[Hydra Head; 2008]
Rating: 8.6

After a left turn, a seven-year stretch away from the studio, and the addition of Joe Preston (Earth, Melvins, High on Fire) to their ranks, Harvey Milk complete an unlikely comeback, crafting one of the year's most accomplished metal records.

[Sincerely Yours; 2008]
Rating: 8.6
Following last year's "Beach Party", Air France deliver another perfect summertime record. The Swedish group's No Way Down-- currently available either digitally or as a Swedish import-- conjures an idyllic world similar to the one on the Avalanches' dazzlingly great Since I Left You, another record that finds wide-eyed delight in sincerity and beauty.
[Cash Money; 2008]
Rating: 8.7
Nine years after his first solo LP, and on the heels of an unprecedented glut of increasingly remarkable mixtape and internet leaks, Lil Wayne produces Tha Carter III, the epic culmination of a lifetime of eccentricities. This is Wayne's moment and he embraces it on his own terms.
EP
Wed: 06-11-08

Crystal Antlers:
EP

[self-released; 2008]
Rating: 8.5
Crystal Antlers look like outcasts from six different bands, and at various points on this record, they sound like it, too. Merging lo-fi, psych, garage, and everything in between, their debut EP is an unorthodox summer record-- not so much for driving to the beach as actually being in its sweltering grasp, equal parts scorched earth and wide open spaces. Though it's tempting to pass this disc off as a stopgap on the way to a triumphant long-player, there's enough triumph packed into its 25 minutes to qualify as one of the year's most promising debuts. Plus, you know what they say about always leaving them wanting more.