Hope for these albums heats up summer
If 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that album overkill is a very real thing. Five months in, and we’re still up to our necks in unexpected new efforts from Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna, Chance the Rapper, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar and James Blake, among the bevy of more traditional releases by Drake, Ariana Grande and Sia. With so many major artists already on our playlists, who else should we be on the lookout for this summer and beyond? USA Today’s Patrick Ryan looks at five of the biggest albums we can’t wait to hear:
1FRANK OCEAN
There are plenty more albums that we’re eager to get our hands on, including ( but not limited to) Bon Iver, Haim, Sky Ferreira, and Rage Against the Machine (above right). But none comes close to Frank Ocean, whose long-awaited follow-up to 2012’s Channel
Orange is as much of a running joke online as it is a source of agony. With the exceptions of Kanye West and Beyoncé collaborations, the R&B crooner has practically been MIA, although James Blake recently promised
Rolling Stone that the new music he’s heard is even “better” than Ocean’s already remarkable Orange. Consider our expectations significantly raised.
2LORDE
Between her mesmerizing David Bowie tribute at this year’s Brit Awards and broody contributions to
The Hunger Games soundtracks, you may not have realized that it’s been nearly three years since Lorde’s debut Pure Heroine. Released in September 2013, the album is an addictive, gothic-pop masterpiece — and her subsequent collaborations with Kanye West and Disclosure prove that she’s only grown as an artist since. Rest assured, the New Zealand teen is hard at work on her next effort, according to her frequent tweets and studio snaps with songwriter/ producer Jack Antonoff.
3JAY Z
Ever since Beyoncé’s Lemonade lit up social media with its songs about alleged infidelity, rumors have been swirling that her rapper husband is working on his own response. While Hov’s last eleventh-hour release, 2013’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, left a lot to be desired, we’re admittedly curious to hear his side of the story ( beyond his brief bars on Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s All the Way Up remix).
4 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
After a five-year break, the Brooklyn electronic band reunited at Coachella last month with a crowdpleasing set list that included Prince and David Bowie covers, but no new music. Although it’s unclear if they’ll break out some fresh tunes when they hit Bonnaroo, Panorama and Outside Lands festivals this summer, a follow-up to 2010’s This is Happening appears to be in the works. In January, frontman James Murphy posted a lengthy note on the group’s website, writing how they’re “releasing a record (sometime this year — still working on it, actually).”
5 LADY GAGA
After the exhaustive campaign around her Grammywinning fifth album 1989, Taylor Swift hinted to Vogue last month that she’ll be taking some time off from music. In her absence, new albums from pop queens Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are expected for release later this year — the latter of which is particularly intriguing, given her recent career about-face. As you may recall, her 2013 misfire Artpop was marred by weak singles and gaudy, sometimes offensive antics. But if her pristine vocals and elegant performances lately are any indication, expect a more mature sound ahead from Gaga.