first record is best known for the breakout hit "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." The album's lesser-known jams are just as crucial, however. Breezy and mellow flows ride easygoing melodies, offering smooth, lyrical odes to bebop legends and Brooklyn pride. Outstanding hip-hop circa 1993. [Brolin Winning]

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Prolific and unpredictable, Spencer Krug may be modern indie music's most interesting figure. After experimenting with organ on Moonface's debut album, here he collaborates with Finnish post-rockers Siinai for a truly mesmerizing experience. Krug's shaky Bowie-like howls and piercing, cryptic images of heartbreak are nurtured in slow-burning, ominous drones. But the dire tone is often lifted by dynamic motorik rhythms, woozy synths and screeching guitars -- just listen to those meticulous builds in "Yesterday's Fire," "I'm Not the Phoenix Yet" and "Faraway Lightning." Weird and epic at once. [Stephanie Benson]

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Brad will go down as a footnote in the Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone story, but that doesn't take away from the group's intriguing debut album. A choice blend of funk, psychedelic rock and moody confessionals, Shame exudes a blurry-eyed and decidedly insular feel, as if it was born in a thick haze of smoke around 3 a.m. Imagine Solid Air-era John Martyn, or even Stevie Wonder, fronting Jane's Addiction, and you're not far off. Though Brad features PJ's Stone Gossard on guitar, the real star of the show is singer-songwriter Shawn Smith, who also served time in proto-grunge warriors Malfunkshun. [Justin Farrar]

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A 1980s dance-pop group in the tradition of Shannon and Midnight Star, Brooklyn's Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam go all out on this excellent debut. Produced by Full Force (who also worked with U.T.F.O.), the album's loaded with strong vocals, punchy drum machine beats, and heavily layered keyboards. Features the timeless hit "I Wonder If I Take You Home." [Brolin Winning]

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This criminally neglected album contains many of Pulp's best songs. "Dishes" is true kitchen sink drama, while "Help the Aged" uses '70s Glam Rock to illustrate our hopeless obsession with fleeting youth. Best of all is "A Little Soul," a heartfelt narrative from a failed father and husband to a son entering adulthood. [Nick Dedina]

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There's lots of latent energy in Battles' music: All that snap and twang soaks up force like a coiled spring, which makes remixing them an interesting proposition. How do you re-animate music that's already so alive? Several of the remixers here practice a kind of reverse alchemy, taking Battles' brilliant baubles and melting them down into sullen gray lumps of techno. Others lead Battles stylistically far afield, as with Kode9's bright, bumpy U.K. funky, while Qluster turn the carnivalesque "Dominican Fade" into a lilting ballad somewhere between Kraftwerk and Jon Hassell. [Philip Sherburne]

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Music From Big Pink bumps and bounces with all that came before it and nothing that was to come after it -- because nothing like it ever did. A tragic, hilarious trip through the history of American music, this record positively breathes. In one motion the Band created and sealed forever a genre all their own. [Mike McGuirk]

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Minnie Riperton's first major hit followed years of commercially ignored work, from leading '60s sunshine-pop group Rotary Connection to singing backup for Stevie Wonder. Wonder repaid the favor by producing Perfect Angel, and "Reasons" and "Perfect Angel" bear his easy funk sound. But Riperton's soaring five-octave range is the key. Her idealistic views on love and life give "Take a Little Trip" and "The Edge of a Dream" a comfy, fireside vibe reminiscent of '70s folk pop. Even the sickly-sweet '70s chestnut "Lovin' You" sounds beautiful within the context of this remarkable breakthrough. [Mosi Reeves]

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The Swedish inventors of multiple genres let loose the first arrows of the Viking metal wars here, opening this 1988 album with a distant rumble of horses galloping beneath a mournful chorus, called "Odens Ride Over Nordland." From there, "Fine Day to Die" emerges from solemnly plucked guitars before the screaming/crushing churn begins. Blood Fire Death represents the bridge between Bathory's black and Viking metal years, with elements of both genres touching the songs -- namely, a more deliberate pace, purely epic structures and growling wraith vocals. [Mike McGuirk]

