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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2009 14:01:54 GMT -5
ALBUM PREVIEW: DROWNED IN SOUNDS
January 24, 2009
Album sales keep slipping, but if the trend continues in 2009, it won't be for a lack of blockbuster releases. Chief among them are several albums originally expected to come out in 2008, including U2's "No Line on the Horizon," 50 Cent's "Before I Self Destruct," Eminem's "Relapse" and Dr. Dre's "Detox." And there will also be plenty of new work from veterans (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band), country hitmakers (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban) and teen sensations (Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus).
Bruce Springsteen
"Working on a Dream" (Columbia, Jan. 27)
Reinvigorated by the rich pop that fueled 2006's "Magic" and the tour that followed, Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band and producer Brendan O'Brien knocked out "Working on a Dream" in occasional sessions while gigging last year (some featuring late keyboardist Danny Federici and his son Jason). The title track and second single "My Lucky Day" hint that Springsteen and O'Brien are continuing along the big, upbeat path that would sound great live. But the opener "Outlaw Pete" is a slow-burning, eight-minute narrative, while "Good Eye" hints at the swamp-blues sounds Springsteen has occasionally explored on tour.
Franz Ferdinand
"Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" (Epic, Jan. 27)
Franz Ferdinand makes good on its stated desire to produce a "dirty pop" album with "rhythm- and dance-based" songs on its third long-player. Throughout, the Scottish band lets its funky basslines handle much of the heavy lifting, decorating them with vintage synth melodies straight out of the Genesis (opener "Ulysses") or Sparks ("Live Alone") playbooks. Elsewhere, the band's cold grooves nod to Wire ("Turn It On"), Can ("Send Him Away") and "Miss You"-era Rolling Stones ("Kiss Me," "What She Came For"). Franz's first two albums "were very jerky," frontman Alex Kapranos says. "This one is much more of a swinger."
50 Cent
"Before I Self Destruct" (Shady/Interscope, Feb. 3)
Originally due late last year, 50 Cent's latest was bumped to the first quarter to allow him more time to hone tracks with longtime mates Eminem and Dr. Dre. "I have a couple of tracks on there with him. It's sick," Eminem says. Dr. Dre's fingerprints are all over the new single "I Get It In," while Scott Storch produced the initial single, "Get Up," which topped out at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year. "Before I Self Destruct" will be bundled with a full-length feature film of the same name, in which 50 plays a budding basketball star who becomes a criminal after his mother's murder.
The Fray
"The Fray" (Epic, Feb. 3)
Two-and-a-half years after a key placement on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" helped turn the Fray into a platinum star, the band utilized another high-profile partnership with the network to introduce the new single "You Found Me" in late November. The track, which has already sold 632,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, stemmed from crises among friends and family that prompted singer Isaac Slade to confront the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people. The sound of "The Fray" is "a little more extreme than the last record," Slade says. "It definitely spreads the spectrum a little bit."
Dierks Bentley
"Feel That Fire" (Capitol Nashville, Feb. 3)
"I want something that needs to be on someone's mantle," Dierks Bentley says of his goal for "Feel That Fire." "I have a bunch of U2 CDs, and each one has its own little place; it's not just pump out another record and say, 'All right, let's get back to the bus.' " The artist, who kept his circle of co-writers close on past albums, expanded his horizons by writing with Rodney Crowell, Rivers Rutherford, and Brad and Brett Warren, among others. "It's not only a chance to write songs, but it's big-brother mentoring, getting to ask questions about life," he says. "It's therapy to some point."
The Bad Plus
"For All I Care" (Heads Up, Feb. 3)
The jazz trio offers more unique interpretations of pop and rock classics on an album that also features vocals for the first time (from Wendy Lewis). Among the covers given the Bad Plus treatment this time around are Nirvana's "Lithium," the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love," Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," Heart's "Barracuda" and Yes' "Long Distance Runaround." The album also includes interpretations of pieces by classical composers Igor Stravinsky, Györgi Ligeti and Milton Babbitt.
Lily Allen
"It's Not Me, It's You" (Capitol, Feb. 10)
Lily Allen's sophomore album retains the playful spirit of her star-making 2007 debut "Alright, Still," but, musically and lyrically, it relocates her from too-cool-for-school hipster pop to somewhere between the dancefloor and the real world. Despite songs about God ("Him") and George W. Bush ("Fuck You"), it's still strong, uncontrived pop music. And it sounds stuffed with hits, starting with the lead track, "The Fear." "I did a retro thing last time," Allen says. "And since I did that, a lot of other people did it too. I wanted to separate myself from the group and move forward. People think I've intentionally done something more serious but I haven't."
Dan Auerbach
"Keep It Hid"
(Nonesuch, Feb. 10)
The Black Keys vocalist/guitarist is taking time off from his primary band to release and tour behind this solo debut, which he admits is "all over the map. Some of them sound like they could be Black Keys songs. But some songs are just acoustic guitar. There's some real dark tunes and some psychedelic rumbas." Indeed, the album runs the gamut from the sparse, drum-less opener "Trouble Weighs a Ton" and the genial acoustic closer "Goin' Home" to raw, swaggering rockers like "Heartbroken, in Disrepair."
