June music preview: Janelle Monáe ushers in The Age Of Pleasure and Killer Mike makes a long-awaited return

As any Run The Jewels devotee could argue, Killer Mike isn’t known for holding back. But Michael, the rapper’s first solo album in over a decade, finds the 48-year-old MC at a turning point in his life, where “raw” looks different then it did 10, even five years ago. Decades into a career defined by brash, indisputable verses taking the powers that be to task, Mike started going to therapy and grew curious about the inner forces ruling his own life, drawing inspiration from this most personal struggles as opposed to the collective rage and disenchantment that serves as a jetpack on RTJ’s back. “Motherless,” a standout single from the album, finds Mike intimately reflecting on losing his mother and grandmother, . As the meditative, time-worn wisdom of “Motherless” indicates, there’s no better time to do so than the present. [Hattie Lindert]

In 1999, veteran underground rapper and unrepentant weirdo Kool Keith donned a fake pompadour and shades, reinvented himself as interstellar rock star Black Elvis, and released an album called Black Elvis/Lost In Space. Now, over 20 years later, that album is getting a sequel. Black Elvis 2 features Ice-T, L’Orange, Raaddrr Van, Dynamite, J. Stylez, Agallah, and Marc Live, and like every Kool Keith project, it will likely be very weird and very wonderful. [Peter Helman]

Call it serendipity or an act of the dramaturgically inclined divine: just as her beloved talk show makes a cross country move amid , Kelly Clarkson’s long-awaited divorce album Chemistry is almost here. A few fortunate L.A.-area individuals have already heard the 14-track album, while the rest of the world has three initial pure pop-rock singles to grasp onto. Well-fit for an early summer relief, these tracks aren’t life-changing, but they might not need to be. If divinity stays on the side of Clarkson’s fans, an album of new tracks won’t snuff out the possibility of a full “Kellyoke” tour, which has the potential to usher in a new era of respect for the charismatic star, who has a voice revelatory enough to quiet a stadium and unite generations raised on both Nirvana and Billie Eilish. [Hattie Lindert]

Albert Hammond Jr., whom you might recognize as the lead guitarist of the Strokes, is following up 2018’s Francis Trouble with another new solo album. He wrote Melodies On Hiatus with help from professional songwriter Simon Wilcox, and he’s already shared the record’s entire first half. It includes a surprising feature from DC rapper Goldlink and plenty of Strokesian guitar goodness, and there should be plenty more where that come from. [Peter Helman]

Cellist, composer, and producer Arthur Russell died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1992 at the way-too-young age of 40. Although he never saw the success he deserved in his lifetime, he has been hailed in the years since as an influential avant-garde pop genius. Fortunately, he left behind a treasure trove of unreleased material, and there’s still new music that we haven’t heard yet. The upcoming Picture Of Bunny Rabbit is a collection of nine songs from the the era following World Of Echo, the lone album that Russell released during his lifetime, and his HIV diagnosis in 1986. [Peter Helman]

Wye Oak released their last album, the very good The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs, back in 2018. Since then, the long-running indie-rock duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have largely shifted their focus from album-length statements to standalone singles, six of which are being bundled together with three brand new tracks on the forthcoming Every Day Like the Last: Collected Singles 2019–2023. “Every Day Like The Last—that could mean every day like the day that came before, or it could mean every day like the last day that you get,” Wasner explains. “Both meanings apply. But for me, trying to live inside of the uncertainty is the theme. That is the thread that ties all the songs together—tolerating the discomfort of not knowing.” [Peter Helman]

Montreal dance producer Lunice is probably still best known for his work with Hudson Mohawke as one half of the duo TNGHT. He’s finally following up his 2017 solo debut CCCLX with a new album called Open, a title that matches the record’s collaborative spirit. Rappers and producers like Cali Cartier, Zach Zoya, Yuki Dreams Again, DAGR, and DRTWRK all contribute, and early single “No Commas” is a welcome reminder of Lunice’s inimitable talent. [Peter Helman]

Despite a tornado that damaged her house, a pandemic that devastated the world, and a stroke, legendary roots rock singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is still here and recording vital new music. Following her recently released memoir Don’t Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You, Williams is returning with a new album called Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart that boasts guest appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Angel Olsen, Tommy Stinson, Margo Price, and more. [Peter Helman]