Despite the parodic title, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is completely lacking in any sort of tongue-in-cheek irony. Saul Williams' 2007 album, produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, is a harsh mix of industrial and hip-hop. From start to finish, Saul aggressively blasts lyrics in a style that's more spoken word than rap. Starships and diamond dogs are not to be found in this album. Instead, Saul focuses his angry lyrics on race, the hip-hop music industry, and urban life. Though you won't find any David Bowie in this album, a surprising cover song is placed rather early in the album. Saul's version of Sunday Bloody Sunday takes the straightforward U2 anthem and turns it into an aggressive, powerful track.

For fans of Nine Inch Nails, many of the noisier sections of the album will sound comfortably familiar. Reznor's influence on the album has resulted in something much more musical than Saul's previous efforts, despite the screeching and wailing of the distortion. The difference between NiggyTardust and Amethyst Rock Star is immediate. While his previous works show his skills as a poet, this album lets Saul shine as a musician.

In all, the album is a fantastic addition to the library of anyone who enjoys the underground hip hop sound or industrial music. If you're looking for exceptional rap flow, Saul isn't your man. His delivery has more in common with Cake than with Jay-Z. But if your library is looking for an album that achieves exceptional energy and emotion without approaching self-parody, NiggyTardust is a sure winner.

The Dead Weather is something of a super-duo, if not a supergroup, boasting not only Jack White, but also Alison Mosshart (of The Kills). Joining this pair are members of Queens of the Stone Age and The Raconteurs. They fuse a bluesy, garage-rock sound with some very poor songwriting choices, creating a mish-mash that never rises above their parent acts.

The first minute of one of the better songs from Horehound - such as Treat Me Like Your Mother or Hang You From The Heavens - is a real treat. You've got Allison doing her breathy, dirty vocals and Jack making some crunchy guitar noises. Unfortunately, the songs don't stop after a minute and instead just spiral downard into an un-listenable mess.

Your first listen to Horehound might fool you into thinking you've just enjoyed a good album, but it doesn't hold up to repeated listening. The songs aren't cohesive enough to present a good rock sound, but don't go low enough to be good blues. Instead, the album sits between rock, blues, and funk, tossing in some awkward broken vocals and lyrics and calling it a day. At the end of the day, you'll spend more time trying to like the album than actually enjoying it. A real shame, given the names behind it.

Dat'r sounds like a mix between Authechre and Menomena. The instrumentation is fantastically promising, tying together danceable beats with electronic noisemakers and industrial machine sounds. After hearing the opening segment of Yellow Cake, anyone into EBM, Industrial, or Dance music is bound to be intrigued.

And, for the most part, this first impression is accurate. Dat'r's Turn Up the Ghosts creates a fantastic and deep sound, which is a tough find in electronic music. The lyrics are interesting without being overdone, and the balance between the outlandish sound and the traditional singing never topples to either side.

Unfortunately, it's the actual delivery of the lyrics that keeps the record from being truly great. The high-pitched emo aesthetic of the singing, though servicable, never quite matches the high energy sound. Despite this setback, Turn Up the Ghosts is a solid effort and provides an excellent mix of indie, electronic, and funk sounds.