The Lonely Island
"Incredibad" (Universal Republic, Feb. 10)
The comedy team consisting of "Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg and writers Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer draws from its sizable catalog of Internet smash hits for its major-label debut, including "Jizz in My Pants," "Dick in a Box" with Justin Timberlake, "Iran So Far" with Maroon 5's Adam Levine and "Lazy Sunday." Also expected to appear are "I'm on a Boat" with T-Pain, "Sax Man" with Jack Black, "Boombox" with the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, "Dream Girl" with Norah Jones and "Santana DVX" with E-40.
Two Tongues
"Two Tongues" (Vagrant, Feb. 10)
Saves the Day frontman Chris Conley and Say Anything mastermind Max Bemis join forces in this project, which Bemis says he "wanted to be a little more poetic and little bit less completely verbose." The album reflects the grandiose pop/punk and emo sounds of both bands and their influences, which Bemis cites as "Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins and Beatles-y with a Britpop element. Balance is very much so what the plot of the album is about. It's really about me and Chris' friendship and how that represents anybody's friendship, or anybody's relationship."
Morrissey
"Years of Refusal" (Attack/Lost Highway, Feb. 17)
The first few songs on "Refusal" suggest a more rock-oriented effort in the style of 1992's "Your Arsenal," including "All You Need Is Me" and the fired-up "Something Is Squeezing My Skull." On "Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed," Morrissey sounds vengeful, declaring, "Bailiffs with bad breath, I will slit their throats for you." The curious "When Last I Spoke to Carol" seems influenced by the cinematic sound of Ennio Morricone, while "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" experiments with samples.
Various artists
"Dark Was the Night" (Beggars Banquet, Feb. 17)
Some of the biggest names in independent music banded together to record exclusive songs for this double-disc album, whose proceeds will benefit the Red Hot organization's work with AIDS research. In the works since 2006, the project was curated by the National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner. The lineup includes Spoon, Arcade Fire, Yo La Tengo, the New Pornographers, Cat Power, My Morning Jacket and Iron & Wine. "Dark Was the Night" is also packed with intriguing collaborations, including Feist with Ben Gibbard and Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors with David Byrne, Aaron Dessner with Bon Iver, and Bryce Dessner with Antony.
. . . And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
"The Century of Self" (Richter Scale/Justice, Feb. 17)
The veteran Texas rock band is back on indie turf after three albums for Interscope, and on "The Century of Self," it has rediscovered the dark, punishing power of its best material. "Pictures of an Only Child" begins as a subdued wash of sound before bursting into a loud, chugging chorus and the bracing "Far Pavilions" has shouted counterpoint vocals from drummer Jason Reece. "On the last two albums, we were really meticulous recording to click tracks and doing overdubs," Keely says. "This time, we threw all that out. We learned the songs and all tracked live."
Jeremy Enigk
"OK Bear" (Lewis Hollow, February)
Jeremy Enigk returns to the heavier rock sound of Sunny Day Real Estate on his third solo album, recorded outside Barcelona with a group of musicians introduced to Enigk by a mutual friend from Seattle. "These guys are Sunny Day Real Estate fans and the moment they got their hands on my songs, whether they were mellow or not, they turned them into heavy rockers," Enigk says. Look for driving tracks like "Late of Camera" and "Find Idea," alongside "April Storm" ("That's on a Ryan Adams/'Love Is Hell'-type of kick," Enigk says) and the Gram Parsons-inspired "Same Side Imaginary."
U2
"No Line on the Horizon" (Interscope, March 3)
This long-gestating album was originally expected in fourth-quarter 2008 but the band wasn't satisfied with what it had and kept recording. The finished product blends such classic U2 rockers as "Crazy Tonight" and the single "Get on Your Boots" with more experimental fare like the seven-minute "Moment of Surrender" and "Tripoli." The former is an electro-leaning track with an Eastern-inspired scale in the chorus, making it one of the weirder U2 tracks in decades. "The last two records were very personal, with a kind of three-piece at their heart, the primary colors of rock—bass, guitars and drum," Bono says. "But what we're about now is of the same order as the transition that took us from 'The Joshua Tree' to 'Achtung Baby.' "
Neko Case
"Middle Cyclone" (Anti-, March 3)
Neko Case went back to nature for the subject of many of her new songs; the first single "People Got a Lot of Nerve" is "really about how we expect animals in the wild to be civilized," she says. The album's title is related to a number of the tracks, most notably "This Tornado Loves You." But don't expect a dark record about personal turmoil; "I'm not much of a metaphor person," Case says, confirming that "Cyclone" is more upbeat than 2004's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood." "When I talk about a tornado, I am literally talking about nature." The Band's Garth Hudson, M. Ward and members of the New Pornographers, Calexico, Los Lobos, Giant Sand, the Lilys and the Sadies all make appearances.
Chris Cornell
"Scream" (Mosley Music/Interscope, March 3)
In one of the more unlikely pop music pairings of late, Chris Cornell drafted hip-hop maestro Timbaland to produce his third solo album. As to be expected with Timbaland behind the boards, songs like "Long Gone" and "Watch Out" move Cornell in a much more R&B-oriented direction, with busy drum machine beats, buffed-up chorus vocals and string samples filling the nooks and crannies. "I don't care what anyone says," Cornell says. "What we did together is different than anything that has been done before."