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Even with balls-to-the-wall Udo long gone, when metal's most homoerotic band open with "Hung, Drawn and Quartered," mentally inserting "like a horse" is a given -- especially since such an animal presumably assists the "crowd-pleasing dissection" for "sins of the flesh." That one and the subsequent Luftwaffe-soaring Eastern Front-battle title cut have rousing power melodies, too. Also wunderbar: "Revolution," a rant against the rich getting richer, rhymed fast as a shark; and "The Galley," where rugged thugs paddle a big boat, shout "row!" together, get chained up, and encounter mermaids. [Chuck Eddy]

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For many, this topped-out, jam-packed compilation is all you need from Motörhead (at least as far as their early days are concerned). With the best-metal-guitar-solo-ever "Ace of Spades" opening things up (and the unbelievable "Motörhead" and unstoppably, unspeakably great "Killed by Death" soon following), No Remorse is a timeless document of Lemmy Kilmister's one-of-a-kind genius, as well as the band's simple power. Did we mention that this has "Killed by Death" on it? [Mike McGuirk]

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Sweden's amelodic maestros of extreme graph-paper metal are still obsessed with getting convoluted in a claustrophobic room. Most calculus equations are barely discernible to untrained ears, but it's instructive that this set starts with its most difficult track: the cold, staccato, defiantly unchanging "I Am Colossus." From there, a window lets in some light, and guitars spurt in the crevices. The bone-cavity textures of "Marrow" beget the vertebrae-cracking "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion," which begets the raging beehive "Swarm." By "The Last Vigil," calm has set in. [Chuck Eddy]

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Technically, This Is Spinal Tap is the soundtrack to the riotous 1984 spoof-documentary, but because of how well the line between satire and reality blurred, it's rarely referred to as such. This CD chronicles the 'Tap from the '60s to the '80s, cheekily poking fun at a number of music trends along the way. [Linda Ryan]

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These OGs of NWOBHM make their first studio slab in a quarter-century giddily inviting: just eight songs, all over five minutes, each with a low-income but open-hearted tune structure like old times. "Dead Sea Scrolls" and the filthy-riffed "Guillotine" (great titles!) ride an early-Sabbath undertow; "Witching Hour" and "Brainwashed" are built on the same Zep progression Heart swiped in "Barracuda." Add sweet changes, gothic moods, a singer who can actually sing and stuff about "genocide to the ozone layer," and you just might decide metal's past couple decades were only a bad dream you had. [Chuck Eddy]

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This is it: the single most important metal record of the past few decades. Brutality, ferocity, wholesale mayhem -- the English language fails Reign in Blood. The real way to experience this high-speed rallying cry for all that's metal in this world is to listen to it wearing a suit made from the skin of your enemies. [Mike McGuirk]

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With producer Rick Rubin behind the dials and a studio crowded with L.A. ringers, Wildflowers -- Tom Petty's second record without the Heartbreakers -- is the most sophisticated, subtle presentation of his songs. "Don't Fade on Me" and "Only a Broken Heart" are delicate and reflective without being overly so, and tunes like "Honey Bee" and "You Wreck Me" prove that he can still kick out an aggressive, hook-heavy rocker. But the stuff between those two extremes -- mid-tempo gems like "It's Good To Be King" and "You Don't Know How It Feels" -- is as comfortable as well-worn denim. [Nate Cavalieri]

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With Aventura releasing their last album (supposedly) in 2009, room has opened up for the next Bronx-born bachata heartthrobs. Enter Prince Royce, young and lovely and as romantic as any 13-year-old girl could wish. For the most part, he sticks to the script, singing softly and with a few bilingual touches to the dreamy trickle of bachata guitar. But then he flips the script with the perhaps unintentionally funny and extremely catchy "Rock the Pants." You have to love a guy who sings, "Watch me as my jeans sag low/ When I walk out the door" to a throbbing club beat. [Sarah Bardeen]

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Two years after the freak anthem "Epic" made Faith No More an MTV sensation, they returned with an album that was anything but anthemic. Angel Dust is one of the more challenging albums to ever climb the Billboard charts. Filtering jagged funk-metal through a neo-Zappa sense of absurdism, FNM produced an album that is dark, menacing and aggressively eccentric. Three tracks in particular -- "Caffeine," "Jizzlobber" and "Malpractice" -- are downright insane. That said, this never devolves into cheap-thrills buffoonery -- quite the opposite, actually. It's a truly cerebral masterpiece. [Justin Farrar]

