Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Indie/Rock/Pop Releases: May Edition

Sloan – The Double Cross

It would have been easy for Sloan to approach their tenth album—their 20th anniversary album—as an occasion for nostalgia or novelty, but instead they carried on like business as usual and in the process, produced one of their strongest, most consistent albums to date. The Toronto (but Halifax at heart forever) foursome have never lacked confidence but here they’re direct and their maturing songwriting finally seems to have found the balance between old and new. Still witty, still catchy, still unlike most other bands around right now. The Double Cross is unquestionably must-own Sloan. (Outside Music)

Austra – Feel It Break

Katie Stelmanis has been making music for herself and with others in Toronto for years, but her latest project, christened Austra to give the solidified trio of Stelmanis, Mya Postepski, and Dorian Wolf its own band identity, has been hyped beyond most expectation (worldwide attention, record deal with Domino). Feel It Break hits deep, its gothic ethereal electronic textures best on single “The Beat and the Pulse,” and though its similarity to the Knife might be a little too obvious at first, in the end, the music’s but nothing and it’s just that voice, always that voice. (Domino Records)

Death Cab For Cutie – Codes and Keys

Still brand-sparkling new with its last-day-of-the-month release day, Death Cab’s seventh studio record Codes And Keys had lots of build up with ‘leaked’ tracks, a live, scripted, one-take video, and, eventually, a full album stream. It’s a remarkable departure from 2008’s angry, guitar-swelled Narrow Stairs—guitars are largely forgotten for synthesizers (it’s not what you think) and melody after melody of Ben Gibbard’s sometimes-annoying love songs, but it’s always been about the whole package with Death Cab, and the skillful, wistful full-album deal here is no exception. Superstar mixer Alan Moulder was an outside-ear on this one, lending both an intuitive and refreshing approach. (Atlantic Records)

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

It’s a rare position for a band to get old-school stadium-sized famous from their first album, so when that happens as it did with Fleet Foxes, being tasked with a follow up is no small feat. Fleet Foxes didn’t change too much on their sophomore album Helplessness Blues, but then, they didn’t really need too. Singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold possesses something of an otherworldly singing talent and he knows how to write for it. The classic pop/roots bombast of songs like “The Shrine/An Argument” are no more arresting than the tense, quiet rush of “Grown Ocean,” nor the wondrous harmonies of “Montezuma.” We don’t need a lot of bands like Fleet Foxes, especially when they do it this well. (Sub Pop)

Chad Van Gaalen – Diaper Island

This one wins for title alone. And also for the songs. Eclectic Calgarian wonder Chad VanGaalen returns with his fourth full length and it’s as great as all the rest, but certainly not the same. Some of the idiosyncrasies that make Van Gaalen a consistently compelling true artist remain in tact, as does that familiar voice and production, even if this time around there’s more guitars, more distortion, more angst, actually. If you were listening to Women’s Public Strain last summer, some of the sounds here’ll ring familiar (Van Gaalen produced it and it clearly stuck with him). “Sara,” a sparse, striking standout may well be one of the most arresting songs of the year. (Sub Pop)

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Austra. Didn’t expect it to unravel itself as more than it sounds, which is basic synths and beats. It’s still sicking around, though. Surprises not on the list: Explosions in the Sky’s Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, which somehow manages to still make their challenging instrumental rock not only relevant but surprisingly listenable.

Disappointments: Okkervil River, I Am Very Far. Meh.

Out in June: Bon Iver (June 21). It’s already leaked and we’re jerks and have listened to the hell out of it, and it’s fantastic. So, June list, get ready.

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Metal Releases: May Edition

Autopsy – Macabre Eternal

Autopsy’s first full length since 1995′s Shitfun and their first to matter since 92′s Mental Funeral, Macabre Eternal bears a heavy burden of expectations: not that it’ll be great, or that it’ll suck, but that after last year’s The Tomb Within, we pretty much know what to expect. Here’s the thing: that’s the point. The EP was a taste of what these Floridians would bring to the table, but this full length is their return to filthy death metal at its most realized. Chris Reifert’s vocals can occasionally irk given that at times he sounds like a corpse of his former self, and his former self was already corpse-like, but you can probably chalk that up to the production: far from clean, it still lacks that trademark, swampy rumble of Autopsy’s two best albums. Still, don’t let these descriptions fool you: Macabre Eternal is one hell of a comeback.