Kelly Clarkson
"All I Ever Wanted" (RCA, March 17)
The biz is watching this album closely, since Clarkson's last release, 2007's "My December," was marred by her public feud with Clive Davis over her desire to write her own material. The set has sold 782,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from the 6 million-plus of 2004's "Breakaway," which featured a number of co-writes with experienced songwriters. "All I Ever Wanted," which sports assistance from Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Howard Benson, is introduced by the single "My Life Would Suck Without You," a propulsive blast of rock-tinged pop that just hit U.S. radio.
MSTRKRFT
"Fist of God" (Dim Mak/Downtown, March 17)
This Canadian dance duo previewed "First of God" last fall with the single "Bounce," a collaboration with reggaetón star N.O.R.E. The album's other guests include Ghostface Killah, E-40, Freeway, Lil' Mo and John Legend—a definitive move to a different sound that group member Jesse Keeler says "we thought would alienate some people." "We wanted to make a record that was more ideologically like a throwback to when rap and R&B production was old school; the line between that and dance was very blurry," he says. Group member Al-P adds, "It's the same as when the Strokes came out: rock music returning to what it was born from. When you get back to the essence of things, sometimes cool stuff happens."
Hannah Montana
"Hannah Montana: The Movie" soundtrack (Walt Disney, March 24)
The free world's favorite regular teen/pop superstar gets the big-screen treatment April 10, with a Hannah-packed soundtrack to match. In addition to the first single "The Climb," the album is expected to include new songs from Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts, plus performances from up-and-coming Hollywood artist, U.K. native Steve Rushton. The two prior "Hannah" soundtracks, which made star Miley Cyrus a household name, have sold nearly 7 million units in the United States combined, according to Nielsen SoundScan, so it makes sense Disney has yet another Hannah product on tap before year's end: The show's season-three soundtrack is set for a July 7 release.
The Decemberists
"The Hazards of Love" (Capitol, March 24)
Frontman Colin Meloy describes the Decemberists' second major-label album as "a narrative that was pieced together out of common folk-song motifs," adding that it was a product of listening to British revival folk. He also says he wasn't afraid to make an album that needed to be consumed as a whole. "I suspect the idea that people are only listening to singles is largely a myth," he says. The lyrics remain typically gothic and literary, although there are some surprises. "On 'The Queen's Rebuke in the Crossing,' we pretended like we were a sludgy metal band for bit," Meloy says. "And 'The Rake Song' really skirts the limits of what is appropriate. When I played it for my wife, she was appalled."
Martina McBride
"SHINE" (RCA Nashville, March 24)
After a long association with Paul Worley and after self-producing 2007's "Waking Up Laughing," Martina McBride decided it was time for a change. The results come through loud and clear on this album, which she co-produced with Dann Huff (Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts). "There were really two artists on this record," she says of Huff's guitar playing, which is woven throughout. The Rolling Stones-influenced intro on "Wrong Baby Wrong" and the Beatles-inspired "Love Don't Cost a Dime" are among the highlights, as is the effervescent "Sunny Side Up," which McBride co-wrote with Brad and Brett Warren.
Mastodon
"Crack the Skye" (Warner Bros., March 24)
Got a hankering for a heavy metal concept album about the assassination of Rasputin, space travel, evil spirits, heaven and hell? Look no further. Recorded in Atlanta with Brendan O'Brien, Mastodon's second major-label album features seven songs, one of which ("The Czar") is split into four movements. It opens with "Oblivion," which drummer Brann Dailor says is "real moody," and wraps with the 15-minute jam "The Last Baron." Fans can expect the same complex packaging as with such prior releases as "Leviathan" and "Blood Mountain." Dailor says, "It makes me think, 'Wow! Now we're on this trip and the next few records will keep evolving in this style.' "
Blue October
"Approaching Normal" (Universal, March 24)
The term for Blue October's fifth album is "dramatic-slash-theatrical," according to bassist Matt Noveskey. "There are all sorts of different directions on this record," he says of the follow-up to 2006's platinum "Foiled." "The extremes are a lot more present—from the saddest, most depressing moments to the happiest most joyful moments." The quintet recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios near Blue October's home base of Austin.
Keith Urban
TBA (Capitol Nashville, March 31)
The follow-up to 2006's "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing" is led by the single "Sweet Thing," a driving, banjo-tinged ode to the object of Urban's desire (presumably his wife, actress Nicole Kidman). Like most of Urban's work, it's more pop/rock than country, but it's a formula he's perfected with producer Dann Huff and writer Monty Powell. And for good measure, the video was shot in a barn in Spring Hill, Tenn.
Billy Ray Cyrus
"Back to Tennessee" (Walt Disney/Lyric Street, March 31)
In a nifty stroke of synergy, the title cut from the follow-up to 2007's "Home at Last" also serves as a theme song for the new "Hannah Montana" movie, which opens April 10. Billy Ray Cyrus co-wrote that song and one other for the set, "Country As Country Can Be." Powerhouse writers Jeffrey Steele, Neil Thrasher, Craig Wiseman and Rivers Rutherford contributed the balance of the tunes. While "Thrillbilly" is country funk in the vein of Big & Rich, "Somebody Said a Prayer" is a pure country power ballad.