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"This is my design/ To make my n*ggas rewind," rhymes Charizma on "Methods." It's only one of several quotables the Milpitas rapper dropped on this legendary album over Peanut Butter Wolf's dusty Prince Paul-inspired beats. Packed with standout cuts like "Devotion" and "Red Light Green Light," Big Shots should have made the duo alt-rap stars. Instead, Charizma was tragically murdered in 1993 before the album could be released. Heartbroken, Peanut Butter Wolf spent the next few years negotiating with Hollywood BASIC for the master tapes. After reinventing himself as CEO of fan favorite Stones Throw Records, he gave Big Shots a proper release in 2003, and the album finally earned the acclaim it deserved. [Mosi Reeves]

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With their third album, a self-titled affair, Evanescence have shed much of the post-grunge crunch marking previous efforts (particularly Fallen). This isn't to imply the record is lacking in rock riffage. Just check out "The Other Side" and "What You Want"; it's there for sure. But ultimately, the music's most spotlighted qualities are Amy Lee's diva-worthy vocal gymnastics and the orchestral flourishes now woven into nearly every track. Also present are subtle touches of piano and electronica. The end result is easily the most melodic and pop-driven album the band has released to date. [Justin Farrar]

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So long, guitar solos; hello, piano and marimba! Not that it makes a difference to Jack White: His role as spastic preacher man is no less explosive. The hard-hitting, piano-driven soul of tracks like "The Denial Twist" and "My Doorbell" propels this album, along with some desolate pop and Zeppelin-style blowouts. [Jon Pruett]

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After switching management, watching their label fold, and welcoming Jay DeMarcus' baby daughter, the title Changed makes sense, though it still boasts the harmony-laden country pop fans love to the tune of 21 million albums sold. The lyrics are deeper and more poignant: The title track, a joyful testament to the power of saying sorry and starting over, packs a powerful, uplifting punch. The anthemic "Great Big Love" celebrates a love so strong it gets you through the bad times -- corny on paper, but the harmony-kissed chorus erases any doubts. Try "Let It Hurt," "Banjo" and "Friday," too. [Linda Ryan]

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The Staple Singers had been around for years before they crossed over from gospel royalty to pop stars. Believe it or not, the classic "Respect Yourself" only reached No. 12 (wake up and start respecting yourself, America!) but the follow-up, "I'll Take You There," soared to No. 1 on the pop charts. While both magic numbers are still played daily, the rest of this album is up to their rarified level of excellence. "Name the Missing Word," "Who" and every other cut is made close-to-perfect by Mavis Staple's heart-breaking lead vocals, Pop's benevolent leadership and the family band's tight harmonies. [Nick Dedina]

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Rusko often gets blamed for dubstep's devolution, but the British DJ's 2010 album debut was more interested in hooks and funk (in particular, G-funk) than mind-numbing, bowel-busting wobble. With Songs, he doubles down on melodies, choruses, codas and other hallmarks of canny pop craftsmanship. Rooted in reggae, the album delights in switching between dubstep's thundering rhythms and airy trance. Many of the best tracks salute the U.K.'s old-school rave culture, while the stunning "Pressure" looks back to Basement Jaxx without losing a shred of its futuristic funk. [Philip Sherburne]

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Ostensibly a concept album about Jesus' stillborn but now quantum-leaping twin brother (not that you'd ever figure that out by listening, of course), De Vermis Mysteriis marks a respectably ferocious sixth installment for Oakland's now-venerable post-sludge/post-thrash institution. There's a musicianly instrumental that breaks levees; a musket-firing war-march closer; some big-boned, bog-drowned late-Motörhead roaring. And maybe the two strongest constructions - seven-minute lunch-bucket lurcher "Madness of an Architect" and wild-dog stomp "Romulus and Remus" -- open with buzzing white noise. [Chuck Eddy]

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This is a crucial early underground record and the first dispatch from rap's favorite extraterrestrial satirist, Kool Keith. The interplay between Keith and Ced Gee is incredible, with Keith's high-pitched squeal anchored by Ced Gee's bass. Not yet the perv he would become, Keith comes across as a spastic teenager with an active imagination. It all coalesces over Gee's production, which is a mixture of Eric B's James Brown fetishism and Prince Paul's quirky sampledelia. Nearly every song is hot, but standouts include "Funky," the title track and "Ego Trippin'." [Sam Chennault]