Wormrot – Dirge

Blasting through 25 songs in 18 minutes, Wormrot’s Dirge is grindcore as it should be: blistering, piercing, pissed off and completely keyboard-less. Mixing bursts of grindcore classicism with some new school aggression, these Singaporeans have crafted one of the year’s most concisely pissed off releases. It’s quick but far from painless, and best of all, you can download it for free, legally, by clicking here.

Peste Noire – L’Ordure à L’état Pur

Peste Noire fill a niche in black metal that is uniquely their own: bluesy, garage-rock like with an emphasis on guitar-leads and drums so loud and crashing you almost expect kit-man Andy Julia’s arms to fall off at any point. On L’Ordure à L’état Pur, La Sale Famine de Valfunde (who apparently also goes by “DJ Famine” now) throws listeners through a loop. L’Ordure à L’état Pur takes Peste Noire’s trademark sound and adds in everything from horns and industrial drums to burped melodies and punk-y, polka-two steps…and that’s mostly just in album opener “Casse, Pêches, Fractures Et Traditions”. What’s weirdest is that it works. Sure L’Ordure à L’état Pur will probably piss purists off, but that might be the point. Regardless of intent, this is one of the more animated black metal albums you’ll hear this year, and probably the only one that’s better for it.

Cave In – White Silence

Is it hardcore? Is it metal? Does it matter? No. No it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter because Cave In has built a legacy on not only breaking barriers, but spitting on them afterwards. White Silence is their first album since 2005′s Antenna and their heaviest since Until Your Heart Stops, and it mixes the spacey, progressive hooks of the former with the pissed off rage of the latter, all of which is a fancy way of calling this an album of stunning highs, terrifying lows and really screechy guitars. Sludgy except for when it’s not and angry except for the occasional spurts of empyrean melodies, White Silence is anything but a by-the-numbers comeback. It’s a return to form in the strictest of senses and, as hyperbolic as this might sound, possibly their best album, if only for its comprehensive take on their ever-evolving soundscapes.

Nader Sadek – In the Flesh

Nader Sadek is apparently best known for designing stages for bands like Mayhem and Sunn O))), which is a pretty nice way of saying you’ve almost definitely never heard of him. As talented of a visual artist as he might be, Sadek isn’t much of a musician, which is why he called in some favours for In the Flesh, his first album and one for which he apparently only wrote about 30% of. If you can look beyond the bizarre circumstances of the album’s development as well as its silly concept–it’s almost exclusively about oil–you’ll end up with a surprisingly remarkable death metal album. With an all-star line-up of members from bands like Cryptopsy, Krallice, Monstrosity and Mayhem, In the Flesh is a challenging, technical take on the angular death metal of New York legends like Incantation and Immolation.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month
Surprise of the month: Hate Eternal has always insisted on playing as unrelentingly fast as possible, and Phoenix Among the Ashes makes no attempts to change that. The difference this time is they remembered to write songs around their blast beats. It won’t go out of its way to win the pissiest of sceptics over, but Phoenix Among the Ashes is a surprisingly dynamic album from Erik Rutan & co.

Disappointments: Anaal Nathrakh’s Passion jumped the shark. It doesn’t sound all that different from their previous albums–it’s still a blur of shrieks, screams, gurgles and suffering–but its unremarkable at best and atrocious at worst. “Drug Fucking Abonimation” is their first real exploration into a more expansive sound and its not really working. Everything else is a blur; not far off from the death-meets-black-meets-grind metal of their past outputs but without the certain ‘je ne sais quoi?’ that made those releases special. And the vocals on “Tod Huetet Uebel” are stupid as fuck; there’s tortured and then there’s four minutes of what sounds like Bobcat Goldthwait trying to swallow a cat. Guess which one “Tod Huetet Uebel” sounds like.

