The rapper GoldLink's latest studio album, Haram!, is a menacing and, at times, unsettling mix of dystopian hip-hop, with bouts of mania and violence. It's also some of the most compelling and brilliantly executed music of his career. On this week's program, we give the album a spin and talk about how the DMV rapper's singular sound has evolved.
We also hear from H.E.R.'s beautiful new full-length Back of My Mind, a thrilling soundtrack written for a popular comic book series, Dark Nights: Death Metal, a debut album from trans punk Cher Strauberry and more. NPR Music's Lars Gotrich joins WPNX's Jewly Hight, NPR Music contributor Christina Lee, Radio Milwaukee's Tarik Moody and WXPN's John Morrison, along with host Robin Hilton, as they share their picks for the best albums out on June 18.
Featured Albums:
- GoldLink — Haram!
Featured Songs: "Terrordome" and "Evian" - Various — Dark Nights: Death Metal
Featured Song: "Diana" by Chelsea Wolfe - H.E.R. — Back of My Mind
Featured Song: "We Made It" - Amythyst Kiah — Wary + Strange
Featured Song: "Wild Turkey" - Donnie — The Colored Section (20th Anniv.)
Featured Song: "Beautiful Me" - Ambar Lucid — Get Lost In The Music
Featured Song: "The Door" - Mykki Blanco — Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep
Featured Song: "Free Ride" - Cher Strauberry — Chering Is Caring
Featured Song: "Swish And Spit"
Other notable releases for June 18: Angelique Kidjo — Mother Nature; Azure Ray — Remedy; Francis Lung — Miracle; Hania Rani — Music For Film And Theater; Joan Armatrading — Consequences.