Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Announces Reunion

Twelve years after calling it quits, legendary grunge band Soundgarden are set to reunite in 2010. Former singer Chris Cornell made the long-hoped-for announcement on New Year's Eve via Twitter.

"The 12-year break is over and school is back in session," Cornell wrote. "Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"

The surprise revelation linked to a Web site that features a picture of the group in action during their heyday and a place for fans to enter their e-mail address to get updates on the reunion. Entering that information unlocks an archival video for the song "Get on the Snake," from the group's second studio album, 1989's Louder Than Love.

One of the most popular rock acts to emerge from the Northwest grunge scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s - alongside Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains - Soundgarden formed in 1984 and scored a string of hit singles with melodic hard-rock anthems such as "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman," anchored by singer Cornell's banshee wail and guitarist Kim Thayil's screaming notes.

Following their acrimonious split, Thayil practically disappeared from the rock map, popping up occasionally at low-key functions, but not producing any significant musical projects. Drummer Matt Cameron released several albums with his garage-rock band Wellwater Conspiracy and joined Pearl Jam as a permanent member in 1998, recording four albums with the group. Bassist Ben Shepherd released the second album by the Soundgarden side project, Hater, in 2005.

Cornell kept the busiest, recording an artsy solo album titled Euphoria Morning in 1999 and forming Audioslave with three former members of Rage Against the Machine. After releasing three albums, he left that band in 2007, dropped the introspective solo album Carry On that year and then teamed up with hip-hop producer Timbaland for a beat-fueled third solo album, last year's Scream, which met with mixed response.

Given Cornell's success with Audioslave and the lingering bad feelings following Soundgarden's split, a reunion seemed unlikely.

"It's almost like we sealed the lid and said this is Soundgarden and this is its lifespan and put it out there and it looks really great to me," Cornell told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 2005. "I think getting back together would take the lid off that and then could possibly change what up to now to me seems like the perfect lifespan of the band. I can't think of any reason to mess with that."

But rumors of a possible Soundgarden reconciliation began spreading last year when all the members of the band except Cornell performed in public for the first time together since 1997 at a March stop on Rage guitarist Tom Morello's solo tour in Seattle. At the time, Thayil, Shepherd and Cameron were joined by fellow grunge vet Tad singer Tad Doyle for a short set that included "Spoonman," "Hunted Down" and "Nothing to Say." A short time later, Cornell said that if he'd been in town, he might have jumped up onstage as well.

The singer told Rolling Stone in July that the band was considering releasing a B-side album and a box set of unreleased tunes. In October, he joined Pearl Jam and Cameron onstage for a run through "Hunger Strike," the hit by the grunge-era supergroup Temple of the Dog. Thayil and Shepherd were in the crowd for that gig and reunion discussions reportedly began soon after.

Billboard reported that the group is weighing offers for several major U.S. and international festivals and is in the midst of plotting a tour around Cameron's prior commitment to a spring and summer swing with Pearl Jam.

Eminem, Blink-182, Katy Perry Top The Most-Anticipated Albums Of 2010

If you thought 2009 was a big year for music, just wait until you see what 2010 has in store. While the past 12 months were all about Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert, 2010 is shaping up to be the year of the comeback, the sequel and the new look, with anticipated discs on tap from a reunited Blink-182, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Diddy, Kanye West, Vampire Weekend, Usher, MGMT and the soundtrack to the third Twilight film, Eclipse.

Pop
Perry has been "spilling out material" for the follow-up to her breakthrough, One of the Boys, citing such über-pop acts as Ace of Base and the Cardigans as inspiration. She's worked with Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and Rihanna collaborator Tricky Stewart so far, but hasn't really nailed down a release date.

