Welcome to Future Sounds! Every Wednesday Ghettoblaster brings you a handful of singles from upcoming albums to excite and entice your ears. Below you’ll find songs that really stand out as essential listening. So please sit back, relax and treat yourself to some seriously great music.

Zack de le Rocha – digging for windows

de le Rocha’s back baby! Former Rage Against The Machine and One Day As A Lion frontman has released his debut solo single, with an album due next year. Produced by Run The Jewels’ El-P, this song starts minimal with a fuzzy synth and drum pulse then develops with screeching guitars hits. This is a new sound for de la Rocha, still resembling his past projects, but more fresh with that El-P magic touch. “F*** that bright shit,” establishes right away that Zack is back and he’s not messing around. He’s still the master of revolutionary rhymes, painting a vivid picture of the corruption and inequality in our country, all verses coming back to the line, “These days is all night.” RATM fans have been waiting for this moment since Zack appeared on Run The Jewels’ Close Your Eyes and Count To F***, and now it’s finally arrived. No wonder Zack gave Prophets of Rage his blessing, he’s doing cool stuff with El-P. In this tumultuous election time it’s good to know that all member of RATM especially Zack are out fighting the good fight with their music.

Slaves – Take Control (Virgin EMI Records)

Speaking of revolution, English punk duo Slaves’ second album Take Control, is coming out Sept. 30 on Virgin EMI Records. When you go to the bands website their domain serves as a message: you are all slaves. On the title track they urge us to take control. The lyrics describing a daily routine with drummer Isaac Holman repeating the mantra “take control” between each line, until the chorus where frontman Laurie Vincent screams the order.This is everything you want from a punk song: it’s rough, it’s angry, and it has a killer guitar riff. Produced by the Beastie Boys’ Mike D, he had this to say about the album, ““I feel right now the world needs an album like this. Something that is more raw, more alive and less polished. I was impressed with the band’s strong point of view. They actually speak their minds about social topics.”

Tkay Maidza feat. Killer Mike – Carry On (Downtown, Interscope)

The debut album of Australian singer/rapper Tkay Maidza is out Oct. 28 on Downtown/Interscope. It will no doubt be an impressive debut judging by this latest cut from it featuring rap legend Killer Mike (clearly my goal was to get both members of Run The Jewels on the list somehow). This song starts with Tkay singing catchy synth-pop hook a la Robyn or Santigold. Producer Dann Hume composed a dynamic beat, with a perfect balance of catchy and chaotic. Tkay raps a verse about how fame can be exhausting because people try to take advantage of you. Tkay explains, “the song is me saying ‘there’s so many people coming round trying to steal something from me but I just want to have fun.’” So for the second verse Killer Mike steps in and gives her some advice and encouragement as Tkay puts it he, “acts as a big brother”. I’ve never seen something quite like this happen in a song it’s really awesome and kind of adorable. With Tkay’s talent and intellegence, and Killer Mike looking out for her I’m sure she’ll have a great career in music.

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – A 1000 Times (Glassnote Records)

When one of your favorite bands breaks up or a member leaves it’s always a bummer, but if you’re luck they’ll team up with a member from another one of those bands and make some more great music. That’s the case with former Vampire Weekend mastermind Rostam Batmanjiv and former Walkmen fronman Hamilton Leithauser. In the couple years, both have been doing some solid musical projects, and now they’ve joined for I Had A Dream That You Were Mine out Sept.23 on Glassnote. Rostam’s bouncy composition backs up Hamilton’s sharp, smokey vocals as he tells a story about love and loss. On this new project storytelling is very important to Rostam, “In some ways, the more that I write songs, the more I feel that telling a story is the most important thing; just being able to close your eyes when you hear some lyrics and go somewhere. It’s worth taking the time to do that, because people respond to it.” This duo is a hipster’s dream and this album will help soothe the pain of Rostam’s recent departure.

Mick Jenkins feat. BADBADNOTGOOD – Drowning (Cinematic Music Group) 

This is the latest single from Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins’ highly anticipated debut album, The Healing Component, out Sept. 23 via Cinematic Music Group. After appearing on their recent album, Jenkins features electronic jazz quartet BADBADNOTGOOD. The group have a history with hip hop, doing interpretations of songs and working with the likes of Ghostface Killah and Tyler The Creator. They provide backing instrumentals that begin with bass and woodblock creating a beat like the ticking of a clock. Mick sings, “When the real hold you down you supposed to drown right. Wait that don’t sound right.” Referencing Kanye’s Bound 2, but adding another meaning with Eric Garner’s final words serving as the eerie chorus, “I can’t breathe.” This song on the other hand does breathe, it takes it’s time. Mick eventually spits a killer verse, and 2/3s of the way through the band breaks into a funky jam before slowing back down for the ending. This is a relevant and important song and the accompanying video is extremely powerful and beautifully shot. This deep, pensive 6 minute song let’s us know that Mick is not your average rapper.

https://soundcloud.com/emilynbrodsky/hands-off-the-stove
Emilyn Brodsky – Hands Off The Stove (Dead Stare Records)

Let’s end on an upbeat note with this bouncy, poppy tune from Emilyn Brodsky. With jangly guitar, smooth organ, and glorious horns this song is a lot of fun, yet with a weighty question at it’s core, “If you’re willing to kill is it really a good intention.”Emilyn told stereogum her inspiration for the sound, “I always wanted to write a huge New Pornographers style triumphant pop outro, so I made myself a chorus of horns and angels singing LALALALA to you.” Emilyn is known for quirky album concepts and titles, and her latest is Emilyn Brodsky’s Digestion out Oct. 14 on Dead Stare Records. This carries over to her lyrics, breaking the fourth wall at the end and declaring, “This is the end of the song.” Listening to this album will no doubt be a good time, now I’ll follow Emilyn’s lead and tell you, this is the end of the post.