Music

The 5 Most Anticipated Upcoming Albums

by Anne T. Donahue

After a winter of decent debuts and noteworthy follow-ups, 2010 has been living up to its reputation as a year of musical importance, offering good, bad and controversial releases that have kept critics, listeners and everyone in between pre-occupied with reviews, live shows and blog reports.  Now into the second quarter of the year, more albums are set to take the world by storm, but with countless releases scheduled for each week, nearly every Tuesday becomes “highly-anticipated”.  Therefore, here are our thoughts on five albums guaranteed to spark discussion in this quarter of 2010.

The Drums

Darlings of the UK music media, New York-based surf rockers, The Drums, have truly defined the phrase “love ‘em or hate ‘em”, as their post-punk sound and well-thought out aesthetic have worked to create both an extensive fan base and army of naysayers.  Fresh off the NME Shockwaves Tour, the four-piece have spent the spring taking Europe by storm, drawing rave reviews from concert goers and critics for their enthusiasm, their upbeat indie-pop sound, and the fruit of their debut EP, Summertime! Scheduled to release their first full-length record on June 7, The Drums will continue to divide music aficionados throughout the year, living up to the buzz they’re already surrounded by.

MIA

A master of controversy, MIA has already made headlines for her outspokenness, political convictions and most recently, the debut of the video for her upcoming album’s first single, Born Free.  Already banned in the US, the video features graphic and disturbing imagery as well as political and social commentary that work to shock viewers and prompt discussion, seemingly taking precedence over the actual song.  After taking over Pitchfork’s Twitter on April 26, MIA has enlisted fans to name her upcoming album (scheduled for release on June 29), and with this much debate surrounding the song, its visual counterpart and MIA in general, many conversations of spring 2010 will likely revolve around this musical force.

The Dead Weather

Supergroup extraordinaire, The Dead Weather have already peaked interest following the release of their videos for Die by the Drop and Gasoline – the latest singles off their upcoming sophomore record, Sea of Cowards (out May 11).  Not so much controversial as a display of the band’s obvious credibility and badass qualities, each video showcases the unique dynamic between rock ‘n roll heavyweights Jack White and Alison Mosshart (as well as the talent of Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertitia), thus adding fuel to the “this album is going to be fantastic” fire.  With 2009’s Horehound sitting atop many year-end lists and still on the minds of fans everywhere, it’s not so much controversy as high expectations that this all-star four-piece must live up to.

LCD Soundsystem

Scheduled to release their third studio album on May 18 (May 17 in the UK), James Murphy’s brainchild, LCD Soundsystem has kept fans in breathless anticipation as they anxiously await the full-length counterpart to the group’s first single, Drunk Girls, released earlier this year.  Accompanied by a video co-directed by Spike Jonze and the group’s front man (that sees James Murphy dressed in drag), the group earned further publicity after he alluded to the fact that this album may be the last under the LCD Soundsystem moniker.  As a result, in addition to raised interest and countless “say it ain’t so!” conversations, Murphy has been on the receiving end of potentially premature musical canonization as the release will either work to surpass expectations or crush the spirits of fans everywhere.

Kele

Already cited as an indie-rock gem, Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke has stepped back from the London trio to focus on his solo work, earning attention from early concert-goers who’ve managed to catch a glimpse of the artist’s latest musical endeavours.  However, with a single yet to be released and promises of Okereke “[pushing] the boundaries of pop and electronic to boldly step out as a genuinely thrilling artist in his own right”, a bold and innovative release is the minimum requirement from a musician who managed to help define the sound of the early 2000’s.  Scheduled for release on June 21, The Boxer has the potential to act as the soundtrack for summer 2010, provided all connotations with Silent Alarm are forgotten.