​The best overlooked albums of 2015, so far

As the second half of 2015 unfolds with the early promise of new albums from Tame Impala, Beach House and Mac DeMarco, it’s easy to lose sight of the landmark efforts that have already cemented this year as one for the books, let alone those that have already been trampled enough. In the spirit of the underdog and in light of this week’s limbo of record releases shifting from Tuesdays to Fridays, here are four albums that are just as deserving of earbud love as any that January through June have thrust upon us.

Bop English, “Constant Bop” Tweaking the formula that launched his main gig, White Denim, into modern rock and roll sainthood, James Petralli pumps the brakes on that group’s extended guitar solos, opting instead for tighter, poppier jams for his pet project Bop English. Right down to the typewriter-punch of his lyrics – an area in which most guitar heroes before him have floundered between half-assed sentiments of “I love you so much, baby” and “yeah, let’s dance/make love/rock and roll all night long” – Petralli has every “t” crossed and “i” dotted, though his efforts never come off as overwrought. Channeling rock’s late ‘60s-early ‘70s golden age without enslaving himself to nostalgia for its own sake, “Constant Bop” is exactly as its name would suggest: an unrelenting flow of inventive guitar hooks and towering, brow-wetting choruses.

Recommended Tracks: “Dani’s Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control),” “Struck Matches,” “Fake Dog”

Czarface, “Every Hero Needs a Villain”

If Kendrick Lamar and Drake, both having released thick, record-breaking albums earlier this year, are vying for a position as hip-hop’s class president of 2015, the trio that comprises Czarface is scurrying a pair of underpants up the flagpole while their classmates aren’t looking. On their second album, Wu-Tang’s Inspectah Deck once again teams with duo 7L & Esoteric for a capital-F fun romp through old-school, comic book-inspired rap. Speckled with samples of long-forgotten Saturday morning cartoons and rich in heavy-hitting Golden Era beats, the crew stunts their delightfully overinflated egos over goofball references to Ann Landers, pro football and Stalin that pile up like a stack of Marvel comics.

Recommended Tracks: “Czartacus,” “Ka-Bang!,” “Nightcrawler”

Saun & Starr, “Look Closer”

Speaking as objectively as possible, the Daptone label, famed for its particular roster of vintage-sounding soul musicians, has yet to release an album that is anything less than damn fine. On “Look Closer,” Starr Duncan Lowe and Saundra Williams step forward from their underpinning positions as Sharon Jones’ backing Dapettes into an equally bright limelight. They can coo and holler with the best of ‘em, and the collection of polished arrangements, courtesy of Daptone’s crack in-house songwriting team and backing band, do their peanut butter and jelly voices justice. Whether they’re shooting sidelong glares at the ne’er-do-well men in their lives or fawning over a real Mr. Right, these ladies prove their prowess no matter how far upstage they are.

Recommended Tracks: “Look Closer (Can’t You See the Signs?),” “Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah,” “Hot Shot”

Faith Healer, “Cosmic Troubles”

Once upon a time, the “psychedelic” modifier was slapped on any music that featured a wah-wah pedal and some far-out lyrics about tuning in, turning on and dropping out. Nowadays, psychedelicism is a maximalist affair, as bands like the Flaming Lips aim to drain the serotonin right out of your ears with cascades of reality-bending synths and a bevy of digital effects. On her debut as Faith Healer, Edmontonian Jessica Jalbert gets back to those simpler days, milking Crybabies for all their die-cast worth as they weep over poppy power chords and hair-raising double-time verses. Sonically lean, Jalbert’s “Cosmic Troubles” keenly refuses resorting to studio trickery to feed your head.

Recommended Tracks: “Again,” “Acid,” “Canonized”