What does 2010 hold in store for rock fans? Well, we should get a few new albums from bands that recently reunited after years apart. Also, veteran groups will be looking to release records that try to match their earlier peaks, while younger bands are hoping to keep their momentum going. And, of course, there will be another Twilight sequel, which means another lucrative soundtrack is on the way. In alphabetical order, here are the albums I’ll be keeping close tabs on in 2010.
Aaron Lewis: Staind’s frontman has talked about putting out his first solo album since December 2008, but there’s still no official word about whether it’s happening. We may get a better idea at the beginning of 2010 when he hits the road for a two-month solo tour. Maybe he’ll pull out some new material for these shows?
Limp Bizkit: In 2009, Limp Bizkit buried the hatchet with estranged guitarist Wes Borland and started working on demos for a new record. Initially, the band wanted to release their comeback album by Christmas 2009, but now a 2010 date seems much more likely. This new album will be Limp Bizkit’s first with Borland since 2000’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, and the hope is that Borland’s innovative guitar playing will help give the band their old vitality.
Linkin Park: When Chester Bennington launched his side project, Dead by Sunrise, in the fall of 2009, he made it clear that it was in no way going to affect the making of Linkin Park’s next album. Indeed, the band have spent most of 2009 working on their follow-up to 2007’s Minutes to Midnight, although they took a break to release “New Divide” as part of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack. “They’re going to have to come up with a new genre name for what this record is,” singer Mike Shinoda bragged to Rolling Stone about their forthcoming record.
Radiohead: In 2009, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke released a solo track on the New Moon soundtrack, and the band put out a couple of one-off singles. Those releases, coupled with a comment by Yorke that the band didn’t want to focus on making traditional albums anymore, suggested that perhaps 2007’s In Rainbows was going to be the group’s last record for a while. But according to guitarist Ed O’Brien, the band will be putting out a new album in 2010 after recording over the winter. No idea what it will sound like or if Radiohead will do a pay-what-you-like online release again like they did with In Rainbows.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: The first new Red Hot Chili Peppers album since 2006’s Stadium Arcadium probably won’t arrive until the end of 2010. The Los Angeles quartet convened in October 2009 to start jamming, which is their standard practice when they begin work on a new record. Even if for some reason the album gets delayed, 2010 could still be a banner year for the band, though – they’re eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
R.E.M.: R.E.M. returned to a hard-edged rock sound on their 2008 record Accelerate, and it appears that the alt-rock trio want to stay in that vein for their follow-up. Working again with Accelerate producer Jacknife Lee, the band are currently recording in Portland, and Lee has hinted that the approach to the new record will be similar to that of the last record.
Saving Abel: Saving Abel found success with their self-titled debut in 2008, largely thanks to the hit single “Addicted.” And judging from recent interviews with the band, they don’t want to alter Saving Abel’s raunchy southern-rock sound one bit for their next record, which will hopefully arrive in the first half of 2010. Saving Abel toured like dogs to get the word out about their first record, so one can safely assume they’ll be gigging extensively once this new disc drops.
Slash: While his main band, Velvet Revolver, continue their search for a lead singer, Slash has been working away on his first solo album. Tentatively titled Slash & Friends, the record will feature several guests, including Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers), Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Steven Adler (his former bandmate in Guns N’ Roses), and Ozzy Osbourne. “I’m extremely happy about how the whole thing turned out,” Slash wrote on his MySpace page in November. “I think you’re going to dig it.”
Stone Temple Pilots: In 2008, Stone Temple Pilots reunited for a tour, and in 2010 the band will be putting out their first new studio record in nine years. Working with veteran rock producer Don Was, the band hope to reclaim their commercial clout from the 1990s, when albums like Core and Purple went platinum many times over.
U2: Hot on the heels of the release of 2009’s No Line on the Horizon, U2 discussed releasing a companion album, just as they did with Zooropa after Achtung Baby back in the early ‘90s. If the Irish quartet decide to go that way, the album would be called Songs of Ascent and would feature a contemplative, introspective sound. But U2 may ultimately choose to pursue new material, or they might return to songs that were part of the aborted Rick Rubin sessions that didn’t make it onto No Line. Of course, there may also be no new U2 album in 2010 – the band members do have a pretty busy touring schedule ahead of them.
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