The Black Eyed Peas
"The END" (Interscope, March)
The Black Eyed Peas are planning more of a "music diary" than a conventional album with "The END," which stands for "The Energy Never Dies." "It's a diary . . . of music that at any given time, depending on the inspiration, you can add to it," Will.i.am says. "When it comes out, there'll be 12 songs on it, but the next day there could be 100 songs, 50 sketches, 1,000 blogs all [online] around 'The END,' so the energy really, truly never dies." He describes the music as "a lot of dance stuff, real melodic, electronic, soulful. We call it, like, 'electric static funk,' something like that." He continues, "I'm trying to break away from the concept of an album. What is an album when you put 12 songs on iTunes and people can pick at it like scabs?"
Spinnerette
TBA (Anthem, March/April)
Former Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle says she "didn't put on the brakes" at any point while recording her new album. "This is probably the most invested I've been in a project, because I didn't limit myself," she says. Dalle hasn't left her punk rock roots behind, but the album does explore more then the usual three-chord, two-minute tracks. Dalle says "Impaler" is a revenge fantasy about killing Vlad the Impaler, based around a riff, while "Geeking" grew out of a lullaby she sang to her daughter, with new lyrics about a scathing review of a relationship.
Rascal Flatts
"Unstoppable" (Lyric Street, April 7)
There aren't any details or even a first single available yet for the sixth album from this country superstar trio, but with longtime producer Dann Huff back onboard, it's a safe bet there will be hits aplenty. In fact, the group's last album, 2007's "Still Feels Good," is still generating chart-toppers: "Here" recently became Rascal Flatts' ninth No. 1 on Hot Country Songs.
Flo Rida
"R.O.O.T.S." (Poe Boy/Atlantic, April 7)
The No. 1 digital artist of 2008, Flo Rida capped off last year with a Grammy Award nomination for best rap/sung collaboration for his single "Low." Barely a year after his debut, "Mail on Sunday," comes his sophomore set, the acronym of which stands for "Routes of Overcoming the Struggle." Collaborators include Dr. Luke, J Rock and DJ Montay, who worked with Flo Rida on "Low." The first single "Right Round" is based around Dead or Alive's 1985 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." "I didn't set out to do any No. 1 records," he says. "I just go into the studio and make music that I love."
Dave Matthews Band
TBA (RCA, April 14)
It's been nearly five years since the last studio album from Dave Matthews and his hard touring band, and this as-yet-untitled set has an extra element of gravitas, in that it's the first since saxophonist LeRoi Moore's death last August. Rob Cavallo is behind the boards, and longtime guitarist Tim Reynolds, trumpeter Rashawn Ross and saxophonist Jeff Coffin have also joined in. A number of new songs have been played live since the summer of 2007, including "Round and Round," the groovy "Cornbread," the slow-burning "#27" and "Falling Off the Roof," but it's unknown if they will make the final cut.
Flight of the Conchords
TBA (Sub Pop, April 14)
The New Zealand duo, whose bumbling adventures in life and the music business are at the heart of its self-titled HBO show, has emerged as one of the biggest success stories in comedy in the past two years. Its 2007 Sub Pop debut EP "The Distant Future" won a Grammy Award for best comedy album; its 2008 self-titled full-length has sold 239,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and is up for a Grammy in the same category. Songs from its sophomore album are rolling out through iTunes a day after each episode and will be bundled there with five extra cuts. "More than one of them leans on a '70s soul sound," Sub Pop head of A&R Tony Kiewel says. "I've also heard this choir-y sort of thing, a Meat Loaf-y sort of thing and a crazy top 40-type jam."
Tortoise
TBA (Thrill Jockey, April 21)
The Chicago instrumental rock institution's first album of original music in five years offers "a lot of variety," according to bassist Doug McCombs. Drummer John McEntire's "Prepare Your Coffin" has what might constitute an actual verse, chorus and bridge, but several pieces "don't adhere to any traditional song forms. They move through different parts, but the lines are blurred." Meanwhile, the band's trademark mallet instruments take a back seat this time to layers of synthesizers ("There might be two or three of them harmonizing, taking more melodic roles," McCombs says) and "unconventional drumming and percussion.
Depeche Mode
"sounds of the universe" (Mute, April 21)
Personally and professionally, these synth-pop survivors are on sturdier footing than ever as they near their 30th anniversary. "Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, because we've had our rough moments in the past," keyboardist Andy Fletcher says. The just-completed new album is led by the three-minute, hard-edged single "Wrong," which Fletcher calls an antidote to "bubble-gum pop" inappropriate "for where we are in society at this moment." Frontman David Gahan spells primary songwriter Martin Gore on tracks like "Hole to Feed," based on a Bo Diddley beat, while Gore takes the mic on the ballad "Jezebel." Other songs include the midtempo stomper "Peace" and the rhythm-driven "Fragile Tension."
Doves
TBA (Astralwerks, April)
U.K. rock act Doves is back amid the friendly confines of Astralwerks for the North American release of its fourth album. After issuing its 2000 debut "Lost Souls" on Astralwerks, the band's last two albums came out on Capitol stateside. The new set is led by the single "Kingdom of Rust," which frontman Jimi Goodwin describes as "really expansive with a wistful melody. It's quite emotional." Also due to make the final cut on the follow-up to 2005's "Some Cities" are the Kraftwerk-leaning "Jetstream," a "nod to our electronic past" sung by guitarist Jez Williams; "The Outsiders," which has a "pile-driver bassline and a Can-like backbeat"; and "Winter Hill," a "vaguely country rock-esque tune."
