Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

Label: Top Dawg, Aftermath, Interscope
Year: 2012
Genre: Hip Hop
Recommending Person: Phillip Henry

Kendrick Lamar is the current hip hop artist that is always pointed to when ignorant people say that Rap is not music and is just 'crap'.

I've always thought that was silly, not because Kendrick Lamar isn't a talented musician, but those people won't look past the fact his biggest single is "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe". 

I love that Kendrick Lamar has a very unique sound that I imagine in 4 years time we will hear a lot of copies of Kendrick Lamar, with a lot of Reggie Watts-ish backing vocals with unique beats and well thought out lyrics and unconventional hooks. Many of the reviews compare this album to Aquemini or ATLiens from Outkast, but it's just too different for that to be true. I think that it will have a similar impact and I look forward to the next release from Lamar.

Rocket From the Crypt - Scream, Dracula, Scream

Label: Interscope
Year: 1995
Genre: Punk Rock
Recommmending Person: Paul Conant

This is a band I have not heard of previously, so I was excited. The general vibe is something I am generally very into. There is a performance aspect of becoming an entirely different character that I enjoy. It's really much more enjoyable than a performer just trying to sell themselves as slightly different than what they are in real life. 

Rocket From the Crypt experienced much larger popularity in the UK than the US, which has a weird history which one day I want to be fully explored by someone talented (aka Not me), and they do a good job of melding Rock genre's into their Punk Rock aesthetic. I particular enjoy a Bruce Spingsteenian offering in in the song "Used". It maybe the orchestral backing or the harmony driven chorus, but I could easily see it covered by "The Boss" in a 25 minute long live version.