Cubic Zirconia
Follow Your Heart
Fool’s Gold
Street: 09.20
Cubic Zirconia = Peaches + The Whitest Boy Alive + Holy Ghost! + Simian Mobile Disco
Cubic Zirconia places their sound in the made-up genre of ethnic disco, a rather fitting title for this wildly eclectic selection of sounds, beats, and melodies. However, this album draws its influences from such a wide variety of genres that it can’t accurately be categorized. The unadultered creativity of these three musicians should be celebrated, as they have created a work of art that is truly original. I noticed that if there is something in the track that doesn’t agree with me (the vocals are a bit heavy-handed at times), soon enough, another layer or instrument or melody is added into the mix, drawing me back into the song. The title track is the standout track on the album, with a sugar-sweet mashup of minimal techno and disco genres, almost as if Plastikman teamed up with Cut Copy to create a groove you could dance to all night long. If you want a look at the genre-defying directions that pop electronic music is headed in, buy this album. –Jessie Wood

Cynic
Carbon-Based Anatomy
Season of Mist
Street: 11.15
Cynic = Gordian Knot + Death + Exivious
Florida’s Cynic are a flat-out progressive band; this EP may not even be a whisper of what’s to come on the band’s next full-length. It is a departure from the band’s more metallic leanings, but Carbon-Based Anatomy succeeds in leaps and bounds in being a cohesive, highly listenable movement of music separated into six tracks playing out in roughly 23 minutes of time. The first and last tracks serve as openers and closers and set the tone of an almost strange, alien spacey/airy sound that is the core of the musical direction. The reunited full-length release Traced in Air did have some snarled vocals; this EP contains no extreme elements—what it does contain is a rich package of layered and textured sounds that are unique to Cynic. Some of the same themes from Traced in Air remain, but this as an independent release of material—there are songs that will stick in memory like a warm release of dopamine, but the entire EP is worth it for fans or just somebody looking for something different. The cover art from the now-passed Robert Venosa (who did the cover art for the band’s debut and second full-length) is also something to truly behold in its invitation to imagine, and the fact that it’s the visual artist’s final piece for Cynic. –Bryer Wharton

David Lynch
Crazy Clown Time
[PIAS] America
Street: 11.08
David Lynch = (Ennio Morricone + Moby) x Nick Cave
Yes, that David Lynch. While the legendary filmmaker is best known for bizarre cinemagraphic mindfucks, he’s also lauded for his use of music in his films, so it doesn’t come as a shock that he’s released an album of his own (with the help of engineer Big Dean Hurley). The CD opens with the very catchy, nightmarish “Pinky’s Dream” featuring Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) before descending into electronic weirdness on tracks like the almost-poppy “Stone’s Gone Up” and the meditative “She Rise Up.” While longtime collaborator Angelo Badalamenti (Booth and the Bad Angel) doesn’t appear on the CD, his fingerprints are all over Lynch’s dark, slithery songs, especially on “So Glad.” Neither man can sing a lick, and it doesn’t matter one bit on this slice of noir Americana. If you’re a fan and have a strong stomach, hop online and check out the gruesome video for the stripped-down “Good Day Today.”  –Madelyn Boudreaux

Digitaldubs
#1
ROIR
Street: 08.30
Digitaldubs = Dennis Brown + Aswad
Digitaldubs started in 2001 as the first Rio de Janeiro sound system specializing in reggae, dub and dancehall with a Brazilian twist. The groups fourth album, #1, is perfectly titled, being that it is their first release outside of Brazil. The album is balanced nicely with both instrumentals and collaborations from heavy hitters like Ranking Joe and Earl Sixteen. The instrumental “Transe Amazonico (Abrindo Os Caminhos)” jumpstarts with a confident dub swagger riding into the dawn of “Fyah Bun Dem” with Ranking Joe bringing his rapid-fire delivery over bass-driven roots riddims. Earl Sixteen lends his sultry vocals on “Pirates Game” while “Your Love Is Overdub” is topped with a dusting of samba paired with the vocals of reggae pioneer Brinsley Forde of Aswad. The album cover sums things up perfectly by breaking up the group’s name into three simple words; dig, ital, dubs. –Courtney Blair

Dominique Young Unique
Stupid Pretty Mixtape
Street: 09.23
Self-released
Dominique Young Unique = Nicki Minaj + Ratatat + Lil Mama
I’m a sucker for anything hip hop, and definitely anything that has a girl who can spit rap. That being said, I am sold on 19-year-old Dominique Young Unique. Dare I be so bold as to say she has a mouth on her like Nicki Minaj. She goes hard, and I can respect any woman who does that. Her rhymes could keep right up with Kanye West. With only one previous mixtape under her belt, she has already partnered up with N.E.R.D, Big Boi and Gucci Mane. For Stupid Pretty Mixtape, she teamed up with producer David Alexander. With all those big names, she must have something that sets her apart from her peers, and she does. The unique selling point for her is the electro-backbeat she’s got going along with her spitfire raps. She keeps a lot of the record classically hood, with songs like “Gangster Whips,” and “Rock With U.” She will give you some life advice about getting money, maintaining bootylicious status and keeping her boys in line. If you’re looking for more of a dance-esque, Chris Brown flow, there is “Life of a Party,” where she humbly reminds us she’s “that bad bitch you wanna get with.” She’s not the classiest, but she’s without question the one you want to party with. Whether you’re in the mood to dance, or posted up in the club, Dominique Young Unique might just be your new anthem. –Kylie Cox