Booker T. Jones
"Potato Hole" (Anti-, April)
For his Anti- debut and first solo set since the '80s, this 66-year-old soul man enlisted the Drive-By Truckers as his backing band for an album of all-new instrumentals. "In the public's mind, it's going to be a new sound for me," he says. "In my mind it's not. I've loved rock for a long time—in the '60s I wrote a few 'rock' songs for Otis Redding and Eddie Floyd, but it was too soon for us to be doing that kind of music." Neil Young handles lead guitar duties throughout, and the 10-song set includes covers of OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and Tom Waits' "Get Behind the Mule."
Relentless 7
"White Lies for Dark Times" (Virgin, May)
"If anything describes and defines the sound, it's torn callouses," Ben Harper says of the debut from his new band. Harper met some of the members when he was slipped a demo tape of their band in 1997. "The craziest part is, we've never once said we're making a record," he says. "We went in as four guys who loved playing music together to see what we could pull out of the moment." The results are steeped in Zeppelin-inspired classic rock, including "Up to You Now" and "Skin Thin," which Harper describes as "an acoustic rumble." Live, Relentless 7 plays "a couple of songs from my back catalog, but this is the furthest thing from a Ben Harper cover band that you could ever imagine."
Eminem
"Relapse" (Shady/Interscope, spring)
"Me and Dre are back in the lab like the old days" Eminem says of his first album in four-plus years. "Just him banging away on tracks and me getting that little spark that makes me write to it. I don't have chemistry like that with anyone else as far as producers go—not even close." Tracks like "Crack a Bottle" and "I'm Having a Relapse" will appear, but there will not be a sequel to Slim Shady's prior hit "Stan," contrary to comments from producer Swizz Beatz. "There isn't a 'Stan 2,' and there won't be," Eminem says. "Stan drove his car off a bridge and I'm not writing a song as Stan's ghost. That would just be really corny."
Green Day
TBA (Warner Bros., spring)
The punk trio's 2004 album "American Idiot" was one of the biggest left-field smashes of the past decade, selling more than 5.8 million U.S. copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But before getting down to business on the follow-up, the band members masqueraded as garage rockers Foxboro Hot Tubs and played small clubs to get the rust off. It quickly shifted into high-concept mode, dividing new songs into three tentatively titled acts: "Heroes and Cons," "Charlatans and Saints" and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades." According to Alternative Press, characters like Gloria and Christian appear throughout the narrative, while songs like the Clash-ish "Know Your Enemy," the ballad "Last Night on Earth" and the bristling "Before the Lobotomy" should not only satiate old fans but usher in new ones.
Jay-Z
TBA (Def Jam, spring)
Jay-Z's final album with Def Jam before he begins recording for Live Nation has already generated a hit with the M.I.A.-sampling "Swagga Like Us," a duet with T.I. featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne. A "part two" of the song is expected to be a similarly all-star affair, with contributions from André 3000, Nas and Young Jeezy. Other tracks tipped to appear on the as-yet-untitled album are the Santogold collaboration "Brooklyn Go Hard" and two West-produced cuts: "Jockin' Jay-Z" (which samples Run-D.M.C.'s "Dumb Girl") and "We Made History."
Clipse
"Till the Casket Drops" (Columbia, spring)
The Virginia-based hip-hop duo taps a slew of new producers for its third studio album and Columbia debut, including Swizz Beatz, Khalil, and Sean C and LV. But the sibling rappers also re-teamed with longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams on the set and promise that overall, not much has changed. "The title comes from us continuing to do what we do till the wheels fall off," Pusha T says. "We still have infectious beats and East Coast boom-bap shit that caters to what the Clipse fans love." Supporting that claim are songs like "Never Will It Stop," featuring Re-Up Gang's Ab Liva, and "Kinda Like a Big Deal," with a guest appearance by Kanye West.
Silversun Pickups
"Swoon" (Dangerbird, spring)
"Some guitar magazine said about us, 'They're pretty cool, but they're too dreamy for me.' We were pretty proud of how we smeared things. Even vocally, you might think I'm a girl sometimes. On this record, we went for that times five." That's how Silversun Pickups frontman Brian Aubert describes the follow-up to the Los Angeles band's 2006 breakthrough, "Carnavas." Look for tracks like "The Royal We," "Panic Switch," "Breaking Bottles" and "Growing Old Is Getting Old," plus a 16-piece string section on select cuts.
Yusuf
TBA (Universal, spring)
The former Cat Stevens follows up 2006's "An Other Cup," his first secular album in 28 years, with a set that recalls his straightforward troubadour days. "This one was really a result of me writing a lot of songs and being kind of inspired again," says Yusuf. "After I recorded ['Cup'], people just wanted to hear me do a lot of simple stuff, just with the guitar." The single "Boots & Sand" features Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton—with a video shot by Jesse Dylan, son of Bob—while Michelle Branch and Gunnar Nelson assist on the track "To Be What You Must."
