A brand new year has arrived and with it has come news of more change within the music industry for 2010. So far, I have covered bands getting back together and artists making a comeback. Some of the information given might have been considered obvious or to be expected, but no change within the music industry is as obvious as the announcement made by Madonna’s people.

Yes, she plans to reinvent herself in 2010… again!

The music world has experienced more Madonna reinventions than anybody cares to remember, but this was inevitable given that the last couple of years have hardly been the most successful for her professionally and personally. She intends to make this year different, and she might well succeed given that she is currently working with A-Trak and Brendan O’Brien.

Rap producer A-Trak and rock producer O’Brien are officially helping Madge to revolutionize music, or at least to try. The idea is that she will combine the two genres on her new album, which is to be released this year. Apparently, she is rumoured to have taken inspiration from Aerosmith and Run DMC’s collaboration on “Walk This Way” and is trying to do the same herself.

In recent years, Madge has become known for her hip-hop and dance music as much of her pop sound of the 1980s. However, she has apparently been learning the guitar of late and wants to try to combine this new talent with some of her more recent influences, which is where rock meets urban.

Knowing what Madonna’s like, she will probably manage to do it but until I hear the tunes she’s put together with the help of her producers, I will remain a sceptic. Run DMC may have managed it and other acts, namely Eminem and Jay-Z, have been on the verge of it a few times, but Madonna is a completely different story!

I absolutely love watching the music industry in January! It is arguably the most exciting time of the year because there are always so many rumours flying around about who is in the studio, which old bands are touring, which new bands are going to take the world by storm, what sounds are going to be hugely fashionable…

This year’s rumour mill seems to be dominated by which established bands and solo artists are making a comeback after some years out of action. So who of note will be back on the radar this year?

The first notable solo artist is Corrine Bailey Rae. It might not seem like it but her first album was unleashed on the music world four years ago and she has been away from the business since 2008. After mourning the death of her husband, she is due to be back in February with a brand new album. The Sea is rumoured to be every bit as good as her first.

A 2010 band comeback is also in order, and there are none bigger than Gorillaz. Yes, Damon Albarn is back with his dance/urban/alternative blend in the form of a third album. Having been away for a few years, the Gorillaz look set to be bigger than ever, with all sorts of legends collaborating. De La Soul, Lou Reed, Barry Gibb and Snoop Dogg are just four of the stars to feature.

Finally, we have one of my favourites returning – the Klaxons are back! Revolutionizing the music industry in 2007 seemed easy for them with their Mercury Prize winning debut album, but that was 2007. What about now? Well, they seem just as eager to push boundaries as they did before and I have a feeling that the indie world is about to get a complete overhaul yet again.

Before the first 24 hours of 2010 had passed, the music machine was well and truly in full swing and the first band to reform in this new decade was decided. It was inevitable really given that it seems to be all the rage in the music world – disband because of creative differences, do your own thing for a while and then tour together once again.

Anyway, the reforming band in this case is Soundgarden. Fronted by Chris Cornell, the band announced that they were reforming via Cornell’s Twitter account, declaring “Knights of the Soundtable ride again!”

The US rockers have actually been doing their own musical thing for over 12 years now, after splitting in 1997 as a result of “creative differences”. There have been rumours about all sorts of potential reunions in the past because various members of Soundgarden have performed together for charity events, festivals and other such events. However, there has never been any official reformation, and Cornell had said that none would ever occur without all of the original members on board.

Well, now all of the original members are on board and the reunion is on! There has not been an announcement about what form it will take. Whether they are touring and using old material or producing an album has still yet to be confirmed so stay tuned for more news.

This actually buys into the whole musical cycles that determine what we tend to listen to. The noughties were arguably pop oriented and so adhered to generic rules that are widely acknowledged to exist in the music world. The last decade to follow the same lines was the 1980s. We all know what happened in the 1990s – Nirvana, Pearl Jam… rocking and rebellion took over the airwaves. Although there are no predictions happening just yet, maybe the reforming of Soundgarden is the first step towards revitalising rock!