Out in June: Devin Townsend Project’s Deconstruction and Ghost, Falconer’s Armod, Pharaoh’s Ten Years and Symphony X’s Iconoclast

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Pop Tracks:
May Edition

Chris Brown – “Beautiful People” feat. Benny Benassi

Electro House and Trance has been trickling down into R&B/Hip-Hop production more and more over the past couple of years, but this is the finest instance of an R&B singer wholly embracing that throbbing, sparkling Europop sound. Chris Brown is almost unrecognizable on this track, and I think I like it that way. It’s a feel-good club anthem with uplifting and inspirational lyrics, showcasing a side of Brown that we didn’t know was there. Don’t get me wrong, Breezy is still the worst dude, but this song is dreamy, bouncy, and perfect as a dancefloor destroyer. Simply killer.

Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”

On the whole, Pink Friday was kind of underwhelming. It’s got some good hooks, and some decent hashtag punchlines, but it lacks the raw energy and freakiness that Nicki Minaj initially showed on her mixtapes and early features. “Super Bass” is a cut from the deluxe edition of Pink Friday, and it’s an album favourite. The hook is super catchy, Kane’s production shines, and it shows what a talented rapper Minaj is. I’m also really into that British accent she uses in the pre-choruses. It doesn’t even come close to touching her verse in “Monster,” and it’s no “Massive Attack,” but it’s a great pop song.

Pitbull – “Give Me Everything” feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer

I’m a fairly vocal detractor of Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, but this song is an exception to the rule. His raspy monotone actually suits his vocal on this song. The sparkling synth lead is memorable, and Ne-Yo crushes the “grab somebody sexy” chorus. Partying in the face of the apocalypse is an eerily common theme in pop music today (see: “Till The World Ends,” by Britney Spears, “2012,” by Jay Sean) and this song might be the best of the ill-boding bunch. Since I’m not a fan of Mr.Worldwide, I attribute the success of this track to up and coming Dutch producer Afrojack, who also apparently lent his skills to Run The World (Girls) by Beyoncé.

The Black Eyed Peas – “Just Can’t Get Enough”

This track is a perfect example of how, in the world of pop music, eight different people can have writing credits on one song. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (“The Boy Is Mine,” “Telephone”) and Julie Frost wrote the basic framework of the song. Then, the Darkchild-affiliated production team of Tommy Brown and Bah contributed to the composition, and handled initial production of the track. At this point the track was passed to the Black Eyed Peas, where all four members contributed, and according to Frost, “cut it up and gave it their own twist.” The end result is a melancholic-then-manic structural Frankenstein. The arrangement is a somewhat typical chorus/verse/chorus/verse until will.i.am announces (in a weirdo half-Japanese/half-Jamaican accent, no less) “This is mega switch up.” The song then barrels in a completely different uptempo direction, where apl.de.ap gets a moment to shine for a change.  It’s a bizarre song, but somehow it works.

Beyoncé – “Run The World (Girls)”

This is kind of a controversial one, because the musical production is largely borrowed from the 2009 Major Lazer electro/dancehall banger “Pon De Floor.” The critics might be divided on it, but in my opinion B can do no wrong. Plus, there’s enough vocal layering on top of the track to give it an entirely different feel. “Run The World” feels like the next installment of Beyoncé’s signature uptempo female empowerment anthems (“Single Ladies [Put A Ring On It],”Diva”).  She absolutely destroyed audiences with performances of the song on the Billboard Music Awards and Oprah last week, and reminded us that she is the most talented woman in pop music today. Major Lazer die-hards be damned, I’d take Beyoncé over (Major Lazer hype-man) Skerrit Bwoy any day of the week.

Surprises, disappointments and tracks/albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: I can’t believe I’m saying it, but “(It) Feels So Good” by Steven Tyler has been stuck in my head all goddamned month.

Disappointments: I was really digging “Judas” by Lady Gaga until I realized it was essentially a re-write of her 2009 hit “Bad Romance.” That said, I still walk around my apartment singing “a King with no croooooown.”

