Titus Andronicus – Local Business
On the band’s third outing, we find lead singer/principle songwriter Patrick Stickles delivering some of his most self-reflective and honest lyrics. While the album’s overall concept seems to be dedicated to the dying businesses of its namesake, the record’s lyrics reflect a much more personal and emotional message– the desire to find some truth in this lonesome, bankrupt world. Local Business manages to sum itself up well within its first few stanzas. “Ok, I think, by now, we’ve established that everything is inherently worthless / And there is nothing in the universe with any kind of objective purpose,” Stickles screams with conviction. Some may view this as an incredibly depressing statement to start off an album, but Stickles delivers the line with such fervor that it almost seems liberating– a cleansing moment for the listener. Read the full review on No Ripcord

Gary Clark Jr. – Blak and Blu
Whether the deepest Muddy Waters cut or the Black Keys in some Home Depot ad, the blues has to have The Ache. It’s that un-fake-able sense that the voice you’re hearing has seen the ugliest parts of the world and is bearing every inch of their emotional wounds. For his part, Clark’s attempts at portraying The Ache result in the oh-so-close “Numb” and “Next Door Neighbor Blues”. Read the full review on Consequence of Sound

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
Author Malcolm Gladwell laid out the theory in his book Outliers: The Story of Success that regardless of God-given talent, an individual who strives for an ideal proficiency in their respective craft must first spend at least ten years honing their skills. Better known as the “10,000-Hour Rule” it can be applied to any industry – whether it is science, sports or the arts. Fittingly, it’s also a theory that Seattle rapper Macklemore stands by, as evidenced by his climb from earlier years of artistic stagnation and personal struggles to an underground sensation that has built his own success without the assistance of a record label. This culmination of an independent and willful demeanor is undoubtedly present on his debut full-length The Heist with producer Ryan Lewis. Read the full review on Hip Hop DX