From the album Illuminati Thug Mafia, the track "Get Housed Homeboy," by Tuscon-based rapper Isaiah Toothtaker, gets a stellar visual treatment in a new video directed by Nicolas Heller. It follows the typical rap-video concept of a Thin Mint-peddling Girl Scout going insane, invading a home, and proceeding to violently assault the homeowner.

The track itself, produced by Briefcase and featuring a guest verse from Murs, is all spare drum beat, gunshots, and doom-filled cascading synth. Illuminati Thug Mafia is out now on Toothtaker's own label, Machina Muerte Records. Stream it here, and buy it here.

Blockhead

As a highly lauded hip-hop producer, Anthony "Blockhead" Simon is behind many of the great tunes and fat beats of big-name indie rappers, including Aesop Rock, Slug, Cage, Murs, and Mike Ladd.

The Music Scene is only Blockhead's fourth full solo album,which seems strange given his decade of production. Nevertheless, it again documents his keen ear for melody, dynamics, and stylistic convergence. "It's Raining Clouds," the album's opener, is one of many examples of this convergence, with head-nodding beats, flute loops, sitar-like sounds, sultry horns, soulful samples, and a whistling backdrop.

Available via MP3 a few months ago, The Music Scene now gets a full CD release through Ninja Tune.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: The Road soundtrack (Mute)

Just months after the release of a "greatest hits" of soundtrack works, rock-and-roll mavericks Nick Cave and Warren Ellis combine forces for another melodic score that belies the post-apocalyptic nature of its film companion.

Centered on violin and piano, this score is alternately beautiful, melancholic, and tense, with emotive passages that speak to the drama and conflict of the protagonists in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel.

Rempis/Rosaly Duo: Cyrillic (482 Music)

Saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Frank Rosaly are two of Chicago's most productive improv musicians, delighting diehard jazz heads with the likes of The Rempis Percussion Quartet, Engines, Viscous, Cicadas Music, and dozens of other outfits.

Here the two entertain with a dose of free jazz that is as blistering as it is subdued; wild runs lead into relaxed rhythms. Though most of the material clashes with itself as each instrument does its thing, the album is more approachable than its counterparts that carry two or more tonal instruments.

Additionally, there are moments where the two really synchronize. These usually come after minutes of tension, making the payoff that much more rewarding.

Living Legends' MURS and Atmosphere's Slug are two stylized MCs who are best known for their regular gigs. However, this third installment of Felt, a side project begun in 2002, undoubtedly is their best collaboration — and may contend with their other top releases.

Produced by Aesop Rock, Felt 3 is the duo's third tribute to a second-rate actress. Rosie Perez receives the titular honor this time, joined by Kevin Spacey and Paul Reubens (in song titles) and succeeding homages to Christina Ricci and Lisa Bonet.

With 21 tracks, A Tribute to Rosie Perez exemplifies the commitment that MURS and Slug have made to this project — one that could stand on its own as an A-list attraction.

Felt: "Protagonists"
Felt: \"Protagonists\"

Beak>: s/t (Ipecac)

Spearheaded by Portishead producer Geoff Barrow, Beak> is a new project that finds the multi-instrumentalist out of his element, working with studio bassist Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Junk) and renaissance man Matt Williams (Team Brick) in a live-band setting.

Overdubs are eschewed on this self-titled debut, one that presents minimalist rhythm-section jams that achieve a moodiness and ambience without extra tracking. Hooky synth and bass grooves surround sampled and vocal atmospherics to create a diverse down-tempo disc.

The entire album was written over the course of a 12-hour session. That fact is easily discernible upon hearing this, but this self-titled debut is still well worth checking out.

Beak>: "Backwell"
Beak>: \"Backwell\"

Honorable mentions:

Blockhead: The Music Scene (Ninja Tune)
Underworld vs. The Misterons: Athens (compilation, !K7)
V/A: Forge Your Own Chains / Heavy Psychedelic Ballads and Dirges, 1968-1974 (reissue, Now-Again)

BK-One is best known as the DJ for Brother Ali and as a mainstay of the Rhymesayers roster. But with the help of beat-making buddy Benzilla, he has further established a name for himself through Rádio do Canibal.

An A-list collaboration with top-tier MCs, Rádio do Canibal is built on a foundation of grooving bass lines and horns. This sets a funky foundation for the crux of the album, BK-One’s playful commingling of samba and bossa nova samples with hip-hop beats (which is directly influenced by his frequent travels through Central and South America).

The MCs, notably P.O.S, Haiku D’Etat, Slug, and Blue Oriny, provide plenty of highlights, although Murs provides a particularly crass lowlight in “Eighteen to Twenty.” Regardless, it’s an all-star lineup, and with additional cameos from Ali, Black Thought, Raekwon, and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, one would do well to pick this up.

Air: Love 2 (Astralwerks)

Despite variances in style from album to album, Air’s sound is easily discernible to most anyone who is familiar. It’s spacey, synthesized yet organic, and holds a reverence for the squiggly electronic sounds of the late 1970s.

Love 2 is no different in this regard, but it may be the French duo’s most realized creation. A combination of delicate instrumentals and pseudo-sultry ballads comprise the album, which calls upon the duo’s usual armaments in addition to spots of saxophone, marimba, and glockenspiel.

Air won’t be mistaken for holding prog-rock virtuosity, but Love 2 displays some of the best “chops” of any Air album, as best evidenced by the deft piano play and swirling guitar solo of “Tropical Disease.” If you enjoy Air, the duo’s latest album won’t let you down.

A Place to Bury Strangers: Exploding Head (Mute)

After a much-hyped self-titled debut, A Place to Bury Strangers continues to perfect its sound on Exploding Head, its first release for Mute.

The album holds a hard-hitting post-punk /new-wave sound that combines the atmospherics and fuzziness of My Bloody Valentine with the rawness of Sonic Youth and the moodiness of Joy Division. Echoed, whammied chords wash over feedback, speed-picked single-note riffs, and über-reverberated, ride-heavy rock beats.

The result is a sound that is much denser than one would imagine from a rock trio. Undoubtedly, the stars of the album are Oliver Ackermann’s customized guitar pedals, which he manufactures for his own company, Death by Audio.

Honorable mentions:

Bellini: Precious Prize of Gravity (Temporary Residence)
The Black Heart Procession: Six (Temporary Residence)
Califone: All My Friends are Funeral Singers (Dead Oceans)
Betty Davis: Nasty Gal and Is It Love or Desire (reissues — Light in the Attic)
Horse the Band: Desperate Living (Vagrant)
Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore: Three Less Than Between (Clean Feed)