SPIN THIS

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS:

DIG!!! LAZARUS DIG!!!

(ANTI) ***

You'd have to go all the way back to - well, maybe there's really nowhere to go back to for this - in order to hear Nick Cave sounding this loose, funny and rocking sans either angst (latter-day Bad Seeds) or psychotic rage (Birthday Party).

Even last year's groove-groping "Grinderman" sounds staid compared to this album's title track, in which Lazarus finds that rising from the dead has its drawbacks.

Of course the humor is jet black, whether it's the Stooges-referencing "Today's Lesson" or the drooling (frothing?) "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)." "Dig!!!" is a rarity - a new Nick Cave album you don't already have to love Nick Cave to enjoy.

Download this: "We Call Upon the Author"

Curtis Ross

THE ROOTS:

RISING DOWN

(DEF JAM) ***½

Mention The Roots and almost any hip-hop head or music aficionado will cite a favorite album or song. Whether "Rising Down" is at the top of the list or not, there is no arguing that the group's latest work is ill.

Although The Roots have achieved cross-over success in the past with singles such as "You Got Me" featuring Jill Scott and "The Seed" with Cody Chesnutt, the group is not for everyone. "Rising Down" is no exception.

The album packs serious heat with guest appearances from Mos Def and Chrisette Michele. Lyrics are hard-hitting social commentaries and introspective explorations, and beats are melodically fresh. In the end, it's bad, as in good.

Download This: "I Will Not Apologize"

Sarah Hoye

STORY OF THE YEAR:

THE BLACK SWAN

(EPITAPH) **½

Story of the Year is anti-war and they're screaming mad about it.

The quintet opens and closes its third album with the heavy and angry "Choose Your Fate" and "Welcome to Our New War." In the latter, singer Dan Marsala spits forceful lyrics such as "welcome to our new war, where the rich sell their lies to the poor, we're dying but we don't know what for."

The band also shows it can deliver its message with lovely melodies on "Message to the World" and "Angel in the Swamp."

Musically, "The Black Swan" is a listener-friendly middle to the band's more mainstream debut, "Page Avenue," and its metal-esque follow-up, "In the Wake of Determination."

Download This: "Message to the World"

Angela Delgado