The sounds of summer

Unlike in the film world, where summertime is a breeding ground for blockbusters and epics, most musicians wait until off-peak times to release their much-awaited material. So far, the upcoming season seems to be an exception, with quite a few major releases hitting the stores. Besides, any summer in which the world's five best white rappers (Mathers, Skinner, Diamond, Horowitz, Yauch) are all releasing new material is a summer to look forward to. The following are the majority of notable album releases for the summer of 2004.\nDonavon Frankenreiter, Donavon Frankenreiter (May 11) -- This awkwardly named progeny of Jack Johnson has crafted his own understatedly unique brand of chill-pop, perfect for hanging out by the pool or boozing on the beach. It's a fitting kickoff to a promising season in music.\nAlanis Morissette, So-Called Chaos (May 18) -- "Everything," the first single from Alanis' forthcoming LP, is as finely tuned as anything on her 1995 mega-selling debut Jagged Little Pill. The rest of the album is purported to be a continuation of Morissette's themes of female empowerment and oneness with nature. With song titles like "Doth I Protest Too Much," "The Grudge" and "Spineless," be prepared for more of Alanis' sardonic sensibility.\nThe Streets, A Grand Don't Come For Free (May 18) -- Britain's premiere rhyme-spitter delivers his follow-up to 2002's groundbreaking Original Pirate Material. Mike Skinner, the gangly white boy who is giving Eminem a run for his money in the Caucasian rap game, says this album is more focused on storytelling than slippery flow, and since Skinner's stories are nearly as entrancing as Biggie's, rap afficionados should listen up.\nThe Beastie Boys, To the 5 Boroughs (June 15) -- After an excruciating six year hiatus, the Boys of Beastie are back with an album described as 'truer to their hip-hop roots.' With a photo of the World Trade Center on the cover, Boroughs is a tribute to the group's New York City roots, and is said to be filled with even more political fervor than Rage brought to the table. The world has changed drastically since we last left the Beasties, and now is their time to reinvigorate rap one more time.\nWilco, A Ghost is Born (June 22) -- Fresh out of rehab due to an addiction to painkillers, Jeff Tweedy has managed to perpetuate Wilco's status as possibly the most curiously watchable band in rock music today. With Ghost, Tweedy and friends have crafted one of the best albums I've heard so far this year. With songs shifting from stone-cold somber to smirkingly cheery, this album is engaging from start to finish. The entire album can be heard now at www.wilcoworld.net.\nThe Roots, The Tipping Point (June 29) -- Hip-hop's premiere live act drops their next LP with much anticipation and much to live up to. On the heels of 2002's blazing Phrenology, Black Thought, ?uestlove and the boys will no doubt deliver some of the summer's most insightful rhymes, all the while refreshingly playing their own instruments!\nEminem, Untitled (July 6 or thereabouts) -- The great white hope is back again, and to no one's surprise he's still angry as hell. In spite of the Area 51-style secrecy surrounding his upcoming summer release, two early tracks were leaked to the masses ("We As Americans" and "I Love You More"), and based on these cuts alone, it's a good bet that we're in for something mind-blowing.\nThe following several releases are slated for this summer, but their dates are yet to be announced.\nNine Inch Nails, Bleed Through -- Trent Reznor and company claim their next release promises to be "more song-oriented and less epic. It's like 12 good shots to the face." Ready to combat all the lesser nu-metal and faux-industrial rock that's been hurled out since NIN's 1999 subtle but brilliant The Fragile, don't expect Reznor to pull a single punch.\nElliott Smith, From a Basement on a Hill -- Smith, an excellent songwriter and perpetually tortured soul, died of an apparently self-inflicted stab wound in October 2003, with the vast majority of material for his next album completed and mixed. His family has thankfully seen fit to officially release this material, to the delight of Smith's fans. The songs contained should be nothing short of Smith's heartbreaking best.\nU2, Solar -- Bono and his crew are in the studio cooking up another self-produced monolith to unleash upon the world. With a title like Solar, I think it's safe to assume that we're in for a grandiose experience likened to that of 1991's Achtung Baby.\nBrian Wilson, Smile -- While we all know Brian Wilson has been a tad off his rocker for decades, I still find it inexcusable that he's witheld his mysterious lost album, Smile, from fans since 1967. Initially slated to follow up The Beach Boys' 1966 masterwork (and my personal, current pick as the greatest album ever recorded) Pet Sounds, Smile was largely recorded in seclusion by Wilson and his composer friend Van Dyke Parks, then shelved in favor of the more commercially viable material found on the band's Smiley Smile LP which took its place. The lost material is finally being laid to record and officially released, and even though Wilson is 37 years older, and perhaps 37 years crazier, the music world is better off with Smile on the shelves.\nOther bands and artists with announced, untitled or closely guarded projects in the works for a late summer or early fall release include 50 Cent, Beck, Coldplay, Green Day, R.E.M. and Weezer. Regardless of your musical taste or bias, the coming four months will surely offer up something to your liking.