Some albums open with a bang and demand your attention. Other albums work subtly, thriving upon material that eases it’s way into your ears and grows on you. You put it on, and you immediately feel like you’ve always known this album, and that the artist involved is an old friend. This has been my experience with The Quiet Life. Fresh Daily is a Brooklyn emcee/graphic design artist who has been doing his thing for a few years now.

There are collaborations, posses, crews, super groups, and then there is Backburner. Sixteen emcees, seven producers, and one deejay have come together to make Heatwave. Before I even get to the quality of the album, let me just marvel at the sheer logistics of coordinating that many musicians. It’s no small feat. They feature Fresh Kils, Wordburglar, Timbuktu, More or Les, Uncle Fester, Ghettosocks, Chokeules, Jesse Dangerously, Jay Bizzy, Thesis Sahib, Beatmason, Frank Deluxe, Dexter Doolittle, Paybo, Ambition, Johnny Hardcore, Manalive, Ginzu33 and Mister E.

Let me begin by saying that I respect the hell of J Medeiros. After getting burnt by Rawkus, first as a member of the Procussions and then as a solo artist, he’s been working as independently as possible. In the case of his latest solo album, Saudade, he appealed to his fans to help fund and distribute the album, and they responded enthusiastically. I don’t know what the long-term ramifications of a business model like this are, but I’m certainly intrigued by the possibility.

Audio Games is a young producer from New York, and this EP is his solo debut. For the endeavor he enlisted the help of emcees Zero Star, Kidd Steve, 2 Dash Tone, Bee West, and guitarist John Martens. While I can’t say there’s any one thing that stands out about this EP, there’s nothing I dislike about it. Games demonstrates an ear for reworking soul samples, and the two instrumental tracks work stand on their own as singles.

Have you ever felt betrayed by the first single or opening track to an album? That’s how I felt with the Toddla T’s “Watch Me Dance.”” Granted, I wasn’t familiar with the Sheffield artist and hadn’t listened to his 2009 album Skanky Skanky, so I didn’t know what to expect. That said, I still feel the gap between the first single and the rest of the album betrayed me as a listener and potential fan.

DJ Shadow was fortunate to come around when he did. He has talent and vision, to be sure, but the fact the he was on the forefront of instrumental hip hop when he released Endtroducing… in 1996 has given him leeway with listeners that other artists don’t have. I honestly couldn’t tell you what I would think about an album like The Less You Know, The Better if I didn’t know who made it, other than it’s all over the map.

One Be Lo may still best be known as one half of the legendary underground duo Binary Star, but he’s been recording and performing as a solo artist fro quite some time. If you’ve been following the Michigan emcee’s career, you know that every album title is an acronym, and the new album is no exception. This time, we’re given several choices as to what LABOR stands for. There’s Language Arts Based On Reality, Love Allah Bills Opportunity Revolution, Land Agriculture Beasts Occupation Resources, Large Animals Bovines Obedient Reliable, and Locusts, Ants, Bees, and Roaches.

In what is supposed to be a little giveaway four-song EP, Dam-Funk accidentally reasserts himself as one of the most talented and interesting musicians working today. His style is rooted in the electro-boogie of the early eighties, but it’s something he’s made all his own. Just listening to the opening track, “Forever,” with it’s seemingly simple keyboard bass line and down tempo drum beat, I find myself drawn in. On paper, there’s not a lot to it, but it’s just a groove that’s felt so well, and his vocals are stronger than ever.

Only a few months after their debut release, Used Future, Dutch producers/deejays Optimus and Mace are already back with another EP. It continues the fine groundwork they laid on Used Future, and expands their sound even further. On the first track, “Land Beyond the Forest,” we get a mood that was not readily apparent on Used Future. A lone guitar introduces the EP in a blues/jazz style, before vocal samples add an eeriness to the song, as a discussion of the power of vampires unfolds.

Not that long ago, we were treated to Wugazi, an album which combined the unlikely marriage of Wu Tang Clan and Fugazi. The difference between the two groups forced producers Cecil Otter and Swiss Andy to be creative in how they matched the two up and made it into a coherent and enjoyable listening experience. With Fela Soul, Amerigo Gazaway chose a more sensible match in De La Soul and Fela Kuti.