Week three of June brings some much-anticipated releases in hip hop, among some other appealing albums. Info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the past few months.
3OH!3, Omens (Photo Finish/Atlantic)
Adventures, Clear My Head With You EP (No Sleep)
Austra, Olympia (Domino)
Baths, Cerulean (Anticon)
Beach Day, Trip Trap Attack (Kanine)
The City and Horses, Strange Range (Paper Garden Records)
Columboid, Monster Vision (La Société Expéditionnaire)
Eddie Spaghetti, The Value of Nothing (Bloodshot Records)
Empire of the Sun, Ice on the Dune (Astralwerks)
Falling in Reverse, Fashionably Late (Epitaph)
The Gaslight Anthem, Singles Collection 2008-2011 (SideOneDummy)
Hanson, Anthem (3CG)
Heliotropes, A Constant Sea (Manimal Vinyl)
Four women from Brooklyn make up Heliotropes, which delivers hard-grinding stoner rock. This is their debut full-length, with the majority of songs featuring titles that are also names of various monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, Sasquatch). "Quatto" is the monster-thing from Total Recall; listen after the jump along with checking out the rest of this week's new releases...
Holy Folk, Motioning (Silver Side)
Hospital Ships, Destruction in Yr Soul (Graveface)
The bedroom recording project of Kansas musician Jordan Geiger fills out with a full band for this collection, ranging from swinging vintage-scuffed rock n' roll ala "Servants" (video below) to garage rock aggression to buoyant folk.
J. Cole, Born Sinner (Roc Nation/Universal)
The first artist to sign to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label (real name Jermaine Lamarr Cole) finally issues his much-anticipated sophomore LP; lead single "Power Trip" featuring Miguel peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Rap Songs charts, No. 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Video below.
Delbert&Glen, Blind, Crippled & Crazy (New West)
Legendary Americana maker Delbert McClinton teams up with Glen Clark for their first duets record in more than four decades, a mix of swampy blues, soul and honky tonk.
Natasha Kmeto, Crisis (Dropping Gems)
Lemuria, The Big Distance Is So Big (Bridge Nine)
Light Years, I Won’t Hold This Against You (Paper + Plastick)
The Mantles, Long Enough To Leave (Slumberland)
Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off (Rostrum Records)
The sophomore album from Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.
Rick Moranis, My Mother's Brisket & Other Love Songs (West End Pictures / Warner Bros.)
Yes, that Rick Moranis. The spectacle-wearing comedian/nerd returns with a collection of songs reflecting on his Jewish roots and upbringing with a mix of klezmer, rumba, folk and jazz backing songs about family, food, religious traditions, love, and dessert.
Primal Scream, More Light (Atlantic)
The new full-length from Scotlands's seminal alt rock band sees its U.S. release.
Kelly Rowland, Talk a Good Game (Republic)
Said the Whale, I Love You EP (Universal)
Sigur Rós, Kveikur (XL)
Spectrals, Sob Story (Slumberland)
Statik Selektah, Extended Play (Duck Down Music)
Steve Gunn, Time Off (Paradise of Bachelors Records)
Stripmall Architecture, Suburban Reverb (Tricycle Records)
Sublime, 3 Ring Circus: Live at the Palace, October 21, 1995 (UMe)
Tripwires, Spacehopper (Frenchkiss)
Tunng, Turbines (Full Time Hobby)
Two Inch Astronaut, Bad Brother (Exploding In Sound Records)
Tylan, One True Thing (Girlyman)
Vacation, Candy Waves (Don Giovanni Records)
Kanye West, Yeezus (Def Jam)
Kim Kardashian's boo and her baby's daddy, rapper, producer and overall superstar West presents his much-anticipated sixth solo LP, which West has described as "like trap and drill and house. I knew that I wanted to have a deep Chicago influence on this album, and I would listen to like, old Chicago house music. I think that even 'Black Skinhead' could border on house, 'On Sight' sounds like acid house, and then 'I Am a God' obviously sounds, like, super house." Among the collaborators this go-round are The-Dream and spoken word artist Malik Yusef, Thomas Bangalter of duo Daft Punk (who produced the first track), Chief Keef, Justin Vernon, and others. Check out his performance of "Black Skinhead" from SNL below.
The World Is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die, Whenever, If Ever (Topshelf Records)
A Connecticut indie rock octet with emo and chamber tendencies; this is their wistfully pretty first LP. TWIABPAIANLATD plays Epic Problem in Tampa on Fri., June 21.
Anton Zap, Water (Apollo Records)