While we know Britney Spears has also been in the studio, working on the sequel to Circus, its unknown if the back-on-track pop diva will finish up the disc in time for a 2010 release. Former rival Christina Aguilera, though, has reportedly started her electro-influenced follow-up to 2006's Back to Basics with an eclectic group of women, including M.I.A., Sia, Santigold and Ladytron, but has seemingly put it on hold until she finishes filming her bit for the movie Burlesque.

Also potentially on tap for 2010: a new album from Madonna, troubled British soul singer Amy Winehouse's long-awaited follow-up to her Grammy-winning Back to Black breakthrough, and the second album from She & Him, featuring actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward.

Rock
Unlike Green Day, My Chemical Romance are not planning to do back-to-back concept albums. The band is prepping a more aggressive return after the high-concept The Black Parade, with superstar producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) helping them stay on track.

Seven years after their last effort, reunited pop punks Blink-182 are expected to release their first album since 2003's self-titled affair. Drummer Travis Barker is also wrapping work on his solo debut but said the plan is to write and record the Blink disc in the first part of the year.

Other releases on tap include: the much-anticipated second album from former buzz band Vampire Weekend, a new disc from Canadian collective the Arcade Fire, a potential release from Radiohead, a second album from Jack White's Dead Weather, a possible get-back from the Strokes, a new Fleet Foxes effort, Kid Rock's latest, the sophomore disc from Grammy nominees MGMT, and a new Gorillaz album featuring vocals from Lou Reed, Mos Def and the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb. Though no information is available yet, we can only assume that the soundtrack to the third Twilight movie, Eclipse, will be a monster.

Hip-Hop/R&B
He broke his long silence with Relapse and Refill in 2009, but Eminem has more in store for 2010, as he's promised to drop the second half of his recent fruitful spurt of creativity, Relapse 2. While we're not holding our breath for the epically delayed finale from Em's mentor, Dr. Dre, there's a possibility that Detox will also finally hit shelves this year.

One album we know is coming out is Lil Wayne's rock-tinged Rebirth. After moving around more than a half-dozen times in 2009, the disc is now due February 1, just a week before Wayne is slated to go to prison for a year on gun charges. Of course, due to that Amazon.com slip-up, 500 lucky fans already have the disc, which quickly became readily available online, so it's possible the official release will change the track list up a bit.

It's also possible T.I. could drop his next album very soon after being released to a halfway house following his 366-day sentence on federal weapons charges, and imprisoned rapper Gucci Mane recently said he already has his next album, The State vs. Radric Davis: The Appeal, ready to roll.

Another CD everyone is holding their breath for is Drake's debut, Thank Me Later, which is expected to deliver on the hype created by his mixtapes and EP. After a few delays, Usher's Raymond vs. Raymond is now slated for a March release, with hype already built thanks to the hit single "Papers."

Nas' former wife, Kelis, is promising a "futuristic disco" sound on her upcoming disc, Flesh Tone. N.E.R.D. will have a new, "very 3-D" sound, thanks to the recent addition of female vocalist Rhea, and Erykah Badu will finally drop New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) in February, promising a less politically driven effort this time around.

We could finally get a listen to Missy Elliott's first album in five years, Block Party, as well as solo discs from Big Boi - his long-delayed Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty - and Andre 3000, as well as a possible new Outkast collabo.

Though he's been laying low since his VMA stage rush on Taylor Swift, it's possible Kanye West will have some new music for us this year. We know Diddy is on tap to unleash his concept dance album Last Train to Paris, and Travis McCoy is prepping his solo debut as well as a new album from Gym Class Heroes.

After promising a swan-song, three-disc set called LupE.N.D. last year, and then having second thoughts, Lupe Fiasco has reportedly been working on a CD called Lasers that could see light in 2010. Also bumped to the new year is the ninth studio album from hip-hop iron men and Jimmy Fallon house band the Roots, with How I Got Over, as well as Ludacris' Battle of the Sexes, a reported duet album with DTP home girl Shawnna.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, because with all this action, we might also get a new one from Lady Gaga, which could really be a monster.