Entertainment, Music - Marine Corps Times

Music picks: Week of Nov. 28

Spotlight: Clipse, “Hell Hath No Fury” (Three and one-half stars out of four)

Genre: Long-delayed rap

For four years record-label drama had Clipse and its fans on edge, wondering if this follow-up to the acclaimed “Lord Willin”’ would ever see the light. That’s probably why no one’s sophomore album ever sounded so stark and hungry as the newest from brothers Terrence and Gene, aka Pusha T and Malice. The Neptunes-provided beats are as spare and gritty as Clipse’s storytelling about the harsh realities, limited opportunities and unforgiving nature of selling drugs on the street. Even when they speak of living large off their earnings, there’s an underlying sense that it could suddenly all come crashing down. Rather than just detailing the trappings of the trade, they delve deeply into its pressures and consequences. The deceptively mellow album closer “Nightmares” makes it plain that it certainly isn’t the path to inner peace. - Steve Jones

- Download: “Wamp Wamp (What It Do),” “Mr. Me Too,” “Hello New World”

- Skip: “Trill”

Notable: Jay-Z, “Kingdom Come” (Three stars)

Genre: Post-retirement rap

Jay-Z’s short retirement (2004’s “The Black Album” was his last hip-hop hurrah) ends with this ninth studio album, a scattershot return in which his peerless rap skills are occasionally undercut by production overkill and insubstantial lyrics. The beats, the funk and his peerless flow let the Def Jam CEO get away with crowing about Hollywood lunch dates and Diddy-like conspicuous consumption. “This Kingdom” comeback justifies itself in more mature moments, as when he’s spewing rage and frustration over Katrina in “Minority Report,” grieving in the gospelized “Lost One” or taking his spiritual temperature on “Beach Chair,” an atmospheric departure featuring the angelic croon of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. - Edna Gundersen

- Download: “Minority Report,” “Beach Chair”

- Skip: cliched “Hollywood” and the thin “I Made It”

Incubus, “Light Grenades” (Three stars)

Genre: Modern rock

Trippy, limber, shape-shifting guitars elevate this sleek metallic pop collection, a cohesive batch of hard romps, midtempo grooves and shimmery ballads, with singer Brandon Boyd hitting the right emotional and visceral notes from start to finish. On its sixth album, Incubus has tapped into its explosive core and delivered it with artistic restraint. - Gundersen

- Download: the rocking “Pendulous Threads,” romantic “Paper Shoes,” acoustic “Earth to Bella, Pt. 2”

- Skip: misadventure “Diamonds and Coal”

Ying Yang Twins, “Chemically Imbalanced” (Three stars)

Genre: Inhibition-free rap

Atlanta duo D-Roc and Kaine do their best to upset your equilibrium with their brassy, swaggering crunk jams and strip-club anthems. Longtime producer Mr. Collipark and guest beatmakers Wyclef Jean and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis keep things shaking as the Twins incite everyone to let go their inhibitions. On their fifth album, the quaking they make is no longer just felt underground. - Steve Jones

- Download: “Keep On Coming,” “Dangerous,” “Water,” “Friday”

- Skip: “Collard Greens,” “Jiggling”

Tom Waits, “Orphans” (Three stars)

Genre: 3-CD trove

The spectrum of the barking, hollering, crooning troubadour’s madcap visions unfurls in this endlessly entertaining set of attic treasures and new recordings. The 54 songs are divided into Brawlers (rough, raucous blues and stompers), Bawlers (ballads, waltzes) and Bastards (experiments), though Waits’ imagination remains dangerously unconfined. - Gundersen

- Download: ballad “Bottom of the World,” lovely “Never Let Go,” “Danny Says,” monologue “The Pontiac”

Pick of the week

“Irreplaceable,” Beyonce

We’ll see how Beyonce projects when “Dreamgirls” comes out, but she does a Grammy-worthy job of audio acting on radio’s hottest hit, all bruised defiance as she claims that nobody’s irreplaceable. Meanwhile, the gorgeously melancholy music belies her brave words, letting you know that in reality, replacing the guy she’s kicking out is inconceivable. - Ken Barnes

The playlist

USA Today music editor Ken Barnes highlights 10 of the most intriguing tracks found during the week’s listening.

“Wondering,” Dirty Pretty Things. The unsung-in-the-U.S. Jam are getting present-day UK props, as heard on the thrilling chorus of this rifftastic tune.

“She’s Got Standards,” The Rifles. The Jam worship is even more blatant on this new Brit band’s potent tale of a discriminating groupie.

“You & I,” Graham Coxon. The ex-Blur guitarist continues to impress with this explosive homage to early UK psych/freakbeat.

“No Goodbyes,” The Subways. Sweet pop song from a British trio that kicks in with an irresistible chorus.

“How Wrong Can You Be,” Lloyd Cole. More than 20 years after a stunning debut, Cole still is as multisyllabic and melodically gifted as ever.

“Goodnight,” La Rocca. Most of this Irish band’s album is Springsteen-esque, but I prefer this more delicate U2-like track.

“Alone,” Toby Lightman. Classic pop: The circular verse melody draws you in; then the big chorus and bridge knock you out.

“Room With a View,” Don Dixon. Guest vocals from the great Marti Jones are a plus, but the contrast of the pop chorus and the jolting string stabs is what enthralls.

“World Waits,” Jeremy Enigk. Sunny Day Real Estate singer projects aura of fragile, shimmering gloom, evoking a depressive Dennis Wilson.

“Make It Good,” The Beach Boys. Along the lines of this memorable, symphonic evocation of Dennis’ despair, so fragile it disperses as soon as you hear it.