As we try to come to a consensus on how to pronounce this year — “Twenty-ten?” “Two thousand and ten?” — here’s a fast preview of some of the music we’ll see in the coming months.
January-February: Hipster bloggers are most interested in Vampire Weekend’s second album, Contra (Tuesday). Meanwhile, Finnish melodic metal band HIM is hoping that their new album Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice (Feb 9) will be their North American breakthrough.
March: I’m most interested in Broken Bells, a collaboration between Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Beck, Gorillaz) and James Mercer of the Shins (March 9). Canada’s supergroup featuring ex members of OLP, I Mother Earth and the Tea Party had a top ten single in “Awake” before (a) they had a record deal; and (b) before they had an album. I’ve heard a chunk of this stuff and it’s very good. A debut album will be out March 10. My Chemical Romance will have a as-yet-untitled album in stores March 30. Watch for a single in the coming weeks.
April: The Deftones have two albums in the pipeline, one of which is called Eros, but it’s been shelved since a car accident sent bass player Chi Cheng into a coma. A new Chi-less CD — no title yet — is on the schedule for April 26.
May: Broken Social Scene has promised to release a new CD.
The rest: Now that Adam Yauch’s cancer is under control, the Beastie Boys will finally get around to releasing Hot Sauce Committee Part II in the coming months … I’m convinced there will be a new U2 studio album before the next leg of the U2:360 tour kicks off in the spring. Rumours are it’ll be called Songs of Ascent, but there’s no indication on what approach they’ve taken … Gaslight Anthem will follow up the excellent The ‘59 Sound with a new record in June … There should be a second album from Jack White and the Dead Weather this summer … Linkin Park is readying their fourth album for release this fall … MGMT’s second album will be called Congratulations and should be out in the third quarter … Finger 11 is working on their sixth album for release before the end of the year … A new STP record? Believe it … The Strokes? Apparently, but we don’t know when.
Also coming in 2010: Godsmack, Gorillaz, Jimmy Eat World, Kid Rock and Seether.
