Relish these quiet days of April, for they are the calm before the proverbial musical storm. Maybe the planets are aligned just right, or some ancient fortune is finally coming to fruition, but this summer is poised to be a momentous one in the musical world with a slew of quality bands releasing new albums between May and August. And while none of this summer’s awaited albums have been released yet, most of the bands have released the “dreaded” single, that one song which represents the toil and strife of putting together an album. So be prepared to hear these songs, because once the radio gets a hold of all of them, they will be played non-stop for the next three months. With that, here is your personal guide to this summer’s musical releases and the singles that accompany them.
Weezer: The first anticipated record to crash the market this summer is Weezer’s long-awaited fifth studio album, Make Believe. The single “Beverly Hills” is undeniably catchy with its strong bass line and rhythm, but there is something distinctly missing. The story goes that this song is a commentary on life in the real Beverly Hills — slow, boring and fake. But this is hardly justification to make a sub-par song for some trivial point. Sadly though, the declining state of Weezer’s music (since Pinkerton, anyway), might strike the disappointment chord in the hearts of fans, but damn, that “Beverly Hills” song is so damn catchy. Make Believe will be released May 3.
Foo Fighters: Front man Dave Grohl is one of the most ambitious artists in modern rock today, hands down. After 10 years of playing together, he readily admitted that the band could’ve either broken up or done something revolutionary. Luckily for fans of the group, the Foos chose the latter of the two. In Your Honor, a double disc featuring one album’s worth of acoustic material and another of punch-your-mom-in-the-face rock, releases on June 14. Guests on the acoustic disc include Norah Jones and Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, adding their own unique touches to the new Foo.
“When someone comes up to you and asks which Led Zeppelin album they should buy, you should say Physical Graffiti,” Grohl said in a recorded message to the media. “And, in 20 years, when your kid comes up to you and asks which Foo Fighters album he or she should buy, I want you to say In Your Honor.” Only time will tell, but if the first single “Best of You” is any indication, Grohl is set to make history yet again.
System Of A Down: System Of A Down, for some reason, is strongly against the double album. So instead of a face-melting double CD, System Of A Down will be releasing two different albums this year — one in May and one later toward the end of the year. The albums will be called Mesmerize and Hypnotize, respectively. The band’s first single, “Cigaro,” rocks just as hard as anything from its previous album, Toxicity. System Of A Down’s inherent knowledge of music makes its specific style of hard rock more accessible to the mainstream. Although the lyrics of “Cigaro” might be a tad abrasive — and, for that matter, vulgar — for some, the drums and guitar are instantly addictive. Mesmerize will be released May 17.
Audioslave: Soundgarden/Rage Against the Machine mash-up band Audioslave is back with its second studio album, entitled Out of Exile. Its first single, “Be Yourself,” sounds all too familiar. Self-help theme aside, “Be Yourself” sounds too much like Audioslave’s first album. What Audioslave members should do is break up and reform their previous bands because nothing Audioslave has done has even touched the height of Soundgarden or Rage Against The Machine. Out of Exile hits record stores near you May 24.
White Stripes: Thank the heavens for Jack White, rock god. Rumor has it that Meg and Jack White recorded their new album, Get Behind Me Satan, in only two weeks at their Detroit studio. Their first single, “Blue Orchid,” is completely different than anything the White Stripes have done before. Everything from Jack White’s high-pitched vocals to the blowout stadium guitars to the prolific lyrics. With one of the strongest singles of the bunch, the White Stripes just might be the toast of the summer. Get Behind Me Satan will be released June 7.
Kanye West: Kanye has gone back to school. The acclaimed Chicago emcee/producer is poised for another commercially successful album this summer — his follow-up to last year’s College Dropout — with his new album, Late Registration. His single “Diamonds Are Forever” picked up right where Kanye left off. By sampling the classic Shirley Bassey song of the same name, Kanye spits fantastic new rhymes with beats that are as fresh as anything he’s done. Late Registration will be released July 12.
While these are the major bands that have released their singles thus far, there is a mess of other bands also poised for huge summer releases. Coldplay presents its anticipated follow-up to A Rush of Blood to the Head when it releases X&Y June 7. Fred Durst and his Limp Bizkit cronies will be releasing their new album The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) May 3 and Dave Matthews will also drop a new album, Stand Up, May 10. The Black Eyed Peas are poised to take over radio waves again with Monkey Business June 7.
Other bands that will be releasing albums this summer are Bruce Springsteen (April 26), Oasis (May 31), Alanis Morissette (July 26) and The Strokes (TBA). So be prepared for this musical storm, because once it strikes, you might find yourself glued to these new albums.
— Ryan Gauthier contributed to this article
