Over the Horizon: New Albums to Look out for in 2010

By Alex C.

Looking at video gaming and film, it's not out of the ordinary for many releases to be anticipated for rediculously long periods of time (sometimes up to two years). However, most album releases are pushed under the rug for the mainstream until just a month or so before release. It's not like the album hasn't been announced, but advertisement isn't being pushed anymore, and honestly, I can't help but be just a bit shocked.


As far as non-pop culture television is concerned, you have the Target exclusives, the Walmart exclusives,  and the Eminem releases being given any commercials. Everything else is left to the radio, word of mouth, and message boards full of fans who would rather obtain the album through filesharing, piracy, or physical theft than buying it legally. Speaking of word of mouth, I've always wondered if this was all an artist needed to maximize on profits. In lieu of advertising, many musicians decide to promote their work via tours intended to exclusively promote a new album (alongside obtaining concertgoers hard earned money).

Even with these tours, however, these methods only prove succesful if the album has a shot of gaining followers via advertising. This is why I have decided to use this post as an opportunity to spread the word about a few interesting releases this year you may want to be on the lookout for. You should be aware of these artists/groups, but the albums most likely flew right over your head.

The Gracious Few - Self Titled 



The Gracious Few is a collaboration between the entirity of Live (Minus Ed) and the lead singer of Candlebox, Sean Hennesy. On their website (linked above), you will be able to hear two songs from their brand new grunge-inspired album, self titled and due out this summer. I am telling you about these fella's specifically because 'TGF' is one of those bands that just..deserves to work. After the talented musicians got ripped off (in writing credits, demanded lead singer bonuses, and withheld paychecks), and seeing how hard the collaboration is trying to work (via a vlog the band set up, as well as a Facebook page), it would be really weak to see such talent go to waste. (NOTE: The artwork above is NOT the final album artwork. As of this moment, that artwork is TBA)
Predicted Release Date: Q2 

Brandon Flowers - Flamingo



Release Date: September 14
After going on hiatus in January in order to "take time off", there were rumors of The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers solo album, which would be released later this year. As of April this year, the album has since been confirmed, and as of June, the first single, titled Crossfire, has been released. As someone who never follows The Killers, but enjoys the occasional single, I am not sure why I was compelled to put this up here. It might be because of my interest in solo albums in general, just to see the fruits of one main persons efforts instead of the collaborative effort. And also, the single isn't too shabby either.

The Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Commitee Pt. 1                          Release Date: September
               
In the past, I've tended to be indifferent towards The Beastie Boys. They have amazing talent, and I've heard that they're awesome people, but their music has never done all that much good to me. I've just never seen the appeal, but this album could easily change that. Hot Sauce Commitee Pt. 1 has been in development for over two years, and was ready for release last year, but everything fell on its head when Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer (non deadly, fortunately). This album in particular is very interesting because of the new collaboration this group has, and how it could be this collaboration that could bring them back to what they once were (Can you say "Bob Dylan" and "Nas"?). So far, three songs from the album have gotten out, including one song which actually has heavy elements of punk, and another as an accapella piece. Change is good.

Other notable artists with low profile 2010 albums:

• Dropkick Murphys - Untitled (TBA)
• Blink 182 - Untitled (TBA)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers - Untitled (TBA)
• Baha Men - New Junk (TBA)
• Tupac Shakur - Shakurspere (TBA)
• Michael Jackson - Untitled (Nov.)
• John Melloncamp - No Better Than This (8/17)
• Limp Bisket - Gold Cobra (Q2)
• Cake - Untitled (Q3)
• Kings of Leon - Untitled (TBA)
• Nine Inch Nails - Untitled (TBA)
• Weird "Al" Yankovic - Untitled (TBA)