Tenacious D, Sigur Ros, Beach House and the Most Anticipated Albums of May 2012

The month of May is about to warm the palates of music lovers of all sorts, thanks to new releases courtesy of Tenacious D, Sigur Ros, Beach House and other artists.

Shirley Manson and company are getting ready to release Not Your Kind of People, the first Garbage album in seven years.

Working with Garbage again was very instinctual . . . like getting on a bicycle . . .with three other people, Duke Erikson said in January, when the band also announced the dates for their new tour.

Meanwhile, John Mayer is still planning to release his fifth studio album Born and Raised this month, despite his throat condition. Last fall, the singer-songwriter underwent surgery to treat his granuloma condition, only to have it return again this past March. Mayer recently released the music video for the album's first single, Shadow Days, which is rumored to be about former flame Jennifer Aniston.

June is also looking to be a new music filled month, with scheduled releases from Patti Smith, The Temper Trap, Hot Chip, Metric, Usher, Justin Bieber, the Smashing Pumpkins and Fiona Apple. But before Bieber fever takes over the music world, here's a look at the most anticipated albums of May.

Keane - Strangeland (May 4)
Strangeland is the follow-up to Keane's 2008 release Perfect Symmetry. The new album has already released two singles, Silenced by the Night and Disconnected.

Damon Albarn - Dr Dee (May 7)
Sure, there's a pretty good chance the Gorillaz will never produce new music ever again, but that hasn't stopped Damon Albarn from being creative. The 44-year-old is the musical brains behind Dr. Dee -- An English Opera, directed by Rufus Norris. The soundtrack arrives nearly three months ahead of the vinyl box set Blur 21, which will include unreleased rarities and three DVDs.

PS I Love You - Death Dreams (May 8)
Canadian indie duo PS I Love You returns with their sophomore release this May with Death Dreams, released through Paper Bag Records. The duo is gearing up for a short tour along the east coast, with stops in Toronto, Brooklyn and Halifax. Stream the full album at Paste.

Garbage - Not Your Kind of People (May 14)
Garbage is back. Finally.

Beach House - Bloom (May 15)
Victoria and Alex finally put all the new album rumors to rest this past February when the Baltimore-based duo announced that Bloom would be their next release. Bloom will have some big shoes to fill. Beach House's last album, Teen Dream, was named by Rolling Stone as one of the 30 Best Albums of 2010, along with a place on other respected music lists.

Best Coast - The Only Place (May 15)
Fans of Best Coast have been counting down the days until the release of The Only Place since the duo dropped the album's first single, also named The Only Place. In April, Best Coast released the album's second single, Why I Cry.

Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix (May 15)
While the official release date of Rize of the Fenix is May 15, Tenacious D pleased everyone on Apr. 28 when they put the entire album online (via Soundcloud). Thank you, Tenacious D, Thank you.

Willie Nelson - Heroes (May 15)
You can always count on Willie Nelson to release new material almost every year, thanks to his lengthy resume of more than 60 studio albums. And that doesn't even include Nelson's live albums, compilations and collaborations. Heroes will include new tracks by Nelson and his son Lukas, along with guest appearances by Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow and Kris Kristofferson.

John Mayer - Born and Raised (May 22)
John Mayer has come a long way from his Body is a Wonderland days. Gone are the young, boyish looks and sounds. Hello, western Mayer, complete with song titles like Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey and Love Is a Verb.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Here (May 29)
It's been three years since Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes' debut album Up from Below, which put the band on the map and on pretty much every other music festival. This month, the band is gearing up for the release of Here, along with a North American tour (that has actually been in session since March).

Regina Spektor - What We Saw From the Cheap Seats (May 29)
Regina Spektor returns with her sixth studio album this month. From the sounds of the already released tracks All the Rowboats and Don't Leave Me, it looks like Spektor's made another winner of an album.

Sigur Ros - Valtari (May 29)
Valtari, Sigur Ros' first full-length album in four years, has already been heard by most of the band's fans for close to one month now, thanks to a leak on the internet. Regardless, no one's complained about the leak so far.