Nas Life Is Good Deluxe Album Zip: Download and Listen Now

Well, the year is almost over and it is time once again to take musical stock. As usual, it was a difficult year to narrow down. There were albums I wish I hadn't had to cut from the list but, frankly, that's the sign of a great musical year. 2012 offered very few disappointments and a number of welcome, left-field surprises.

nas life is good deluxe album zip

Download

50. AIMEE MANN - "Charmer" "Charmer" finds Aimee Mann going further back into the synth-heavy sound she explored on her last album, " @ # % & *! Smilers." Her return to this glossy, somewhat upbeat sound makes a nice through-line back to her '80s records with 'Til Tuesday. These songs may have upbeat production, but don't be fooled. Like most of Mann's best work, "Charmer" is a collection of literate character studies concentrating on broken individuals trying very badly to mask their pain. It's a dour package wrapped in a candy coating. And yet, Mann still shows the same dark wit she did 13 years ago when she scored "Magnolia." In fact, most of her struggling, highly dysfunctional characters would still seem quite at home in a Paul Thomas Anderson film.

49. TYVEK - "On Triple Beams" Part of what makes lo-fi rock records thrilling is their sheer rawness. Tyvek, of Detroit, has made its fifth album, "On Triple Beams," a raw, often spastic and anthemic 32-minute assault. The highlight and centerpiece of the collection is of course, "Wayne County Roads," a bold, catchy tribute to the highways surrounding Detroit. Listening to this album, you can tell the band was trying to craft something that would make band members' garage-rock and punk heroes proud while paying tribute to their home and the things they hold dear. Who knows if Little Richard has heard the stomping track named in his honor, or whether he would even like it for that matter, but one thing is for certain. It roars with the kind of fresh, kinetic energy most bands today would mix down to the point of oblivion. When listening to "On Triple Beams," you feel like you are in the garage with Tyvek. It's an experience more than an album.

48. JIMMY CLIFF - "Rebirth" Forty-five years after his debut and eight years since his last record, Jimmy Cliff returned with an old-school reggae album helmed by Rancid's Tim Armstrong. Sure, the tattooed, mohawked punk may initially seem to be an odd, unlikely choice to produce a straightforward Jimmy Cliff record, but if you think it is weird, you've obviously never really closely listened to Rancid. There's always been as much reggae in the band's music as there has been punk. Listen to Armstrong's own 2006 reggae effort, "A Poet's Life," and it makes even more sense. The paring results in a timeless collection of tunes. Cliff's voice has not changed one bit. He still has a crisp, elastic range. He even covers his producer's hit single, "Ruby Soho," as well as the Clash's classic, "Guns of Brixton." "Rebirth" is a collection that should truly please Cliff's fans, both old and new alike.

47. MAXIMO PARK - "The National Health" In many ways, Maximo Park's fourth album recalls their debut, "A Certain Trigger." Stylistically, like that record, it bounces around from revved-up rockers to synth-driven numbers and soft ballads. The album lacks the meditative focus of their previous record, "Quicken The Heart," but then again, to many, that album's somewhat singular tone was wrongly seen as a weakness. In my mind, this is the band's fourth major success in a row. Why they aren't one of the most successful British bands on this side of the pond, I do not know. They deserve better promotion over here because they still remain an all-too-well-kept secret.

45. BAT FOR LASHES - "The Haunted Man" Perhaps "The Haunted Man" by Bat for Lashes has gotten too much attention for its cover, showing principal Natasha Khan standing naked while carrying a naked man on her shoulders. For the record, everything is covered, and it's quite an artistically striking image. What gets lost in the mix is that like the album's two predecessors, it continues to showcase Khan as the next heir of Kate Bush's legacy. Like Bush, Khan possesses a bold, ethereal, whimsical sense. This is an otherworldly record that will have you dancing one moment and getting lost in a piano ballad the next.

44. BLOC PARTY - "Four" (Deluxe Edition) Considering that a year ago Kele Okereke was off making electro records that verged on dub-step, it seems amazing that his band's fourth record, (the aptly titled "Four") is its most rocking, rollicking release to date. It harkens back to the angular sound of the band's 2005 classic debut, "Silent Alarm," and yet Bloc Party sounds more raw than ever. "Kettling" is a Tool-esque sludgy stomp with a guitar solo reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream." "33? has some death-metal growls, whereas "Day Four" finds the band exploring softer, more melodic material. The album is full of tape hiss, amp hums and random disconnected voices. The effect makes it obvious: These four musicians were put in a room and banged out this record. It's brutal, immediate and fantastic.

