I can’t imagine I’ll have time to give each of these albums individually, so at least I’d like to make mention of them all here today. An overwhelming amount of amazing albums are set to be released, or have been released this summer. And we’re super lucky, because so far they’ve all be really good. I’ll quickly run through The Albums of Summer 2010 thus far.
The photo above is of LA alternative-pop band The Like.
Stars – The Five Ghosts
We never have to wait too long for a new Stars release to turn up. The Canadian band has released a new album or EP at least once a year since 2007, and before that we didn’t need anything from them after the beautiful Set Yourself on Fire. This summer they are releasing their latest LP The Five Ghosts on June 22nd, complete with a $100 boxed vinyl set. At the moment you can find their The Seance EP featuring with versions by Of Montreal and The Album Leaf. The Five Ghosts differs slightly from past work because it has more upbeat-pop feel to it, which is a nice contrast from their more melancholy work. It’s one of those rare albums that I can’t pick a favourite track because they all work together so well. Stay tuned for more info, and pick up the album when it is released later this month.
The Like – Release Me
Blog favorite Mark Ronson was cast to produce the LA outfit, The Like’s latest album Release Me. In true Ronson style, the album took on a 60s pop feel thats reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Ronson’s own 2007 Versions. LA Times describes the sound best with:
He [Ronson] recast the Like as a ’60s-style girl group with spooky organ licks, sweet-and-sour vocal harmonies and sassy tough-chick lyrics about love; Ronson even brought in a couple of ringers from throwback-soul queen Sharon Jones’ band, the Dap-Kings.
The album was released this week, so check it out.
Kele – The Boxer
Bloc Party front-man Kele Okereke (Kele for short) has ventured into the realm of the solo album this year. His first single Tenderoni was produced by XXXChange, and was remixed accordingly. I wasn’t loving Tenderoni at the beginning, it just sounded like a poor solo attempt to me. Too electro- too bad Bloc Party remix. Good thing that I didn’t write off Kele at that. The rest of The Boxer (his debut album) is much much better. The best way to describe the album is if Bloc Party recorded an electronic album. Kele knows not to mess with a good thing and keeps his vocals very similar to his work with the band, they are just equipped with stutters, breaks, dub-step and 2-step beats courtesy of XXXChange. I definitely recommended it. You can pick ip up when it’s released June 21st, but for now check out his first single Tenderoni
Scissor Sisters – Night Work
I hated Scissors Sisters with a burning passion after I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ infiltrated the radio everywhere in 2006. That being said, I’m in love with their recent work. Night Work is a collaboration between the band and superstar producer Stuart Price, which explains the sound change. Invisible Light is the stand out track from the bunch, keeping with Price’s dance style. The album is set to be released June 28th.
Chemical Brothers – Further
The Chemical Brothers take the psychedelic route with this album, leaving the heavy electro behind, preferring the Galvanize guitars. I’ll try and write more about this later, it’s truly some of their best work.
M.I.A. – /\/\/\Y/\ (Maya)
![M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\](http://www.media.514blog.com/mia-new-maya-album-cover.jpg "M.I.A. - /\/\/\Y/\")
I literally have negative 10 minutes left of my lunch break, so I’ll keep this one brief. M.I.A. pulls all of the stops on this album, creatively named after herself in forward and backslashes. The album is comprised of a few very industrial-punk sounding tracks (Born Free and Steppin’ Up) and a few chill-reggae inspired tracks (It Takes Some Muscle). The album leaked only yesterday but everybody under the sun has already shared their opinion about it. Perez Hilton, for one, has deemed it noisy and awful, which I think correctly returns the work back in order. M.I.A. isn’t around to create pop music, and I still think the success of Paper Planes was a fluke. I’m loving the more laidback tracks and Steppin’ Up which is like an industrial Bird Flu. Pick it up early July, unless it’s pushed back again.
