Gallery: Summer Music Guide: Kanye West's Yeezus and 10 Other (Less Hyped) Must-Hear Albums
01Yeezus
*Screengrab: Wired* Seemingly almost out of nowhere, Kanye West sent a tweet in May that simply read "June Eighteen." The public immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was the release date for a new album--and, indeed, it was. *Yeezus* hits next Tuesday and it'll probably be the album of the summer—if only because it's Kanye West and he might will it into existence because, as one of the early tracks notes, he is "[a god](http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1566538/kanye-west-posts-i-am-a-god-clip-featuring-rick-rubin)." But West's isn't the only album dropping this summer. The Andy Samberg-led comedy trio The Lonely Island just dropped the misleadingly titled *Wack Album* this past week, while eardrum-rattling rockers Queens of the Stone Age released *…Like Clockwork*. Looking for something more, well, *summery*? Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are coming out with a record full of (predictably) picnic-ready jams in July. Want something more danceable? There's allegedly a second installment of Justin Timberlake's *The 20/20 Experience* coming towards the end of the season. (Mr. JT is also hitting the road with Jay-Z to claim their titles as the "Legends of the Summer" too.) And if all the fun-in-the-sun music gets to be too much after a while, Trent Reznor is here to help: He's dropping a new Nine Inch Nails record in September to help bring the edge back. On the hip-hop front there's also a lot to go around. Wale has a new record entitled *The Gifted*. The young Brooklyn wunderkind known as Joey Bada$$ has a new mixtape appropriately titled *Summer Knights* set to hit the internets in July, and the legendary Wu-Tang Clan is celebrating their 20th anniversary (!!) this year and just released the barbeque-ready "[Family Reunion](http://soultemplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/family-reunion)" and has plans for a new fall record. Oh, and as if Yeezy's new record wasn't enough to get excited about for Tuesday, MCs Mac Miller and J. Cole are also both releasing records that day as well. Bottom line: There's a lot of great music to look forward to this summer. Check out our must-hear list and prepare to roll around with the top down.
02Kanye West
[Kanye West](http://www.kanyewest.com/): *Yeezus* ------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ June 18 Every West record ends up being an event—this one in particular because the artist now known as "Yeezus" built hype by projecting it on the sides of buildings and taking it to *Saturday Night Live*. But also because West is a genius, and his latest, based on reports from those who have heard it, promises to be killer. Also, it's got features from Daft Punk, RZA, Chief Keef, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, who lent his ethereal vocals to West's last solo album *My Beatuful Dark Twisted Fantasy* with fantastic results. The man is going down in history, just ask him. "I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump," [West recently told *The New York Times*](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/arts/music/kanye-west-talks-about-his-career-and-album-yeezus.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&). "I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z."
03J Cole
[J. Cole](http://www.jcolemusic.com/us/home): *Born Sinner* ----------------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ June 18 J. Cole's sophomore album takes its name from Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" lyric, "born sinner/the opposite of a winner/I remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner," and throughout the album Cole pays homage to even more of his hip-hop idols – from the straight-forward "Let Nas Down" (there's a [behind that one) to name-checking his Roc Nation leader Jay-Z to "Forbidden Love," which grabs A Tribe Called Quest vibe by sampling the groove of Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew." But unlike most rappers, and more like the man he's sharing a release date with, Cole makes his own beats. A studio maestro who composes on Moog and MacBook (amongst other tools and toys), Cole's creativity is all over the place on his latest album bringing in samples, churning guitars and rubbery bass. Hey, for every Yeezus, there's got be a *Born Sinner*, right?](http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1708660/j-cole-let-nas-down-born-sinner-listening-party.jhtml) [#iframe: http://bornsinner.com/albumstream/](600x600)||||||
04Sigur Rós
[Sigur Rós](http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/): *Kveikur* --------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ June 18 Looking for a little nachtmusik? Look no further than Sigur Rós *Kveikur*. (Yes, "nachtmusik" is German and the band is from Iceland, but Icelandic is a North Germanic language and… Oh, nevermind. You get the point.) ANYWAY, summer tends to get dominated by upbeat, breezy jams so having a new Sigur Rós album will be very necessary for those long late-night summer drives home from the latest music festival. And *Kveikur* delivers. ([Listen to it here](http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1001227931) prior to its release Tuesday.) Grinding rhythms and dark undertones are layered with smooth vocals and lush melodies to give just the right levels of both immediacy and lushness. Get ready to zone out.
