10 Albums to Check Out

Below is a list of 10 albums I think musically open people will appreciate. This is NOT meant to be a top 10 by any means, just a few suggestions for anyone looking to check out some new tunes. The list is fairly diverse, ranging from indie and hard rock to hip hop and instrumental/electronic. Each one is good in its own way, so give them a chance. Happy listening.

1. Runnin’ Wild- Airbourne (no deep lyrics here, just guitar-driven hard rock with AC/DC-esque vocals. roll down the windows and turn up the stereo)
2. Man on the Moon: The End of Day– Kid CuDi (really well put together hip hop album. lyrics, beats, and production are all top-notch)
3. Rubber Factory– The Black Keys (dirty, heavy, sexy, bluesy, distorted guitar-driven rock)
4. Boys and Girls in America– The Hold Steady (great brooklyn-based story-telling alt rock with a unique vocal style and catchy piano/keyboard. lyrics are full of drugs, girls, and memories of youth)
5. Baby Darling Doll Face Honey– Band of Skulls (bluesy indie/alt band with both male and female vocalists. solid album, but the first few tracks and the last track are the best)
6. I Started Out With Nothing And I Still Got Most of it Left– Seasick Steve (great blues from a crazy old homeless guy. a lot of singing about drinking, riding in boxcars, and being poor)
7. BlakRoc- BlakRoc (collaboration of the Black Keys with various hip hop artists, including Mos Def, RZA, and NOE. some songs are better than others, but overall really cool and creative album)
8. Ratatat- Ratatat (great instrumental/electronic/rock album from the Brooklyn-based duo that did the backing beats in CuDi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”)
9. Broken Bells– Broken Bells (Danger Mouse and James Mercer, the singer from the Shins, combine to produce a dreamy, spacey, melodic, yet catchy album)
10. Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures (this rock supergroup consisting of Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, and Josh Homme, came up with a solid debut album that seems to be both a throwback to ’70s hard rock and a progressive experiment at the same time)