Best Albums of May 2021: hmv.com previews the top 10...
St. Vincent, Twenty One Pilots and Weezer are among the artists with new albums hitting shelves in May...
St. Vincent - Daddy's Home
Out May 14th
Annie Clark unveils the follow-up to 2021's hugely acclaimed, Masseducation in the middle of next month.
Produced by Clark and Jack Antonoff, whose recent credits include Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and The Chicks, the LP is billed as a challenging and deeply personal collection, with the title inspired by Clark's experience of taking her father home from prison, where he has been for the best part of a decade.
Sonically, the album calls back to 1970s groove and disco, with Sly and the Family Stone a key influence, but with Clark's eccentricity still firmly in the mix.
Weezer - Van Weezer
Out May 7th
The iconic pop rockers unveil their 15th studio album next month.
Moving away from the mellow pop of the last two LPs, the cheekily named Van Weezer will channel frontman Rivers Cuomo’s love of hair metal and 70s rock, with Kiss, Black Sabbath, Metallica and, naturally, Van Halen, all key influences.
Produced by pop producer Suzy Shinn, whose credits include Panic! At The Disco and Dua Lipa, the album is riot of big guitars and epic solos.
Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure
Out May 7th
Rory Graham drops the follow-up to his phenomenally successful debut album Human, powered by hit single, 'All You Ever Wanted'.
Recorded in Nashville with Alanis Morrisette/Maroon 5 producer Mike Elizondo, the album finds Graham embracing live sonics, with the bulk of the LP created during live tracks.
To make the LP, Graham booked with long-time collaborators Ben Jackson-Cook, Bill Banwell and Desri Ramus as well as drummer Daru Jones and guitarist Wendy Melvoin, who was a part of Prince's touring band.
Life By Misadventure has been billed as a coming of age record by Graham, while keeping in tact the rootsy sonics and power vocals of his debut.
Texas - Hi
Out May 28th
Originally when Sharleen Spiteri and the rest of Scottish rockers Texas assembled in the studio, it was with the intention of working on 'lost' outtakes from the sessions for their 1997 chart-topping White On Blonde, which sold over four million copies worldwide.
In the end, the band scrapped that plan and focused on new material, among which is a collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan on the title track, a song written with Richard Hawley and a duet with Clare Grogan of Altered Images.
The album finds the band channelling the playful spirit of White On Blonde with an added soulful edge.
Jorja Smith - Be Right Back
Out May 14th
The singer's new project isn't billed as a new album, instead, it's simply described as a new eight-song project.
Smith explains: "It's called be right back because it's just something I want my fans to have right now, this isn't an album and these songs wouldn't have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too."
The extended collection includes a collaboration with rapper Shaybo as well as hit single 'Addicted'.
Moby - Reprise
Out May 28th
For this new album, his 19th, Moby has reworked many of his biggest hits including 'Go', 'Extreme Ways' and 'Natural Blues' with the assistance of the Budapest Art Orchestra.
To help him with the reworkings, the singer has invited a slew of guests, including Alice Skye, Amythyst Kiah, Apollo Jane, Darlingside, Gregory Porter, Jim James, Kris Kristofferson, Luna Li, Mark Lanegan, Mindy Jones, Nataly Dawn, Skylar Grey and Vikingur Ólafsson.
The Black Keys - Delta Kream
Out May 14th
The rollicking duo unveil the 10th album of their career in the midst of next month.
The LP, which is self-produced, was recorded over two afternoons at frontman Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studios.
The record is a covers album of hill country blues songs. Among the artists covered are John Lee Hooker, R. L. Burnside and blues legend Junior Kimbrough, whose songs make up half of the album.
Iceage - Seek Shelter
Out May 7th
The Danish art punks drop their fifth LP at the start of next month.
The album is the follow-up to 2018’s Beyondless and was recorded with Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom producing, marking the first time Iceage have ever worked with an outside producer for one of their albums.
The LP, which combines the band's classic mixture of visceral power and ambitious instrumentation, is their first with guitarist Casper Morilla Fernandez as part of the band.
Black Midi - Calvacade
Out May 28th
The post-rockers follow-up 2019's acclaimed debut, Schlagenheim, with a new collection.
Recorded in Dublin with producer John "Spud" Murphy, the album continues the band's fierce drive for experimentalism as you can hear below on the manic, jazzy creation 'Slow'.
For this new album, guitarist/founding member Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin has stepped away from the band, but saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboardist Seth Evans, who were a part of the group's live band, were a part of the album recording sessions, while Jerskin Fendrix lends his violin to album opener 'John L'.
twenty øne piløts - Scaled and Icy
Out May 21st
The eccentric pop duo return with their sixth full-length effort next month.
Recorded in frontman Tyler Joseph's home studio, with drummer Joshua Duns completing his contributions remotely, the album continues in the band's madcap vein, but is billed as a more colourful record.
The album features production from Mike Elizondo, hitmaker Greg Kurstin and Mutemath frontman Paul Meany, who produced 2018's Trench.