05El-P and Killer Mike
El-P and Killer Mike: [*Run the Jewels*](http://www.foolsgoldrecs.com/runthejewels/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __Release Date:__ June 26 Last year El-P did the hard-hitting production work on Killer Mike's intense *R.A.P. Music*, and now the duo is back with the collaborative *Run the Jewels*, which features vocals by both MCs as well as, reportedly, guest rhymes from Big Boi and Prince Paul. Get your smarter-than-most bangers here. Added bonus: It'll be free when it drops. No excuses. [#iframe: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F96551717](100%x166)||||||
06Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$: *Summer Knights* ----------------------------- __Release Date:__ July 1 Joey Bada$$ has been one of the most buzzed-about rappers for a while now, right down to his feature on the "[ZOMG-incredible](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2013/01/archer-monitor/)" posse cut from A$AP Rocky's latest album. And there's a reason: The 18-year-old from Brooklyn has a true gift and very unique style (see also: his *1999* mixtape.) *Summer Knights* got pushed back from June 12 to July 1, but if the early leaks (like "Word is Bond" below) are any indication, it'll be worth the wait. It'll also be a nice holdover until he drops his actual debut album *B4DA$$*. [#iframe: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F94369831](100%x166)||||||
07Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
[Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros](http://edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com/): *Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ July 23 Even if you don't know the name of this band, you probably know their song "Home" – which has been everywhere in the last couple years, even [NFL and Microsoft commercials](http://adage.com/article/media/edward-sharpe-s-home-succeeds-train-s-hey-soul-sister/227177/). If anything on the band's new self-titled record is even half as catchy as that song, folks will be humming it until Thanksgiving. So go ahead, pick up the record, open the sunroof (or street-facing window) and start spreading the hipster-hippie vibes ASAP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GSLAZg3n8I
08Superhumanoids
[Superhumanoids](http://superhumanoids.com/): *Exhibitionists* -------------------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ Aug. 6 Previously the Superhumanoids had stuck with what Pitchfork smartly called ["Tears for Fears after a day at the beach,"](http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/15585-superhumanoids-bad-weather/) but on their next LP they're going for deeper grooves. Want something to chill out to before heading out and going wild for the night? This LA threesome has you covered. [#iframe: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F96336634](100%x166)||||||
09Washed Out
[Washed Out](http://www.subpop.com/artists/washed_out): *Paracosm* ------------------------------------------------------------------ __Release Date:__ Aug. 13 If you're a fan of IFC's *Portlandia*, you're a fan of Washed Out (or at least have been overexposed to the one-man-band's sounds). Ernest Greene is back this summer with more ethereal jams based around the concept of *Paracosm*, aka a detailed imaginary world (think: Narnia. NARNIA!). Previously a computer and synthesizer composer primarily, Greene added some 50 new instruments including old keyboards like the Mellotron and Optigan. "These machines are kind of a happy medium," [Greene has said of the album](http://www.subpop.com/artists/washed_out). "The sounds have a very worn, distressed quality about them, much like an old sample." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJILRWBKnQ4
10Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand: [*Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action*](http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/albums/15-05-13/right-thoughts-right-words-right-action) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ Aug. 26 It's been a while since Franz Ferdinand's 2009 album *Tonight*, and even longer since their sweaty dancefloor anthem "Take Me Out," but now the Scottish foursome have returned with something their frontman Alex Kapranos calls "The Intellect vs. The Soul played out by some dumb band." Uh, OK. Sounds good.
11NIN
[Nine Inch Nails](http://nin.com/): *Hesitation Marks* ------------------------------------------------------ __Release Date:__ Sept. 3 After spending some time scoring movies like *The Social Network*--for which he won an Oscar--and working with his side project How to Destroy Angels, Trent Reznor is back in Nine Inch Nails mode (finally). The first track released from the project, called "Come Back Haunted" (below), has the feel of old-school *The Fragile*-era Nails. So basically, it's here to guide us all from the happy days of summer into the dark, early nights of fall. And that's totally OK. [#iframe: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F95453832](100%x166)||||||
12Justin Timberlake
[Justin Timberlake](http://justintimberlake.com/): *20/20 Experience, Part 2* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- __Release Date:__ Sept. 30 Fans waited almost seven years for Justin Timberlake to release a new album—at times making it feel as if he may never bring sexy back. But now he seems to be making up for it. Details, including the above possibly not-real title, about the album are slim, but the record, which Timberlake teased with [the Instagram](http://instagram.com/p/Y8P76yydj6/) above, appears to be a collection of tracks that didn't make *The 20/20 Experience*. Considering that record has already proven to be a pretty solid soundtrack for summer, a collection of b-sides would be a nice way to ride out the season in a spaceship coupe. Let the groove get in.
