Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals

When all is said and done, Marilyn Manson's a pretty shitty boogeyman. If anything in his oeuvre can be called scary, it's the darkly ominous Holy Wood. His shock tactics are blatant and shameless, and his lyrics can sometimes border on being an unintelligible mix of naughty words. The music, especially Antichrist Superstar always sound somehow less heavy than they should. So all in all, I prefer Manson when he's being a bit more theatrical. Here, taking a page from Bowie with a semi-concept album about an alien rock star (or some such bullshit) works better than most. Because it's got one Gary Glitter boot firmly in the realm of glam rock, he's free to stretch out a bit. The gospel singers on "I Don't Like the Drugs," for example, add a little bit of flavor to what otherwise would be an interminable stomp. The sinister, snake like first single "The Dope Show" ranks as the best track here, but the rest has a sort of flamboyant charm to it, making it my second favorite Manson album (first place goes to the absurd The Golden Age of Grotesque).

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

This is Green Day's most ambitious album, probably. Divided into three mini-suites, the album continues American Idiot in sound and mood, if not in plot or characters. It lacks the zeitgeist of its predecessor, though, coming a bit too late. A few months after the end of the Bush administration can make a big difference, so the songs here feel like grumpy remnants of a long-gone era when they shouldn't and truly aren't. It's too bad, though, since some of the songs on here rank with Green Day's best, including "21 Guns" and "Last of the American Girls." It's possible that this set of songs, not quite as married to the political climate of the 2004 election, might age better than American Idiot. For now, though, it's the lesser of the two. Also, listening to it in 3 separate sittings is highly recommended: no matter how many tricks Green Day learns, a straight 80 minutes is still a long time to spend hearing politics from the guy who wrote "Longview."

Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop

Cosmic Slop is one of the lesser Funkadelic releases, with only the title track ranking as one of their best, but thankfully the songs are all short. Not that their bad - but hearing any of these elongated too far would throw the album off-kilter. Funk in general, but especially that overseen by George Clinton in his prime, has the benefit of working as background music when it's not great. Funkadelic, too, is a very technically sound band, so it's never bad. It's just mediocre.

Say Anything - ...Is a Real Boy/Was a Real Boy

Normally, my tolerance for navel-gazing emo bands is somewhat low, but Max Bemis backs himself (he plays nearly everything but percussion and some keyboards here and there) with enough musical muscle to make his self-aware (he's in a band, he sings about being in a band!) songs live with a sense of dignity. Instead of playing like some diary entries from a narcissist, ...Is a Real Boy comes off like a raging storm against shallowness, whether it's sexual ("The Writhing South"), critical ("An Orgy of Critics"), etc. Closing song "Admit It!!!" hits a bit close to home - attacking hipsters, some of the lyrics sound a bit like me. Which ones? Not telling. The strength is musical; unlike so many other bands with emo leanings, Bemis doesn't rely on preciousness to make his argument. It's not a brutal record on the level of a metal band, but it's incredibly powerful for a guy singing the insides of his head.

The bonus disc on the reissue, ...Was a Real Girl, is pretty inessential, sounding a bit like leftovers. Of the seven songs, I would say none of them are bad, but none are essential, either. "Wow I Can Get Sexual, Too" is a highlight, though - so catchy, so cute, such delightful little keyboards. It sounds nothing like the album, and in a sense that makes it more memorable than the rest. Not better - but more memorable.

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane

You won't hear me say "God bless the crass commercial concerns of major label execs" very often, but I will say it in reference to this album. The story goes that Maroon 5 submitted Songs About Jane only to be told that they needed to write a couple songs that would stand up better as singles. The results: the tense breakout single "Harder to Breathe" and the lite-funk of "This Love," two of the best songs here. They open the album, while the other best song, "Sweetest Goodbye" closes it. In between, you get some white funk and Prince-like falsettos, a sweet, delicious ear candy. Without those first two singles, the album wouldn't begin with a bang, no matter how you arrange them. Not a bad song here, but they all somehow feel less consequential than the ones they were forced to write.

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

The Beastie Boys finished the 90s with a bang. Continuing in the vein of their sound for that decade (Check Your Head and Ill Communication), Hello Nasty puts their rhymes up against their instrumental prowess. A Beastie Boys record is like its own world, and in this world, dub experiments (Dr. Lee, PhD) can be preceded by the electro-flavored hits "Body Movin'" and "Intergalactic." The jokes and pop culture references here are as funny and sharp as ever, while the key Beastie Boys ingredient, their chemistry, remains potent. Few hip-hop groups exist, period, but even fewer can claim to create a great mix of voices. The way the three MCs have completely unique voices that clash and contrast with each other sets them apart, and it's a joy to hear just that, even without the amazing beats.

Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali

If enough people tell you something's good, why not check it out? This album was the top-reviewed album on Metacritic for 2008. Does it live up to that hype? Perhaps not, but what could? So far, after a few listens, individual songs don't seem to stick, but the sound does. And that's not to say I don't like it (my impression of The Arcade Fire is similar). It's such an exuberant listen, filled with chanting, quietly skillful guitars and subtle electronica elements, how can one turn against it? Reviews are useless against this kind of music. Much like the Stevie Wonder's "The Duke," it's impossible to listen to it and feel unhappy.