for the record Summer releases

Author: Melissa Marshall

Freshly-pressed paninis, sun-bathing on Battell Beach, free alcohol - these are just a few things students will be sure to miss as they tape up their cardboard boxes and head back to their decidedly Proctor-terrace-free corners of the world. While you may not be mourning the loss of the morale-murdering fluorescent lighting in the library, I'm sure there will be a stinging, silent void where the weekly music column once was. Never fear! Your friendly, Campus columnist has compiled a list of the most anticipated new releases that will block out the noise of ubiquitous lawn-mowers, your neighbor's perennial obsession with Dave Matthews and even that nagging voice inside your head urging you to be productive during those languid summer months.

May: Whimsical Baltimore-based band, Page France, endeared itself to quiet converse-wearing aficionados everywhere with its 2006 release, Hello, Dear Wind. Wavering vocals and floating acoustic beats define their sunny-day sound and their second full-length attempt, Öand the Family Telephone, debuted yesterday, and promises to be the perfect soundtrack to accompany country drives. And while Page France may quickly become a new favorite for your summer wanderings, Wilco's May 15 release, Sky Blue Sky, should be as comforting as its title suggests. The indie veterans, who started recording in the mid-nineties, still remain college-radio darlings, and the follow-up to 2004's critically-acclaimed A Ghost is Born will assuredly deliver the innovative sound we've come to expect from the talented foursome. "I think people may have an idea in their head about what it will sound like, but it's going to be different than that," Wilco bassist John Stirratt told Billboard.com in November. "Jeff had a lot of creative fire. And also, the way we recorded was so cool because a lot of the arrangements just grew right there with everybody sitting around. I'm over the moon about it. I think it will be a really beautiful record. It's a great time to be in Wilco."

June: Dubbed by critics as chamber-pop heroes, Matt Pond PA has steadily increased in popularity. From tracks on The OC Soundtrack to appearances on "The David Letterman Show" to rotation on The Gap's playlist, the band's been enjoying the commercial success of its sixth full-length record, Several Arrows Later. While their new sound lacks the heart-wrenching emotion of their previous, less polished releases, the June 5 EP If You Want Blood should still be laced with the melodic melancholy and layered orchestration of one of this decade's most prolific bands.

July: No one's high school recollections are complete without car rides played out against the epic score of The Smashing Pumpkin's "Tonight, Tonight" or "Disarm." Even though we thought the extent of lead singer Billy Corgan's bad judgment was his short-lived tryst with Courtney Love, he proved fans wrong with his decision to pursue a solo project in 2000. The Pumpkins may have smashed a few hearts with their seven year absence, but the fond memories of Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are enough to allow their July 7 comeback, Zeitgeist, to slip into my player - no questions asked.

August: During the hottest month of the year, Minus the Bear's August 21 release, Planet of Ice, might just be the chill-out record of 2007, following in the glorious footsteps of Modest Mouse's masterpiece, The Moon and Antarctica. While the Seattle band broke onto the scene with the hip and fun Highly Refined Pirates in 2002, the quintet established itself as an art-rock force with 2005's Menos El Oso. The new album continues the group's experimental tendencies. Jake Snider told Pitchfork Media in an April 21 interview, "Planet is not quite as dry as the last record. It's a little more ambient; it has more of a really spacious sound.