May 21: Daft Punk | ‘Random Access Memories’
The dynamic, helmet-clad French electronica duo behind “One More Time” and “Around the World” are back, and the expectations could not be higher. They haven’t really been around since 2005’s lukewarm Human After All unless you count the soundtrack for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy (which, it should be noted, is particularly good as study music). The first single, “Get Lucky,” with vocals byPharrell, is a fabulous blend of ’70s disco and Daft Punk robotics and almost instantly broke Spotify’ssingle day streaming record. The album is set to be full of other collaborations so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
JUNE 11: Black Sabbath | ‘13’
Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath have reunited with their original frontman, the legendary OzzyOsbourne, for the first time since 1978’s Never Say Die! for their newest hell-raising album. This news alone has been enough to generate massive anticpation and speculation as to whether this group of old rockers still have what it takes to revive the seemingly defunct heavy metal genre. The lead single off 13, “God is Dead?” is a promising start and means that we can probably be optimistic that the Prince of Darkness is good for more than reality TV punchlines these days.
JUNE 18: Kanye West | TBD
When Kanye tweets, the world stops and pays attention. So when the rapper cryptically tweeted “June eighteenth” a few weeks ago, the music world jumped on this apparent announcement of his mysterious, untitled sixth album — the follow-up to the best album of 2010, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. His record label quickly confirmed the release but then unconfirmed it, so we aren’t actually sure what’s coming out or when, but it’s been too long without a straight-up Kanye creation. We may love Watch the Throne and the G.O.O.D. collaborations, but nothing beats pure Yeezy.
June 25: John Legend | ‘Love in the Future’
With John Legend, we hope good things come for those who wait. Though it was targeted for release way back last fall, the release date for Love in the Future, Legend’s first album in five years if you don’t count his 2010 collaboration with The Roots, was continually pushed back as production troubles and new collaborations came together. The lead single, “Who Do We Think We Are” features Rick Ross and other tracks feature Kanye West, No ID, Da Internz and Q-Tip. With talented names like those, we think it’s safe to assume Legend’s dulcet tones will hit another winner.
July 23 : Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the band best known for their foot-stomping hit “Home,” is back with their self-titled third studio album. While the band divided musical critics with their 2012 album Here — it turns out hippie-sters can be incredibly polarizing musical figures — their popularity and fanbase have both continued to expand into new markets. Their new album doesn’t have any singles yet, but according to lead singer Alex Ebert, it’s a raw, liberated and rambunctious album, which sounds like it could make for the perfect summer soundtrack.