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With their third album, a self-titled affair, Evanescence have shed much of the post-grunge crunch marking previous efforts (particularly Fallen). This isn't to imply the record is lacking in rock riffage. Just check out "The Other Side" and "What You Want"; it's there for sure. But ultimately, the music's most spotlighted qualities are Amy Lee's diva-worthy vocal gymnastics and the orchestral flourishes now woven into nearly every track. Also present are subtle touches of piano and electronica. The end result is easily the most melodic and pop-driven album the band has released to date. [Justin Farrar]

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Cline's final album before the plane crash that took her life, Sentimentally Yours came out a year before her death and features "She's Got You," which was a major hit on both the country and pop charts. The Virginia-born singer was the first female country artist to be taken seriously by the male-dominated Nashville machine, and the album features the beautifully tortured voice and understated arrangements that contributed to her influence on countless singers across a broad range of styles. With some island-y rhythms and gospel-touched backing singers, this defines the Nashville sound. [Mike McGuirk]

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Forget about "Anarchy in the U.K." Punk started the minute the needle hit "Blitzkrieg Bop." The Ramones debut has it all: buzzsaw guitar riffs, insanely catchy tunes and an obvious love for 1960s teen pop. Their original "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is even more authentic than the cover of "Let's Dance". The extra demos show they had it from the start. [Nick Dedina]

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God's Not Dead finds Newsboys challenging Nietzsche's assertion with their rock-driven modern worship take on some of the most popular praise anthems. The band again tapped co-producer Seth Mosley to help them apply their signature sound to favorites like "Forever Reign" and "Revelation Song." Five original tracks -- including standout "The King Is Coming" -- round out the project. You won't want to miss the band's cover of "God's Not Dead (Like a Lion)" because it reunites frontman Michael Tait with his former dc Talk bandmate Kevin Max, who also appears on "I Am Second." [Wendy Lee Nentwig]

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Rachid Taha has become a drunken institution, an aging punk who tilts at his Algerian brethren, the world music establishment and rock 'n' rollers equally -- all while making them dance. The guy exudes toughness: It drips off his venomous cover of "Rock the Casbah," pervades "Nokta" and even informs "Habina (We Love)." And no wonder -- he almost single-handedly rescued rai from its ticky-tacky synthesizers and reminded us that dance music could skewer racism. Meet France's native Algerian son, and learn why he looms so large over pop and world music. [Sarah Bardeen]

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Instead of the Material Girl, Madonna's nickname should be Thoroughly Modern Millie, as the lady -- with the help of producer William Orbit -- has reinvented herself for the new millennium. Her flair for pop melodies and his cutting-edge approach to techno resulted in some of the most dynamic music Madge has made in years. [Linda Ryan]

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One listen to The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond and it's clear that the featured artists have captured the book trilogy's darkness to eerie perfection. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack employs the sort of sinister, ethereal sounds that have become synonymous with Burnett's work. Highlights include Arcade Fire's chilling "Abraham's Daughter" and The Secret Sisters' haunting "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder," but it's the nearly indistinguishable Maroon 5's "Come Away to the Water" and the Carolina Chocolate Drops' stunner "Daughter's Lament" that offer the biggest return. [Linda Ryan]

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Dreaming of You was released after Selena's murder, and chances are not every song was finished when she died. But no album shows her versatility so clearly: Originally a Tejano star, she had the emotional and vocal chops to penetrate the American pop and R&B charts. This spawned the hits "Amor Prohibido," "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and "Como La Flor." [Sarah Bardeen]

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In the past, you really had to see Sleater-Kinney live to realize that they were one of the best bands around. On The Woods, it's apparent immediately. Sounding immense and positively explosive, the group pummels through some of the most dense, articulate songs of its career while also rocking without impunity. [Jon Pruett]

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With rhythm cues learned straight from the Velvets, feedback cues also from the Velvets ("Sister Ray" to be specific) and singer Malcolm Mooney holding a one-way ticket to a mental breakdown, the German future rockers debuted with one of those records that is so influential, so important, that no one in the States even got near it until long after punk rock broke everything open. The closer, "Yoo Doo Right," is a 20-minute jam edited down from 6 hours (!), and poor Mooney really sounds like a nutjob on "Outside My Door." The band fails to play a single note that is not ahead of its time. [Mike McGuirk]

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