Out in June: Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV comes out on June 21st, so expect another massive single soon. If “Six Foot Seven Foot” and “John” are any indication, it should be pretty solid. Well, It can’t be any worse than Rebirth.

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Punk Releases:
May Edition

Face to Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later

It’s been almost a full decade since the last Face to Face studio record, which means, scientifically, that there’s no reason why Laugh Now, Laugh Later should be anywhere near as good as it is. But these songs pick up right where the band’s best ’90s material left off, and grabs the torch for unselfconsciously anthemic pop-punk that has been growing dimmer and dimmer as the genre is slowly taken over by goofy, skinny kids in too much neon. Face to Face are big dudes who look like they’d be more comfortable on a Hell’s Angels run than a Stereos tour, and it’s the honest, genuine nature of their music and their personalities that has kept them young at heart, even during their extensive hiatus.

Wharf Rats – Wharf Rats 7″

Sure, it’s only two songs, but I’m just so in love with any project that involves “big time” punk musicians doing something lo-fi and sloppy that this debut from Wharf Rats is a definite highlight of the month. Featuring obligatory Canuck presence Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Black Lungs), Minneapolis rapper P.O.S, Chachi Darin (ex-the A.K.A’s), and Chris 2 (Anti-Flag, White Wives), this is fast and fun hardcore that could slip easily in to the 1980s Revelation Records discography. Besides the fact that everyone involved here is obviously playing down a bit (there’s certainly none of the highly technical riffing of old Alexis material present on songs like “Oh No!”), there’s something great about listening to a bunch of guys who play music for their living play music just for fun. It’s refreshing. Oh, and it sounds positively ripping.

Living With Lions – Holy Shit

Forget the inane controversy currently surrounding this record. It’s been three years since we last heard from these Vancouver Saves the Day fanboys (mean so lovingly), and the wait has produced the best album of their career. There was a lot of pressure associated with Holy Shit, chiefly a new line-up for Living With Lions that included a brand-new vocalist. But the band are better than ever, sleeker instrumentally and more direct vocally. Once the dust settles on this FACTOR fiasco, hopefully people can actually give Holy Shit an honest listen and realize that the poop jokes just were just a distraction from some great hooks and some fantastic pop-punk songs.

Against Me! – Total Clarity

These Florida ex-anarcho-punks lost me for a while. As one of the major label haters that wasn’t prepared to follow the band on their un-punk journey into the wilds of Sire Records, it’s only recently that I’ve been able to look at the Against Me!’s newer material with a reasonable eye; frankly, New Wave is still a disappointment, but White Crosses is a pretty great, utterly massive rock record. All this Good Christian Forgiveness makes the existence of Total Clarity seems more like an earned reward; the demo sessions that produced the band’s brilliant Searching for a Former Clarity culled together in one gloriously sloppy package that recalls the best of their No Idea-era brilliance. The fidelity here closely resembles the roughness The Disco Before the Breakdown, and is an amazing treat for fans who have rode shotgun on the band’s strange sonic journey. Admittedly, this is still my favourite incarnation of the band, but it makes me more willing to follow them as they grow into grown-up Tom Petty Punx.

Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine – Enhanced Methods of Questioning

With six songs, this second official release from punk all-stars Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine offers up more of the proto-punk fringe craziness of their 2009 full-length debut, The Audacity of Hype. Naturally, everything Biafra lends his voice to ends up sounding like the Dead Kennedys, and this project is no different. Musically, it’s kind of like Death (the Detroit one, not the metal one) meets the DKs, which, as you can imagine, it totally awesome.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Farewell Continental’s ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!. Falling into the same category of “real band dudes having a fun band on the side” as Wharf Rats, Farewell Continental most notably features the adorable croon of Motion City Soundtrack frontman Justin Pierre. While his day job band continually moves away from the awesome power-pop-meets-Slint vibe of their earlier material, Farewell Continental is a full-fledged homage to the great ’90s alternative rock and a fantastic reminder of Pierre’s talents as a songwriter and a vocalist. Drawing on bands like the Lemonheads and Superchunk for inspiration, the songs on ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers! are clever, catchy, and fun. Even MCS haters are advised to check this out, especially if you dig No Pocky for Kitty and like big, distorted Fenders.

