Ulthar, "Undying Spear"
Ulthar are a blackened death metal band from Oakland who have two records out so far. They're apparently Lovecraftian, but I'd have to read their lyrics to hear that. I'm never really sure how I feel about blackened death (in this case, it's mostly the vocals that are blackened more than anything), I think I generally prefer the two styles separate.
The Midnight Hour, "Gate 54"
The Midnight Hour is Adrian Younge (who had scored a bunch of things and has also worked with a bunch of folks, we've seen his work with Ghostface Killah on here) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (from A Tribe Called Quest), putting together a jazz/hip-hop hybrid. As you'd expect from that pedigree, it's outstanding stuff. Younge and Muhammad both are multi-instrumentalists, and combined with their immense compositional talents, you've got amazing stuff.
We Be The Echo, "Debacle"
Hmm, I don't remember getting this. Seems to be an EP, and it's the only thing I have from this band. I'm guessing this ended up in my collection from that Humble Bundle of metal I got a while back. Well, it's OK, I guess, but I'm not really feeling it.
The Skalars, "Change Up"
Goofball name aside, The Skalars were a tremendous third-wave band, and one that deserved much more attention. This album, Change Up, especially. I love the harmonies here, the horns sound live and are delightful, the entire thing is just bursting with sunshine. It's not quite my favorite album from the third wave, that's probably Redlight by the Slackers, but it's very close.
Pink Floyd, "The Post War Dream"
This is the opening to Pink Floyd's morose The Final Cut, which is really a Roger Waters solo record in all but name. It's an anti-war album, rooted in Waters's own life and beliefs, but without a lot to hang your hat on other than the lyrics. It's a difficult album to love or even really listen to often, but I do admire how singular it is.