albums to look forward to in 2007

2006 was a lackluster year for rock music. Perhaps I'm just losing touch with the music scene, but the past year seemed even more boring and disappointing than the last few years, which has been a dead period in music to begin with. Aside from strong albums from Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bob Dylan, not much new or exciting surfaced. All we really got was the arrival of Panic! at the Disco and the continued success of Fall Out Boy, and both of those bands suck.

2007 seems to be a much more promising year. We'll get highly anticipated new albums from Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, and Wilco. We'll also get sophomore efforts from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Arcade Fire (which could be brilliant or huge letdowns), along with new records from indie darlings the Shins (their Wincing the Night Away is already getting early positive buzz) and mid-tempo rockers Spoon. Add in possible albums from U2 and R.E.M. late in the year, and the future looks good.

Here's to a solid '07.