June, Month of Integrity

This June is shaping up to be something fantastic. We're looking at three very anticipated releases, and while each of these artists is still rumored for a June release, it's still very likely all these albums with be released sometime around June, if not a little later. Wilco, Regina Spektor, and Laura Veirs are all currently scheduled for June releases. We already know that Wilco is going to have a collaboration with Feist entitled "You and I." Sweet Mother Mcree. They've also said the album's going to be a return to the form of some of their previous work, which means more A Ghost is Born and less Sky Blue Sky. I personally preferred A Ghost is Born, so this makes me happy. Second, this is a very, very important album for Regina Spektor. Her first studio released album, Soviet Kitsch, remains one of the few masterpieces of this century thusfar. Her second album, while charming, wasn't quite as flooring as its predecessor. This album will tell the tale of whether or not she loses her anti-folk quirkiness within the major label or can establish her musical identidy independent of the label. The fact is, I see her risk taking decrease with every album. Listen to "Pavlov's Daughter" off her first self-released album 11:11 and you'll see what I'm talking about, she sings that song with reckless abandon, the kind of "nothing-to-lose" attitude an unsigned artist has. Nevertheless, I'm extremely excited (and nervous) to hear what she's created next. She's working with four different acclaimed producers, which is an odd move, but it's the kind of inventive thinking we've come to expect from Regina. I think ultimately that will help the album rather than hinder it. The album is named Far. Finally, Laura Veirs is releasing her 7th studio album, and with Tucker Martine producing again, it's bound to create the same amazing environments of her previous three albums, Carbon Glacier, Year of Meteors, and Saltbreakers. Laura is one of the most consistently great artists out there, and I have no doubt that her next outing, July Flame, will be as enthralling as her previous efforts. If you're not a Veirs fan, listen to her stuff, because she is the most definitively "indie" artist out there today. No matter what way you size it up, this is going to be an extraordinary summer for music, and having already received so many great albums in '09, we could be looking at the best year in music in recent memory.

-Donovan