Two recommended albums

I'm addicted to discovering new bands and love talking new music with friends. I hear a lot of good stuff (and some not so good stuff, of course). I'm going to start posting some personal recommendations when I find a disc that I can't stop listening to. Here are two of those discs from the past few weeks:


Atmosphere : You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

I've been into Atmosphere since I first heard "Seven's Travels" on vinyl a couple of years ago. Slug's (aka Sean Daley) deeply personal, self-deprecating, sometimes bitter, sometimes transcendental lyrics reflect his struggles with love, loss, and raising his kid. "You Can't Imagine..." is his latest, and deals his rising popularity, drug addiction (both prescription and illicit), more love and loss, and tragedy at one of his shows in Albuquerque.


Blackalicious : Blazing Arrow

I've known about Blackalicious for a few years now, and I regret not listening to this album earlier. These guys are progressive, smart, eclectic and on the "positive tip." It's the kind of Roots meets Lyrics Born hip-hop sound you can't help but nod your head to. Their latest album ("The Craft") is also good, but this is the album that I can't put down. J5, Dilated Peoples, Ben Harper, and even Zack de la Rocha make appearances, but the album doesn't suffer from "guest fatigue" like so many hip-hop albums do.