MF Doom
Operation Doomsday (re-issue)
Metal Face Records
Street: 10.12
MF Doom= Madlib + Kool Keith + D. Swain + Slick Rick
This was once one of the hardest MF Doom albums to find because of the controversial use of Marvel Comic’s Dr. Doom on the cover. Now that the comic book guys are cashing in on big box office flicks, the masked man has had a chance to marvel over achievements. He has also taken the initiative to re-distribute some of his and KMD’s greatest records on his own label. Originally released in 1999 on Fondle ‘Em Records and then again in 2001 by Sub Verse Records, Operation Doomsday, serves as an impressive first solo project. Daniel Dumile’s unique style of chopping and rearranging samples has put him at the top of the beat making realm. This album specifically displays some of MF Doom’s best beats, sampling everything from Scooby Doo to Sade. Take a look at his discography and then try and tell him to drop the comic book villain pretense. -SUPeRB

Mitch Hedberg
Do You Believe in Gosh?
Comedy Central
Street 09.09
Mitch Hedberg = George Carlin + Steven Wright + LSD + rose-colored sunglasses
Where posthumous releases are normally reserved for the likes of Tupac Shakur, there are the occasional non-hip-hop artists that die before their time. Mitch left us far too soon, falling prey to a ridiculous heroin habit. At the time, he was preparing material for a new record, and this disc offers a sketch of what the album might have been. The material on Gosh was gleaned from several nights at the Improv club in Toronto, California. Much of the new jokes have already made their way into the hands of fans through live bootlegs and performance transcriptions, but it is still good to hear it here. Some of the best parts of this disc are the audience interactions, Mitch’s reaction to hecklers and his fearless way of trying new material on the unsuspecting crowd. In all, this is a stellar effort from the guy that helped us see the absurdity of Smokey the Bear, and made us wonder what would happen if we planted sesame seeds. Goddamn it, man, why couldn’t you have stayed clean? –James Bennett

Miwon
A To B
Staubgold
Street: 11.25
Miwon = Her Space Holiday + The Orb + Mum
In James Elkins’s Why Art Cannot Be Taught, he writes “Some people would say they make art that imitates ‘better’ art…making art that is roughly emulating more successful art being made elsewhere.” After a few listens to A to B, you might argue that Miwon aka Hendrik Kroz’s music suffers from these symptoms. Or maybe being an electronic artist in Berlin for a “very long time” means he is the one the others are influenced by. Regardless, his methods closely reflect (without adding much to) the abovementioned artist’s aesthetics: supple dance rhythms mingle with the occasional fey ala Postal Service vocal (“A to B”, a plagiarized version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”), cinematic string swells, soaring arpeggiations and occasional pleasant anomalies such as the crunchy, filtered drums on “Round and Round” and Boards of Canada-esque microtonal organ lines on “Daylight Promise.” –Dave Madden

The Model
Physical
Playloop Records
Street: 11.18
The Model = The Faint + She Wants Revenge + INXS
The groove of this record makes me want to direct The Model’s music videos with leather-clad, 80s rock-gods like icon Michael Hutchinson (INXS) staring into the camera and singing/whispering with eyes as intense as their motive for creating music. You can picture it, can’t you? The motive in the case of The Model (frontman Markie and keyboardists Ziggy, Jason, Johnny) began as a semi-annual philosophic-pop-costume party in Philadelphia—where it’s always sunny. Today, The Model is exactly as their name implies: a perfect example for dance parties they (and Girl Talk) have made infamous by mixing their own synth-noise into sexy, 80s, I-am-who-I-am-movie-attitude, like their anthem “I Won’t Be Hanging Out Anymore.” They play new-wave synth very well, blending that style with modern techno effects and beats for hopeful romantics (or those just swaying alone), like the Simple Minds-influenced “Do You Believe In Angels.” Markie’s deep, haunted vocals are similar to Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), only lacking the self-loathing which is replaced with a becoming maturity. Expect to hear The Model at every club/dance party this next year. –Jennifer Nielsen

New Tomorrow
We’re Counting on the Youth
Skeleton Crew Records
Street: 10.07
New Tomorrow = The Used + Strung Out + Anti Flag
The New Tomorrow should have left their pseudo-punk rock sounds in the early 2000s, when music like this was being consumed by the masses. Their sound is incredibly dated and predictable. The songs run into one another, all sounding so similar that it’s hard to distinguish one from the next. The lyrics are all “youth-centered” and deal with changing the world; there is whiny singing and chanted group choruses, too. It’s not aggressive enough to make a circle pit to, but angsty enough to encourage kids from the burbs to do that strange jumping-up-and-down salmon dance. This band is another Warped Tour mold and probably won’t gain much popularity with people over the age of 16. I bet they wear old-school Vans, studded belts and do a ridiculous amount of jumping with their instruments during live shows. –Jeanette Moses