This year, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon announced their separation after 28 years of marriage. This put their band's future in doubt. The band's other guitarist, Lee Ranaldo, calmed those fears a little with his excellent album, "Between the Times and the Tides." With SY drummer Steve Shelley by his side, Ranaldo created a record reminiscent of his best work with the band while, at the same time, more accessible. "Off The Wall," with its highly catchy chorus, should have provided Ranaldo with a crossover radio hit. At this point, it is still hard to tell if we will ever get another Sonic Youth record. In the meantime, it is nice to know that at least half the band is still intact. Favorite Tracks: "Off The Wall" "Walking on a Dream" "Xtina as I Knew Her" "Lost (Plain T Nice)" "Tomorrow Never Comes"

41. JJ DOOM - "Key to the Kuffs" British-born, Brooklyn-raised Daniel Dumile (a.k.a. Doom) found himself trapped in England with visa issues after a European tour a couple years back. He managed to make the most of it by continuing to collaborate with others remotely or by finding more local talent, much of which you would never expect to find on a hip-hop record. "Key to the Kuffs" is Doom's collaboration with rapper and producer Jneiro Jarel and, as Doom collabs go, it's one of his more interesting and edgy works. Beats skitter with a trip-hop vibe, which means Doom must be really taking in the local flavor. Damon Albarn and Portishead's Beth Gibbons drop by to sing (or shout) some hooks. The result ends up being both trippy and cerebral. Throughout the set, Doom remains his larger-than-life, cartoon-y self, dropping the most cryptic verses you are likely to hear this side of the Wu-Tang.

40. KATE HAVNEVIK - "You" Norway's Kate Havnevik finally delivered a follow-up to her fantastic 2007 album, "Melankton," with "You." This record continues experimenting with the same sort of electro-warmth as its predecessor and, in the process, finds pop heaven. "Halo," the main single, has been floating around since 2009, but three years later it still sounds as fresh as ever. It is one of the many songs here you will find yourself listening to on a constant, repeated loop. Havnevik possesses one of the most welcoming and soothing voices recording music today. Her records are as cutting edge as they are disarming.

39. SMASHING PUMPKINS - "Oceania" I'll be honest. I was not excited for "Oceania" to be released. After Billy Corgan resurrected the Pumpkins' moniker and delivered the lackluster "Zeitgeist," I'd given up hope that he'd ever return to making records like "Siamese Dream" or "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness." Boy, was I thrilled to be proven wrong! "Oceania" is a stunning collection that will hold its own next to the classic Pumpkins albums. At times, it rocks. At times, it envelops you with warm atmospheric effects. In short, Corgan and his cohorts have made a Pumpkins record in the tradition of the band's classics. It's their best record since the majestic and sadly underrated "Adore."

38. THE WALLFLOWERS - "Glad All Over" I can't imagine it would be easy to be Jakob Dylan. Being a legend's son has its disadvantages. Mostly, I don't feel like he gets recognized for his own strengths. If Jakob wasn't Bob's son, he'd probably get the respect he deserves. "Glad All Over" is the sharpest, tightest set his band, the Wallflowers has delivered since "(Breach.)" It stands well next to that album as well as the mega-blockbuster, "Bringing Down the Horse." Are people paying any attention? Maybe not. But they should. The Clash's Mick Jones guests on two tracks - 0ne of which, "Misfits and Lovers," may be the best song the Wallflowers have ever recorded.

36. METZ - "Metz" Noise-rock has returned to Sub-Pop records. Yes, the label that brought you Nirvana's "Bleach" back in 1989 delivers another chaotic, dissonant classic. Clocking in at just under a half-hour, Metz's self-titled debut is like sonic whiplash. This trio is brutal. This record is obviously influenced by Steve Albini's work from the last 25 years. If you are looking for hooks, this isn't the album for you. If you are looking for a blunt and powerful slice of sound, you've hit your mark.

33. OF MONSTERS AND MEN - "My Head Is an Animal" Iceland has given the world many edgy, incredible artists. It is, after all, the home of Bjork and Sigur Ros. The beautiful country's latest export to make a splash is the band Of Monsters and Men. While the band doesn't have the edginess of the previously mentioned acts, it does have a folky, anthemic lift. Co-vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar 'Raggi' Pórhallsson come off like an Icelandic answer to the Canadian band Stars with their male-female call-and-response delivery. The softer, quieter numbers are quite lush and the upbeat numbers, like the main single, "Little Talks," are bright and bouncy. It took me a while to realize this album's greatness. It seems, at first, somewhat innocuous, but it sinks itself deep inside of your consciousness. The third or fourth time listening to "Love Love Love," I realized this was something quite amazing. 2ff7e9595c