On Reasons Red Pens have proven themselves to be wise beyond their years, crafting an arresting album that transcends the local scene and positions them to be heard in the near future by a much bigger audience.

Forget about the gut-wrenchingly amazing technical skills of the bad-ass flamenco rockers that will already have your ears in ecstasy, for the lascivious threads of balmy South American nights intertwined with hard rock influences are guaranteed to leave listeners wondering how they got to heaven, and how they can avoid being sent back to earth.

Even though they are working in a genre that isn’t my favorite, I think Grey Skies did a great job with their new EP and created a strong batch of songs that have them carving their own niche in the local scene.

The over the top, prog-rock histrionics of Devonshire, England’s Muse certainly aren’t for everybody, and there seems to be a definite line drawn firmly in the sand between the band’s detractors and their supporters. That line is only bound to get more defined with the release of the trio’s relentlessly theatrical new record, The Resistance.

Man On The Moon is a very welcome shot-in-the arm album that dispels the notion that hip-hop records aren’t as experimental and daring as past landmarks… Divine Styler is somewhere smiling at Kid Cudi and his tight pants.

While at times there are songs that pull away from the body of the record, Backspacer demonstrates that the band still has fire, it still has cohesion, and above all it demonstrates that Eddie Vedder is still lyrically able to crush giants.

Despite my contentions and the album’s ups and downs I feel that it should be heard; although I think that fans should be well prepared to find that Everybody won’t sound quite as they might expect.

The Black Crowes have been making classic rock-n-roll for over two decades and Before the Frost… is no exception to their formula: it is just as capable of making you dance, as it is at telling a great story.

The EP is a continuation of the band’s folky, psychedelic sunshine; the only noticeable departure from Paranoid Cocoon being a lack of sleigh bells.

For those of you out there who had your fill of Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles from their incessant performing behind their debut album, it is safe to come out again.

This is raw, hardcore hip-hop, not for the “tight jean” set, and there are no trendy guests, or gimmicks. This is exactly what the genre needs at this point in time when way too many empty vessels front as rap-stars.

Born Again Revisited is an outstanding pop record that’s full of the sort of heart, grit, and emotional vulnerability to which most 20-somethings can all relate. Sophomore slump begone!