The second (and final) part of Cadenza’s look back at summer music. Like we said last time, Cadenza wanted to find the best selections from summer ’10, but we hit some snags on the way. First, we had no love for August releases. Like, seriously, none. The summer heated up early but, unlike St. Louis, cooled down with the passing weeks. We also discovered that whether you’re a fan of hip-hop, punk or the blues, there was something for you this summer.

The National
‘High Violet’
May 10
I’ve spent the past three months with The National’s soft and dark crooning in my headphones on essentially a daily basis, from the persistent drum beats of “Conversation 16” to the soothing melody of “Runaway.” But the most impressive display here is Matt Beringer’s lyrics, which manage to veer from the neuroses and paranoia of “Say you stay at home alone with the flu/find out from friends that wasn’t true” to the very next track’s serenity of “Go out at night with your headphones on, again/walk through the Manhattan valleys of the dead,” from “Anyone’s Ghost.” With track names like “Terrible Love” and “Sorrow,” it’s safe to assume the album would be anything but light listening, but although “High Violet” is mournful, it’s never whiny.  And although it’s calm, it’s never boring—even after listening to it all summer.
–Adam Segal

Drake
‘Thank Me Later’
June 15
More than a year after the wildly popular mixtape “So Far Gone,” up-and-coming hip-hop superstar Drake released his first official album, “Thank Me Later,” earlier this summer. Due to the singer’s previous chart-toppers like “Best I Ever Had” and “Successful,” expectations for Drake soared to incredible heights, beyond what we’ve seen in the rap community in quite some time. Unfortunately, we set the bar too high. While “Thank Me Later” is a quality album, it fails to transcend into greatness. The album certainly has some excellent tracks, such as the Kanye-produced “Show Me a Good Time,” a soulful duet with The-Dream in “Shut It Down” and an insane verse by Drake in “Miss Me.” Drizzy is the best young lyricist and rhymer in the game and on his way to further stardom, but “Thank Me Later” is only a small step forward.
–Billy Chapman

Sleigh Bells
‘Treats’
May 11
A noise pop band that describes their songs as “sonic assault” may sound as though they don’t appeal to a wide fan base. While these descriptions are certainly accurate, Sleigh Bells began attracting online buzz last year when they released a few rough cuts of songs. On “Treats,” they’ve cleaned up a bit of the distortion and presented a fully polished album. The result is hypnotizing, danceable and insanely catchy. The duo, composed of Derek Miller and Allison Krauss, combine Miller’s frenetic, vigorously distorted electric guitar with Krauss’ ethereal vocals to loud, dizzying effect. Songs such as “Tell ‘Em,” “Infinity Guitars,” “Rachel” (where Krauss’ constant, repetitive breaths are used as the primary percussion) and “Rill Rill,” arguably the most accessible and conventionally catchy song on the album that still manages to retain their distinct sound, will be stuck in your head—and on your iPod—for weeks.
–Hannah Schwartz

Tokyo Police Club
‘Champ’
June 8
“Champ” is a rare summer album for all moods. In 12 songs, they capture the exuberance of a new day, the contented calm of evening and the melancholy of summer’s end. Upbeat tunes like “Favorite Color” and the chirrupy electro-pop of “Bambi” are perfect for steering wheel drumming while the serenely dejected “Hands Reversed” should have been the last song on everyone’s end-of-summer mixes. On only their second studio release, TPC have imbued their songs with this push-and-pull of emotion that paints a clear picture of nostalgia and carefree living. “Champ” also carries the distinction of being an album with vastly different songs that create a cohesive album. No two songs sound the same, though they touch on similar themes, and they avoid the pitfall of having that one-song-in-the-middle-that-everyone-skips. You’ll have two or three favorites the first time you listen, but with repeated spins each track will find a place in your heart and in your Top 25 Most Played.
–Cici Coquillette

The Black Keys
‘Brothers’
May 18
Sweaty blues hot as the Delta in late July once again prevail on the newest offering from spring 2009 W.I.L.D. headliners The Black Keys. “Brothers” is more sober and, well, bluesy than the duo’s previous releases, both lyrically and musically. But don’t mistake solemnity for dullness—if TBK are going to write about a scorned lover, they’re going to color it with violent revenge and call it “Ten Cent Pistol,” an album stand-out. And while “Brothers” has more medium-tempo songs than its predecessors, there are enough faster blues shuffles to keep the listener interested. Former producer Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley) only took a guest-producer’s role on this record, but his fingerprints are everywhere and indicative of the careful production that went into this music. Auerbach and Carney’s real hero, though, is the many incarnations of the Single Man—left by his lover, alone in the world but for his faithful blues brother.
–Steve Hardy