Disappointments: Owl City still exists, released a new record.

Out in June: Frank Turner’s England Keep My Bones, Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life, Touche Amore’s Parting the Seas Between Brightness and Me, White Wives’ Happeners, and more.

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Hip Hop Releases: May Edition

Maybach Music Group – Self Made Vol. 1

As songs “leaked” one after the other before this album was even announced, it was clear Rick Ross had made some good moves. Self Made Vol. 1 features artists (Wale, Pill, Meek Mill, Teedra Moses, Gunplay, and Stalley) Ross signed to his Maybach Music Group/Warner Bros. imprint since the beginning of 2011. The album serves as a great sampler for the label. Wale, his biggest signee, has apparently forgotten about being that smart guy that gave us “The Kramer” on 2008’s Mixtape About Nothing here, but it may just be him playing a different role until he gets to his solo album. He’s most comfortable on the Lex Luger produced “That Way” which features a slowed down Curtis Mayfield sample and displays a softer side of Luger (still bangs though). Meek Mill, on the other hand, steals the show. His hyped up, almost obnoxious, flow was built for these circumstances. He screams on the opening title cut “I’m so fucking raw, n—-s hoping that I catch AIDS!” and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the LP. His Rick Ross duet, “Tupac Back,” will be the biggest single from the record, having already been buzzing on blogs for the past two months, and will most definitely be a great transition song for DJs to get from gutter shit to “Califonia Love” over the summer. Truth is, these songs would have all been more effective broken up on their respective artists’ albums, but Self Made plays out like the label’s anniversary greatest hits before they even happen, an album to act as a tastemaker. Another good move from Rick Ross.

Tyler, the Creator - Goblin

Sara Quin’s now-infamous letter posed some interesting questions. Why do we let this guy get away with so much? Well, unfortunately for those he offends, Tyler, The Creator is going to continue grabbing everyone’s attention with Goblin. The tranced-out, ready-made, screwed and chopped “Fish” followed by the clownish “Bopping Bitch” on the same track, is the best example of the formula for Goblin: dark morbid cuts like “Sandwitches” and “Yonkers” offset by absurd tracks like “Transylvania” and “Bitch Suck Dick” which would make for some great X-rated SNL Digital Shorts. The record strikes an entertaining balance between thought-provoking, disgusting, and hilarious. And this is the reason why Tyler is such a success right now; Goblin is built for a generation of rebels with limited attention spans. And while many of the cool elements of this album might have been done before (Redman used a therapist to drive Dare Iz A Darkside and Eminem has used PSAs), Tyler has compiled these ideas to create his own Frankenstein of a record.

Killer Mike – PL3DGE

At the onset of “That’s Life 2,” Killer Mike warns Oprah and Bill Cosby that he’s right back at their ass again. The first two installments of his I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind took no prisoners, and PL3DGE, the third, is pretty much the same. Killer Mike has his share of opinions about the US government, capitalism, and organized religion that are blatantly expressed here. Of course he comes off a bit preachy on such an opinionated record, but that’s the point of the series. Killer Mike’s worth more than a verse on an Outkast album, he’s actually a really good rapper. His energetic cadence and politically charged subject matter sets him apart from other southerners. And PL3DGE is yet again another solid effort from the veteran.

Chiddy Bang - Peanut Butter & Swelly

Ever heard of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince? They were a producer/rapper duo from Philly that made lighthearted, uplifting rap tunes about twenty years ago (anyone know what happened to those two young upstarts?). It always sucks to do this, but Chiddy Bang is the next Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. Producer Xaphoon Jones lays down synth-filled poppy beats while Chiddy drops witty rhymes based around childhood nostalgia and growing up. This is their third mixtape in as many years (they’ve also released two EPs) and it’s a lot more of the same good vibes. Pretty likeable stuff. What’s a lot less likeable was Chiddy’s stupid idea to freestyle for over nine hours to break the world record, an unnecessary attention grabbing gimmick; but still, it’s hard not to feel happy for him when he talks about it on “Guinness Flow.” Xaphoon usually has an interesting approach at flipping samples, for “Always” he chops up Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” and he reworks Hockey’s “Too Fake” (a song he also flipped for a Big Sean project) for “Too Much Soul.” There are covered with layers of synths and keys that really turn these samples into Chiddy Bang songs as opposed to using simple loops that come off more like covers. Even though it sounds like they’re all about fun, it’s clear these guys work hard.

