Jason Forrest, 'The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash' (Sonig)

Any smarmy hack can slap on a Fu Manchu and cop some Travolta moves, but it takes a fearless artist to turn the radio pop of the much-maligned ’70s into an aesthetic revelation. Here, former WFMU DJ and IDM miscreant Jason Forrest gives me-decade sound chunks--mirror-ball disco, classic rock, bubblegum pop--a loving blastoff.

Jadakiss, 'Kiss of Death' (Ruff Ryders/Interscope)

Yonkers goes bonkers, son!

Let this be known from the jump: Listening to Jadakiss will not stamp your ticket to heaven. His second solo album offers little in the way of social commentary, colorful storytelling, playful humor--all the hallmarks that make albums by your average God’s son or college dropout compelling.

Wilco: Live at Poughkeepsie, NY's The Chance

Thinking Inside the Box

Okay, quick history lesson: A decade ago, rock was rock and club

Various Artists, 'Old Enough to Know Better: 15 Years of Merge Records' (Merge)

It’s only appropriate that the mentor-minded underachievers of Superchunk open their label’s anniversary set with another band--Neutral Milk Hotel, whose leader Jeff Mangum disappeared after two intimately surreal indie-rock masterpieces.

Jadakiss - Kiss of Death

Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Kiss of Death
Ruff Ryders/Interscope

 

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