Kid Cudi- Man on the Moon: The End of Time

Kid Cudi's debut album is split in to five different acts, all depicting a long dream sequence and individually representing a different phase throughout. The purpose of these acts is to illuminate Cudi's own imagination and thoughts. Some tracks make mention of his own night terrors and paranoia's. His mind must be a terrible place to get lost in because having to sit through the entirety of this album felt like an awful nightmare.

 The acts are narrated by Common which gives a listener hope along with opening tracks "Soundtrack 2 My Life" and "Simple As." By track 4, "Solo Dolo," the pace is changed as it is the weakest track and  unable to hold its own. The half-assed lyrics fail to keep your attention and Kid Cudi's monotone voice puts you to sleep. The track itself creates a doom-and-gloom feel, but what do you expect, he's from Cleveland.

 "Solo Dolo" is monotone, but "Enter Galactic" is creepy. This is the only track on the album that is directed toward a love interest. I wouldn't want to be that girl due to Cudi's comparison of her anatomy to a moist towelette. How endearing.

 The album as a whole is whiney as Cudi is complaining about his childhood or the whirlwind that his life has become. The most promising tracks are "Day N Nite" and "Pursuit if Happiness," which explains why they are the only songs ever to be played on the radio. Not even the likes of Lady GaGa or MGMT can help this Kanye West wannabe.

Gold Motel- Gold Motel EP

 If you're looking for music that is aggressive, loud, and fast, Gold Motel isn't quite for you. However, if you prefer a sound that is simple yet won't put you to sleep, then Gold Motel is a pretty decent match. An EP with only five songs makes it a quick listen that is easy to get through. Gold Motel reminds you of an open mic band that mixed contemporary pop music with Smokey Robinson. It's quaint. The themes created in each song match their titles such as "Who Will I Be Tonight?' which speaks of a girl who molds herself to her lover's preference. If you're not paying close enough attention, you can get lost in between the first two tracks. Luckily, tracks 3 and 4 change things up with a more mellow pace and the last song, "Don't Send the Searchlights," picks it all up again.

 Gold Motel is the side project of singer Greta Morgan from The Hush Sound.  Her voice adds a feminine touch to the music that isn't self righteous. She not only lends her singing but her piano skills as well. Unfortunately they are not always the highlight of the song and can be drowned out by the rest of the band.

 Gold Motel doesn't compose the kind of music that you would necessarily hear being blasted at a house party, but it is still fun. It leans more towards the kind of music that your little sister likes to listen to and that you surprisingly enjoy as well. You won't be listening to them incessantly, but every so often you'll come across a song when your iPod is on shuffle and be reminded that you know who the band is and what they sound like. It's clean. It's easy. And it's upbeat.