Editor’s note: Please be advised that some of the music listed may contain explicit and/or inappropriate content.

This week I’m going to talk about an artist that you might not expect, Carly Rae Jepsen. Yes, the pop star famous for “Call Me Maybe.” I actually took the time to listen to the whole album, which clocks in at about 42 minutes.

Other than “Call Me Maybe,” the album was monotonous trash. I read up on what her genre is, and the general consensus is Dance-Pop, but I would not want to dance to any of these songs, except “Call Me Maybe.” I love that song.

First, the album did not flow from song to song, the feeling that one song ended was not kept in the next song, and my ears became tired by the fifth song.

I understand this is pop music and it’s supposed to be happy and easy to listen to, but the whole album gave off a monotone vibe of content that isolated me from her work. The melodies and choruses of the songs were so similar that I could sing the words to “This Kiss” with the melody of “Hurt So Good” and you probably wouldn’t notice a difference.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like pop music — “Toxic” by Britney Spears is my jam — but Carly Rae’s album just didn’t do it for me and made me very angry with today’s music industry. You could tell this album was written and designed to sell to little teenage girls.

Speaking of pop music that isn’t “Disney channel” controlled, Lana Del Rey’s third EP, Paradise, is set to drop November 12th. She is not your average pop star and really digs deep lyrically and melodically in unconventional ways.

Kendrick Lamar, my favorite rapper in the game now, just dropped his official debut album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. This is his best work to date, and my favorite album of the year, hands down. The beats are diverse, smooth and powerful, but Kendrick’s vocals take the cake. The album tells the story of his youth, a good kid in a bad city, Compton, California. He is the ultimate storyteller, effortlessly weaving childhood anecdotes with rap braggadocio in an entertaining yet moving way. He doesn’t talk gloriously of taking drugs, committing crimes, violence and women, but instead shares the hardships he faced trying to grow up a good kid.

Several of the tracks on the album directly deal with these issues, such as: “The Art of Peer Pressure,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and “Good Kid.” In the first, he mentions, “Really I’m a sober soul, But I’m with the homies right now… That’s ironic because I’ve never been violent, until I’m with the homies.” A mainstream rapper speaking out against the typical themes associated with the genre is bold, but Kendrick has nothing to fear because his pure talent allows him to transcend these stereotypes.

I highly recommend this album to anyone who wants to listen to something fresh and creative. Some tracks to check out: “Compton,” “Backstreet Freestyle” and “Poetic Justice (Feat. Drake).”

Here are a couple of songs I’ve been listening to lately:

“Jah No Partial” – Major Lazer Feat. Flux Pavilion. Major Lazer’s newest single off their upcoming album, Major Lazer Frees The Universe, is a unique combo of the Diplo’s classic bass-heavy take on dancehall and reggae, mixed with Flux Pavilion’s mastery of all things dubstep.

“Too Close” (Nacey Remix) – Alex Clare. Chances are, you’ve probably heard the original version of this song in an Internet Explorer or Microsoft ad. I love the original; it tastefully combines soulful blues vocals with a huge electro-dubstep beat, but this remix changes that. It keeps the soul and power of the vocals while changing the feel of the song to be more serene and ambient, a move that, in my opinion, sounds almost as good as the original.