To get you through these few, hot, culturally barren months, absent of our events calendar or WVAU recommendations, here’s a short list of albums to keep an eye out for this summer.
Black Lips- Arabia Mountain
Perhaps the only band on the “(500) Days of Summer” soundtrack to be known for throwing up on each other during their live shows, Atlanta’s Black Lips will release their sixth LP, “Arabica Mountain,” in early June. The garage-punk rockers are known more for their foul on-stage antics than for the quality of their studio recordings and have been touring almost nonstop since 2009. With famed British producer Mark Ronson working on many of the album’s tracks, “Arabia Mountain” may turn out to be the Lips’ best material yet, and won’t just sound like dregs from a band whose members set each other on fire on stage.
Bon Iver- Untitled
In 2007, Justin Vernon retreated to a remote cabin in the woods of Wisconsin to record the indie folk classic “For Emma, Forever Ago.” In the three years since, Vernon’s begun working on the follow-up to “For Emma,” this time in a Wisconsin veterinarian clinic-turned-studio, and he’s kept himself busy. He also released the well-received “Blood Bank EP,” recorded with GAYNGS and formed side project Volcano Choir, and collaborated with Kanye West for “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Bon Iver’s self-titled second album comes out on June 21.
Lil Wayne- Tha Carter IV
Weezy has had a turbulent few years since the 2008 release of his massively successful “Tha Carter III.” He was arrested and served eight months in prison for a gun charge. His previous few releases, which included the awful rock dud “Rebirth” and the slightly better post-prison record “I Am Not A Human Being,” didn’t come close to matching “Tha Carter III” in sales or critical acclaim. Lil Wayne will seek to replicate his past success with the release of “Tha Carter IV” on June 21, driven by lead single “6 Foot 7 Foot,” which features a sample from a Jamaican folk song and was produced by Bangladesh, the mind behind “Tha Carter III’s” ubiquitous “A Milli.”
Arctic Monkeys- Suck It and See
Way back in 2006, Arctic Monkeys were one of indie rock’s first Internet buzz bands. After releasing their smash debut album “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” Arctic Monkeys rode the wave of Internet hype until they got clobbered by the always-accompanying backlash. Nevertheless, their debut became the highest selling album debut in the U.K., which they followed with two other acclaimed but less successful releases, “Favourite Worst Nightmare” in 2007 and “Humbug” in 2009. The tone of the Monkeys’ releases has grown progressively darker, but “Suck It And See” is shaping up to be a return to form for the Monkeys, lighter and more accessible than the murkiness of “Humbug.”
mmcdermott@theeagleonline.com
