The new year is in full swing and January already saw a slew of amazing music from the likes of Stephen Malkmus, Bastille, Against Me! and many more. The good news is, the momentum won’t be slowing down any time soon. AP’s narrowed down a list of the Top 14 (hehe) albums you can look forward to this year.
See something missing? Tell us in the comments! We won’t bite.
14. St. Vincent – St. Vincent – Feb. 24
Annie Clark, also known as St. Vincent, is doing something I hate: releasing a self-titled album well into her established career. My bias aside, you’ll want to listen to this. Spoiler alert: one track recounts the time she came face-to-face with a rattlesnake while butt-naked in the desert. Stay tuned, St. Vincent is due out this month and she’ll be swinging by the House of Blues on the 27th.
13. The New Pornographers – TBD
After a long intermission, Canadian indie-rock supergroup The New Pornographers are coming out with their sixth album. If you’re not familiar, The New Pornographers is the brainchild of Carl Newman who has Neko Case and Dan Bejar (Destroyer) by his side among others. Rumor has it, Zach Condon (Beirut), St. Vincent, Will Sheff (Okkervil River), and others are making cameos on the album. No official date yet, but sources indicate a spring release.
12. DIIV – TBD
DIIV’s debut, Oshiin, came out in 2012, and this Spring we’ll be seeing a darker side of the group. According to an interview with DIY, frontman Zachary Cole Smith says “Aggression is one thing that I loosely explored on the first record, I feel like on the next record I can push the envelope there…it’s definitely going to be a darker record based on how my life has been personally, since the last record came out.” No release date as of yet.
11. Cloud Nothings – Here And Nowhere Else – Apr. 1
In case you missed it, last month Cloud Nothings debuted their entire new album in Brooklyn. While 250 lucky bastards in Brooklyn heard the whole thing, it was only last week we learned what the dang thing is called! The Cleveland natives have us hooked and frontman Dylan Baldi says the new album will be, “a little less melodic. It’s noisier and less straightforward. I think people will be able to handle it.”
10. Kendrick Lamar – TBD
Considering the fact that Kendrick’s last album ranked in with a Grammy nom for Album of the year (oh…and six other awards that night), you should probably pay attention to this next one too. Only bad news is…nobody will tell us when it’s coming out yet.
9. Mac Demarco – Salad Days – Apr. 1
Ah, where to begin? He announced a world tour, leaked a new single, and has been previewing more new material. While his single title (ahem, “A Little Bit of Pussy”) was pushing it, I’m happy to report he’s scaled it back a bit for the album itself. In April we’ll get two things: our hands on Salad Days and a kickass show at the Middle East.
8. Beck – Morning Phase – Feb. 25
Last year, Beck sprinkled out some new material, all teases leading up to Morning Phase that is due out this month. Fans were thrilled to get snippets in 2013 though as Morning Phase is the first full album since 2008! Several of the working hands from 2002’s Sea Change are said to have collaborated once more so veteran fans may rejoice.
7. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness – Feb. 18
Next month, Angel Olsen will be releasing a follow up to last year’s critically acclaimed Half Way Home. Produced by John Congleton, here’s what her pals at Jagjaguwar have to say: “She captures both bravery and vulnerability in her war cries bringing the listener closer if they aren’t already sucked into Angel’s crackling fire gaze. Her new album…stokes the fire and aggravates the flames inside of Angel releasing an energy and voice not heard before.” This week she announced tour dates including a stop at the Sinclair in May.
6. Eagulls – Eagulls – Mar. 4
Our English friends, Eagulls, are only a month away from dropping their debut self-titled LP under Partisan Records. The Leeds-based hardcore band killed it at CMJ last year and we haven’t forgotten about them since. If the lead single, “Tough Luck” is any indication, this record isn’t going to be for the faint of heart. We’ve been spinning Eagulls nonstop and it’s about time you do too.
5. Parquet Courts – TBD
Hot off of their network TV debut on Fallon, Parquet Courts is building up a lot of well-deserved momentum. Their 2012 debut, Light Up Gold, received a lot of praise and parallels drawn to acts like Pavement and Guided By Voices. Maybe with this new album, people will stop harping on “Stoned and Starving” (which is a great song!). “Obviously that’s a song about smoking pot … but I mean, who doesn’t smoke pot? Can I not sing about it without being labeled a stoner?” said frontman Andrew Savage. No release date as of yet.
4. Frankie Cosmos – Zentropy – Mar. 4
When I first read that Frankie Cosmos has quietly released 40 home-recorded albums via BandCamp, I didn’t believe it either. But lo-and-behold, it’s true. You may recognize Greta Kline from PORCHES or maybe you saw her at that kickass show with Krill and Mutual Benefit in the beginning of 2014. We’re finally going to get a studio recorded LP from the lovely Greta next month. Be careful with this one though because one taste and you could snowball into locking yourself away to listen to all 40 of those albums.
3. James Blake & Chance the Rapper – TBD
In case you missed it, James Blake and Chance the Rapper moved in together. Random musical partnership? Potentially amazing turn of events? Let’s see what happens since the Chicago rapper moved into Blake’s LA home. In and interview with NME, Chance said, “We’re probably going to make a bunch of shit every day…so we figure we might invite people round to the crib and make some music in the house, then kick them out and bring in some new people.” Both artists are also on the bill for this year’s Governors Ball so I’ll be crossing my fingers for some stage sharing for the next four months.
2. Kanye West – TBD
Kanye West is rumored to be putting out a new album this summer. Do I really need to say anything else? Let the Yeezianity continue.
1. Brand New – TBD
Pause for a second. Did you get a ticket to Boston Calling? Because Brand New is going to be there, which means you need to be there. Here’s a little secret: we shamelessly love the shit out of Brand New here at AP. Word is that Brand New has been plugging away quietly at new material and we could get a new release early this year. While some are skeptical, the fact that they are so prominently displayed on the Boston Calling lineup confirms for me that something new is on the way. Wouldn’t it be crazy if they debuted the new digs at Boston Calling? I’m just saying…it would rule.
*Check out: The Most Anticipated Albums of 2014: Local Edition