Chamillionaire
"Venom" (Univeral, spring)
It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Chamillionaire, who says his third studio album was inspired by the titular "Spider-Man" villain. "Spider-Man wanted to save the world, but only when the bad guy came out did people start paying attention," the Houston rapper says. "People have this friendly image of me, but I was just waiting for my bad guy to come out." The album is led by the single "Creepin' (Solo)" featuring Ludacris, where Chamillionaire expresses distrust toward those around him, and takes some shots at the industry on "You're Famous." Scarface and the late Pimp C are set to make appearances.
The Crystal Method
"Divided by Night" (Tiny E, spring)
The output of electronic duo the Crystal Method is best described by the title of its last artist album, 2004's "Legion of Boom." But Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan are taking a less bombastic, more nuanced approach here. "We were looking to work with people we hadn't worked with before and take our time to really flesh out an idea rather than be satisfied with making an instrumental," Kirkland says. "Night" features song-based collaborations with She Wants Revenge's Justin Warfield, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Meiko (the memorably elegant "Falling Hard"), New Order's Peter Hook and Matisyahu, who provides vocals on the first single "Drown in the Now."
Taking Back Sunday
"New Again" (Warner Bros., spring)
There's a feeling of rebirth on "New Again," according to vocalist Adam Lazarra. "It was unconscious, but there's a whole lyrical theme of teetering on the edge of adulthood," he says. "New Again" includes influences from all over the spectrum: "Winter Dance" was influenced by a relaxed "Hall & Oates or Sade feel, like the last slow dance at an eighth grade dance." "Everything Must Go" features a prog-guitar lick, "something we would've never done before [Fazzi]." And throughout, Lazarra tried to inject "a little more soul . . . like Al Green" to his vocal takes.
Isis
"The Wavering Radiant" (Ipecac, spring)
Vocalist/guitarist Aaron Turner says doom rock outfit Isis' upcoming album is "perhaps a little more orchestral in feel" than its four predecessors. "There's more layers going on and more interplay between the instruments rather than layering of parts," he says. With band members no longer scattered between U.S. coasts, Isis was able to "work out some of the more subtle aspects of the songs before we hit the studio. In the past I think some of the recordings were a little too clean in their final form. There was something about the energy that seemed to be lacking. This one seems to feel more like us than anything else has."
Allen Toussaint
"The Bright Mississippi" (Nonesuch, spring)
Allen Toussaint teams with producer Joe Henry on this album of "old standards," which include "St. James Infirmary" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," Duke Ellington's "Solitude," Thelonious Monk's "Bright Mississippi," Django Reinhardt's "Blue Drag" and "West End Blues," which was popularized by Louis Armstrong. Toussaint plays piano throughout the album but is joined by Brad Mehldau on Jelly Roll Morton's "Winin' Boy Blues," while Joshua Redman plays tenor saxophone on Ellington's "Day Dream." Toussaint says of Henry, "He came up with a direction I never would have chosen, but I'm so glad he did."
Jonas Brothers
TBA (Hollywood, June 16)
Not even a year after their platinum-plus latest album, "A Little Bit Longer," Jonas Brothers will be back this summer with another new release. There aren't substantive details just yet, but Chris Brown told Billboard he's already done two songs with the siblings, which could add some R&B pizzazz to the Jonas' shiny pop/rock sound. Still, the core will come from the brothers' own collaborations. "When we're writing together, we're really open to each other's ideas, which I think is really important when you're writing songs," Nick Jonas says. "No one can be closed-minded, because then nothing is going to work. For us, it's really just one of our passions. It's kind of our roots."
Wilco
TBA (Nonesuch, summer)
After opting for a highly performance-oriented recording approach on 2007's "Sky Blue Sky," frontman Jeff Tweedy expects Wilco will "allow ourselves a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument." Two fan-named new songs appeared in live set lists last summer: "One Wing" recalls the melancholy, slowly building "Sky Blue Sky" closer "On and On and On," while "Sunny Feeling" has a sly main riff in keeping with loose jams from the last album. Two more debuted in October at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit; one with a great hook and lyrics about Jesus, the other more in Wilco's trademark midtempo vein.
AFI
TBA (Interscope, summer)
"The songs, for me, seem a little bit more refined and defined—a bit more straightforward," AFI frontman Davey Havok says of his group's first album in three years. "They're not punk rock songs like from one of our early-'90s records, but there's more rock-leaning on this album." Havok says a song like "OK, I Feel Better Now" is indicative of where AFI's head is at, in that it morphed from "a quiet, kind of acoustic thing into a very large arena-rock song." Lyrically, producer David Bottrill helped push Havok to write "more as social commentary from my own personal perspective."
THE Flaming Lips
TBA (Warner Bros., summer)
"Sometimes we make records like we're designing our lawn: 'Well, this tree might grow there and that will make these weeds grow over there.' It becomes this endlessly organic, we'll-see-where-it-goes type of thing," Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne says. This time, there's more focus on making a record that so far sounds like "if you took John Lennon, and he joins the Miles Davis group around the 'Bitches Brew' era, but they've also discovered a super-computer that wasn't around in 1970." It sure sounds loopy, but what else would you expect from Oklahoma City's most notorious pop experimentalists?