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Just imagine how cool it would be if your dad was in a legendary rap group and he was awesome and his music was awesome and Nas was on his album. You’d love it, right? Probably. But all scenarios aside, MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D still have lots to offer. They’re still doing a fair amount of cool things in terms of playing with sounds and messing around with production. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two proves that there are interesting places for the Boys to go and they’re not scared to give it a try, like their dubby ska-tinged “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” (which features Santigold) and their rumbling punky “Lee Majors Come Again.” They’re like a drawn out experiment that just discovers more and more as time goes on. Sure, they’re old as hell and hip hop and old age don’t really gel, but Beastie Boys have built a career of going against stereotypes within the genre.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: Elzhi – Elmatic. This mixtape sounds fairly lame on paper: The dude that replaced J. Dilla in Slum Village does a tribute to the best rap album of all time, big deal. But in actuality, Detroit natives Elzhi and band Will Sessions have released a sincere reworking of Nas’ Illmatic that is most definitely worth checking out. Live instrumentation breathes new life into the classic beats that redefined hip hop to maintain a level reverence that consistently inspires the best out of Elzhi through the entire project. The featured 7-minute sprawling rendition of “One Love” is particularly stirring. Elzhi was able to consciously do what a lot of artists have subconsciously attempted to do for the last 17 years, adapt Illmatic to make another great album.

Disappointments: Juicy J x Lex Luger – Rubba Band Business 2. The only thing Juicy J is good for nowadays is laughing at stupid Wiz Khalifa jokes, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Rubba Band Business 2 is just as much a waste of time as its predecessor. The confusing thing is that Lex Luger is willing to bury these bangers on these uninspired cuts. Since his Three 6 Mafia days, Juicy J’s flow, or lack thereof, has always been choppy and rigid. This approach is one of the main reasons why these projects are failures. Juicy J is like a rodeo clown when he tries to hop on Luger’s deranged raucous beats. He can be an entertaining character but it’s clear he shouldn’t be riding them. Somehow Juicy J found a way to stick around while many of his more deserving peers faded away, which makes it even harder to hear his unwitty boasts (“Over 30 million sold, that’s a lot of people/Now I got a big crib that fit a lot of people”) occupy the hottest beatmaker’s work.

Out in June: Big Sean’s Finally Famous: The Album, Curren$y’s Weekend At Burnie’s, Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 as Bad Meets Evil’s Hell: The Sequel, and more.

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronica/Dance with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Dance Tracks:
May Edition

Martin Solveig – “Ready 2 Go” feat. Kele
	Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke put out his debut solo album The Boxer last year, and on it he showcased his love for some trance-inspired tunes. But you really haven’t heard Kele enter the dance realm until you’ve listened to his collaboration with Martin Solveig on “Ready 2 Go.” If the original isn’t enough, this release also comes with a remix by Electro-House DJ Hardwell.

Green & Falkner – “Ceylan (Antillas & Dankann Mix)”
	Following the release of “Rush” via Starlight Records, the project known as Green & Falkner (comprised of Josh Green and Elef Tsiroudis) has come out with “Ceylan”, along with a remix from Italy’s Antillas & Dankann. The original takes some time to get to get moving, but its large climax is worth it. Meanwhile the remix is just an effing madman from start to finish.

Deadmau5 – “Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Extended Remix)”
	French producer Madeon has stepped into the limelight at the tender age of 16 with his remix of Deadmau5′ “Raise Your Weapon.” The original, piano-tinged track was released on the Canadian DJ’s fifth studio album 4×4=12 from last year (featuring UK singer Greta Svabo Bech). In addition to Madeon’s incredible mix, the release includes some dub step remixes from Stimming and Noisia.

