Jaime Meline, a.k.a. El-P, took five years to make Cancer4Cure. He spent much of that time mourning the death of his close friend Camu Tao, dissolving his record label, Definitive Jux, and coming to terms with his demons as he looked into an unpredictable future. Lucky for us, he somehow managed to put all that pain down on wax and emerge rough and ready to take on all comers. Continue reading →

Remember when the story was all about her perplexing vocal sounds? Six years later and Joanna Newsom puts out a three-disc, two-hour magnum opus, and it’s the first absolutely essential release of the new decade. Continue reading →

There’s nothing like a reunion album to elicit snickers from fans of all ages, and in most cases, the band works hard to earn that derision by attempting to update their sound or cash in on current trends. Van Halen, however, has somehow managed to avoid any temptation whatsoever to alter the formula. Continue reading →