Panic at the Disco
TBA (Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen, summer)
After taking two-and-a-half years between its first two albums, Panic at the Disco is planning a much quicker turnaround for its third, according to frontman Brendon Urie. The new music hews more toward the classic rock-influenced sound of 2008's "Pretty. Odd." than the epic pop of 2005's platinum "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out." "With 'Pretty. Odd.' we were listening to some bands that maybe we had heard from our parents but never discovered for ourselves," Urie says. "There's so much music we haven't discovered from 30 years ago or more."
Sonic Youth
TBA (Matador, summer)
Thurston Moore promises "heavy ass weirdo hooks" aplenty on Sonic Youth's Matador debut. " 'No Way,' the first song we recorded, has a total Wipers vibe, if the Wipers were a no wave band," he says. The lyrics have been inspired by black metal bands, although Moore promises not to mimic their delivery. Other tracks include "Leaky Life Boat," which compares being alive to being in a sinking ship, and "Burning Shame," a tribute to the late Fred "Sonic" Smith. "We're super inspired to make a fresh start," Moore says. "We're glad to be dealing with a label that loves songs." Beyond that, not much has changed. "It's rock-centric, but still experimental," Moore says. "We're still Sonic Youth. I still don't know how to play the guitar."
Paramore
TBA (Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic, summer)
Paramore used sound checks to shape material for the follow-up to its platinum 2007 sophomore album "Riot." According to guitarist Josh Farro, the new songs are a varied bunch. "I can just see it having a lot more dynamics," he says. "The first record [2005's "All We Know Is Falling"] and 'Riot!' seemed to stay at the same level, but now we've got some really, really mellow songs that you'd never expect to hear out of our band, and then we've got even heavier songs than we've ever had."
Built to Spill
TBA (Warner Bros., summer)
The latest from these Idaho guitar slingers will be a mix between newly penned material and retooled tracks considered but ultimately dropped from 2006's "You in Reverse." Guitarist Doug Martsch says the sessions have been more collaborative than ever, owing to the fact that the band is recording to Pro Tools rather than analog tape. "You have endless tracks, so [all three guitarists] can be in a room together and do five takes," he says, adding, "Then, hopefully somebody can go through it and find out what's good." Martsch expects songs like "Nowhere Lullabye," "Done" and "Good Old Boredom" to make the cut, while "Planting Seeds" "reminds me of a Tom Petty song or something, but it probably doesn't sound anything like that."
Good Charlotte
"Cardiology" (Epic, summer)
Joel Madden and company are working on "probably the most Good Charlotte record we've ever written"—but the work so far reminds him in spirit of a different band. "I've been missing what Blink-182 brought to the world," he says. "Not that we sound like Blink, but there was a lightness and fun part of their music that I think we're getting into here." Madden acknowledges that means more of the pop-punk flavor of 2002's "The Young and the Hopeless" and less of the dance elements heard on 2007's "Good Morning Revival" and 2008's "Greatest Remixes." Benji Madden promises "some really interesting collaborations," possibly with Trevor Horn and Goldfinger's John Feldmann. "War," a bonus cut on "Greatest Remixes," is the likely first single.
Michelle Branch
"Everything Comes and Goes" (Warner Bros. Nashville, summer)
On her next solo album, Branch stays on the country path she began with the Wreckers, the duo she formed with Jessica Harp. The artist's first solo set since 2003's "Hotel Paper" sounds like "a really natural progression from the Wreckers," she says. "It's more singer/songwriter than, I would say, country, but I think the term 'country' is all relative now. There's really no room for singer/songwriters anymore at radio, so I think this is a natural step." Dwight Yoakam duets with Branch on "Long Goodbye."
Pearl Jam
TBA (TBA, summer/fall)
After reissuing its landmark 1991 debut album "Ten" in a variety of goodies-packed configurations in March, Pearl Jam will follow up with its ninth studio album this year, likely a self-release. Sources close to the band say Eddie Vedder was knocked out by the demos the other members polished during a retreat in Montana and then presented to him. Producer Brendan O'Brien is back behind the boards for the first time since 1998's "Yield." Bassist Jeff Ament says, "He's a great musician and we trust him, which is really important when you have a group of people with totally different opinion on whether a song is good or not."
Amy Winehouse
TBA (Universal, fall)
Amy Winehouse has teetered on the brink of self-destruction since 2006's "Back to Black" made her a worldwide superstar. Some in her camp doubt she'll have her act together to complete an album this year, but work has already been done with producer Salaam Remi, who handled five songs on "Back to Black." "We have about four songs done," he told Billboard in October. "It's business as usual, though. All the songs I did for 'Back to Black' shaped the sound of the album." It's unclear if producer Mark Ronson, who won a Grammy Award for "Back to Black," will be involved.
D'Angelo
"James River" (J, fall)
The R&B star is making progress on his first studio album since 2000 for J; the label purchased D'Angelo's contract in 2005 from Virgin, which issued his first two studio albums. So far, the artist has collaborated with Raphael Saadiq, John Mayer, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and Roy Hargrove. In recent years, D'Angelo has endured a serious car accident and drug-related arrests, and in lieu of new music of his own, he's made sporadic guest appearances on albums by Common, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip and J Dilla. "He's able to smile again and he's ready to connect [with fans]," manager Lindsay Guion says. "He's coming back. And he looks great, by the way."
