The Music Tapes

Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes (Merge)

Complete with banjo, a singing saw and an orchestra straight out of a New Orleans funeral precession, Music Tapes maestro Julian Koster’s 9-years-in-the-making sophomore album paints him as a young child in an old, twisted world. Actually, that may not be too far from the truth.

-Alex Abnos

The Game

L.A.X. (Geffen)

Named for the intersection of travel in Los Angeles, L.A.X. hits every mark of West Coast wannabe gangsta album. It includes the voices of Lil Wayne and Travis Barker, and features a track performed from the perspective of Tupac, Biggie and Eazy-E. And would it be Cali without a sample of “She Works Hard for the Money?” I think not.

-Chloe Popescu

Slipknot

All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner)

This album has a legitimate power ballad. And Creed-inspired choruses.

-Alex Carusillo

The Verve

Forth (On Your Own)

Things in your life a little too sugary? The Verve’s Forth is an oh-so-Bittersweet Symphony. The long tracks, mellow guitar and occasional falsetto will bring your aspartame concentration right back to where you want it.

-Ani Mamourian