Dear Beastie Boys,

Cancer can be a real downer, but you spun that potential tragedy into pure gold in Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.

Especially after the Grammy award-winning, all instrumental The Mix-Up (2007), it is good to hear why, year after year, you are an act that keeps growing in popularity, talent and critical acclaim.  

This eighth album’s got callbacks to what made you always great, in the funky beats of the aptly named “”Make Some Noise”” or the even more aptly named “”Crazy Ass Shit.”” But it’s also got new tricks to keep the trio relevant — namely that revamped single from two years ago, “”Too Many Rappers”” featuring Nas, and a summer song waiting to happen called “”Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win,”” featuring Santigold. Hell yes.

Who knows why random, no-name rappers were called out for blowing smoke at the microphone, but your words of wisdom still ring true: “”Too many rappers, and there’s still not enough emcees.””

Good then, good now,

Jazmine Woodberry

Dear Fleet Foxes,

Thanks to your music, I know what it’s like to dance in a meadow full of baby deer and/or watch the sunrise while flying into a cloud. Yeah, that’s right. You guys take folk to a much … “”higher”” level.

Your new album Helplessness Blues is no exception. True, the first track, “”Montezuma,”” is sure to be played on the radio of every Urban Outfitters for the next couple months, but it’s still a magical experience. “”Bedouin Dress”” combines a country-like twang with just a little bit of Celtic fiddling to create a trippy but beautiful melody. And I’m pretty sure that somewhere in Middle Earth, there are hobbits dancing on tables to “”Sim Sala Bim.””

“”The Plains / Bitter Dancer”” showcases your always-impressive vocal harmonies, and “”The Shrine / An Argument”” throws some blues into the mix. Of course, the lyrics of “”The Shrine”” are probably describing an acid trip — but hey, that’s what all your listeners will be feeling by the time the album ends.

Keep it up, ’cause Ke$ha might be shooting unicorns, but you wrote your music while riding one. Seriously.

Love,

Miranda Butler

Dear Jennifer Lopez,

I was almost certain that after your marriage with Ben Affleck fell apart and those bad movies, you would just stop making music. Then you tricked me, using Pitbull and a spicy electro-inspired dance track in “”On the Floor”” to confuse me into listening again. Well played. The rest of your new album Love? evoked that question mark in my mind a lot. Why does “”(What Is) Love”” sound just like a Nelly Furtado song? Weird. How much did you pay Lil Wayne to be on this album? Young Money. Why would you sample the weird jungle ethnic orgy song from the second “”Matrix”” movie for this song called “”Papi””? Yes, seriously. Stay away.

Won’t be fooled again,

Remy Albillar