Christina Aguilera
TBA (RCA, fall)
In quite a contrast to 2006's "Back to Basics," Christina Aguilera is lining up such electronic-oriented acts as Sia Furler, Goldfrapp and Ladytron to collaborate with her on her fourth studio album, which will mostly be produced by Linda Perry. "I wanted to go in a completely opposite direction—a very futuristic, robotic sound and computer-sounding vocals," she says. "I'm experimenting with my voice in ways I've never done before, almost like a technical, computer-generated sound, which is different for me because I'm the type of vocalist that just belts."
Dr. Dre
"Detox" (Aftermath/ Interscope, TBA)
Hip-hop's version of "Chinese Democracy" is finally coming this year, according to increasingly reclusive rap legend Dr. Dre. It will also be the last album from Dre, who calls rhyming "a young man's game." The set, which has been in the works for nearly nine years, will have "an entirely new thing going with the drums that's incredible," Dre told USA Today, as well as guest appearances from Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Nas, among others. Longtime collaborator Mike Elizondo says, "He wants to shock the world and put something out that no one would have ever thought possible from a hip-hop artist."
Prince
"MPLSOUND"/"Lotus Flower" (TBA, TBA)
Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009 without the assistance of a record label, according to the Los Angeles Times. A "major retailer" is in talks with the artist to release the music physically, while a new Prince Web site will sell it in digital form. The two new Prince albums are the tentatively titled "MPLSOUND" and "Lotus Flower." He was also heavily involved in an album titled "Elixir" from his protégé Bria Valente. "We got sick of waiting for Sade to make a new album," he says of that project. "MPLSOUND" is said to be full of "trippy, experimental pop songs," while "Lotus Flower" is more guitar-driven and includes a cover of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson & Clover."
Tim McGraw
TBA (Curb, TBA)
In October, Tim McGraw made headlines when he apologized to his fans for Curb's decision to release a third greatest-hits package of his material. McGraw, who's been working on a new studio album for more than a year, contended that the release was a ploy to extend his contract term with Curb, which the label denied. The new album, the follow-up to 2007's "Let It Go," is coming this year and may include potentially intriguing collaborations with Chris Brown ("Human") and Vocoder-loving rapper T-Pain.
OneRepublic
TBA (Mosley Music/Interscope, TBA)
What began as recording a new song for a deluxe edition of its breakthrough 2007 debut "Dreaming Out Loud" morphed into sessions for OneRepublic's next album, according to guitarist Zach Filkins. While on tour last year, the band "kind of got inspired by a couple of songs" and wound up tracking new tunes in Germany and Japan. "We decided maybe we should stop and take advantage of this and write the second album," Filkins says. "The new stuff is a real blend of rock mixed with pop. Some of the songs are clearly like top 40 and other stuff is going to be a little more obscure."
John Fogerty
"The Return of the Blue Ridge Rangers" (Fantasy, TBA)
This sequel of sorts to Fogerty's 1973 solo set of vintage country and roots covers, "The Return of the Blue Ridge Rangers" updates the one-man band vibe of the original: "I had long felt that was probably something that was wrong with the first album," says the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman. The album was co-produced by T-Bone Burnett and Lenny Waronker; 15 songs were recorded from a list of about 40 that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker assembled, and while Fogerty is mum on details, he says there'll be at least one Merle Haggard tune on the album. "My prerequisite was that I didn't want to get into the realm of trying to be really hip and obscure," he says.
Liz Phair
TBA (ATO, TBA)
"This I can tell you: All my sloppiness is in there," Phair says of her ATO debut, her first since splitting with Capitol last year. "I fought all the way through, and I'm not letting anyone take it to a perfected style. It's not going to be 'Exile in Guyville' again, but I'm using all my tools. I keep pulling it out of producers' hands, before they can do anything." The slickness of her Capitol albums enraged old Phair fans, but this time around she says, "It has mistakes in it. It has layered background vocals of mine that just make an overall slop, but it's perfect slop."
Adele
TBA (Columbia, TBA)
Basking in the "surreal" glory of four Grammy Award nominations, Adele is already working on the follow-up to her debut album, "19." The 20-year-old British singer describes the new material as influenced by T-Bone Burnett-produced albums such as the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. "Obviously I don't want to write a country record or a bluegrass record," Adele says, "but the melodies, I think they're the best in the world, so I'm going to try and incorporate a lot of that." And where "19" was "almost a concept album . . . about one relationship," the new set is shaping up to be "about a relationship I was quite pleased to get out of rather than feeling a bit deprived of someone's attention. It's more grown up."
Robert Randolph
TBA (Warner Bros., TBA)
Early gospel, blues and roots records, Barack Obama's presidential election and T-Bone Burnett's production were the "fuel for the fire" for Robert Randolph's third studio album. Burnett and Randolph augmented the latter's Family Band on the album with such guests as drummer Jim Keltner; guitarists Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Doyle Bramhall II; singer/songwriters Peter Case and Tonio K.; and sacred steel forebears Calvin Cook and Aubrey Ghent. The as-yet-untitled set includes covers of Bob Dylan's "Shot of Love" and Otis Redding's "I Got the Will."
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