3rd Planet – “Freedom”
	Progressive trance at it’s best, “Freedom” by Ukrainian/Russian duo 3rd Planet comes with an original edit and original mix version that both are equally suited for the dance music fan intent on possibly seeing into the future or at least having something to run really fast to. If Dutch DJ/Producer Ferry Corsten flaunts it on his website, you know it’s worth at least a listen or two.

Daniel Szabo – “Budapest/At The Break Of Day”

It makes sense for a list of dance tracks to finish with something on the softer side, in an attempt to evoke some feeling of emotion or nostalgia for the last half hour or so of music that was pumped into your brain. Progressive trance DJ Szabó Péter Dániel’s, aka Daniel Szabo’s, latest record contains the tracks “Budapest” and “At The Break Of Day”. The latter does just that as it smoothly builds to something not so much intense or epic, but treads coolly on the zen line to make it a great end to the night or uplifting start to your day.

Surprises, disappointments and albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: It’s not necessarily a surprise to hear of Canadian DJ Deadmau5 putting out something that’s good, but along with the original “Raise Your Weapon,”  the remixes offer even more solid fist-pumping tunes. The fact that remixer Madeon is only 16 is also incredibly awesome.  

Disappointments: Moby released his 10th studio album Destroyed this past month and while there are a number of good songs, it failed to deliver on some of the more upbeat numbers that made albums like Play so memorable. It’s a solid record (the slow-downed/ambient/epic tracks are still there), but it might be the last time the DJ will ever be considered part of the ‘dance’ genre.

Out in June: We hope Wolfgang Gartner will finally release his as-yet-untitled debut LP and Kanye West will put out the “Lost In The World” remix he was working on with Tiesto. We’re mostly excited for releases by people we’ve never heard of. That’s the beauty of dance music.

So here’s something super nerdy and cool for all of the super cool nerds: a group from Washington, D.C. group named Bluebrain have gone and made an album that writes itself as you walk around to different locations. Make no mistake you guys, we are IN the future!

The album itself is an iPhone app. It only works for the location in which it was made, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As you walk around the area, the music changes.

One half of Bluebrain, Ryan Holladay, told Wired.co.uk, “Approach a lake and a piano piece changes into a harp. Or, as you get close to the children’s merry-go-round, the wooden horses come to life and you hear sounds of real horses getting steadily louder based on your proximity.”

The National Mall is the first in a location-based album series, with others in the works for New York’s Prospect Park, and the Highway 1 coast road in California. You can listen to a bit of The National Mall above. [via Wired]

As they get set to unleash their career-defining David Comes to Life rock opera, Fucked Up are also getting set to open up their own record store to sell it.

On 12:01am on Tuesday, June 7, the band will set up shop in the Clint Roenisch Gallery on Queen Street in Toronto to hock their goods. That includes the new album on CD and vinyl, a new limited 7” single the Record Store Day fake band compilation David’s Town, their latest mixtape, and some other swag.

They’ll be selling and DJing until 4am and apparently there will be free beer courtesy of Steamwhistle in the house. So, that art gallery is basically burning down. [via NOW Magazine]

After coming off hiatus for a weekend at Sasquatch! music fest, Wolf Parade played what was announced as their last show ever (?) last night at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Sun‘s Awesome Sound music blog captured their final encore performance, which was a cover of Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” We know, but, even with the crowd getting on stage and helping the band perform the song, there was something sort of heavy about it all. We’ll miss you, this incarnation of musicians who have other projects we love too. It’s been real. You can watch the video above. And then watch for the reunion in like three years.

Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving audience; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in a few different genres, with the top 5 releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Here’s our best of May:

Top 5 Punk Releases

Top 5 Metal Releases

Top 5 Indie/Rock/Pop Releases

Top 5 Hip Hop Releases

Top 5 Pop Releases

Top 5 Dance Releases