Upcoming releases you need to know about.
The first major wave of 2010 releases are about to hit stores (or iStores?) in the next few weeks, with a lot of albums you can buy before waiting for Pitchfork to name it “best new music.” Here’s a quick rundown of what to look out for.
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May 4th
The New Pornographers - Together
It doesn’t seem like they haven’t released anything in 3 years, because both AC Newman and Neko Case have since launched their solo careers, with moderate success.
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Another Canadian group, these guys actually haven’t dropped anything since 2005’s self-titled. I’ve heard three tracks so far, and its pretty amazing. They were giving away mp3s at brokensocialscene.ca, but I’m not sure if they still are now.
The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
One of my favorite bands of the past 5 years, I am most most anxious about this release. Anxious, not necessarily excited. Celebrated, mustached keyboardist Franz Nicolay left the group at the end of last year, so the band is destined to sound much different than the previous 2 releases he contributed to. This may be a blessing or a curse, since 2005’s Separation Sunday is a classic, and the new record is rumored to be a throwback to the band’s older sound. We shall see…
Also: The Fall, Free Energy
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May 11th
The National - High Violet
On 2007’s Boxer, The National dropped much of the harder, louder edge that made previous release Alligator so appealing to me. Not to say I didn’t like Boxer, but it seemed to lull me into a trance if I listened to it too much. Lead singer Matt Berninger has stated that High Violet may be more similar to Boxer, but after listening to the first couple singles, I somewhat disagree. Either way, The National rarely disappoint.
Also: Holy Fuck, Woods
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May 18th
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Fuck Yeah is all I can say about this album. James Murphy has an innate ability to channel all of the elements of the dance and punk music that he must have grown up listening to, and making new, original eargasms out of it. This is reportedly the band’s last release, but I think Murphy is just trying to overhype something that doesn’t even need the added attention.
Sleigh Bells - Treats
As mentioned in my previous post, I can’t describe this music at all. It’s part hip-hop, part punk, part electronic, and part just LOUD. Should be interesting, to say the least.
The Black Keys - Brothers
The kings of modern indie blues return with another. At least part of this album is produced by Dangermouse, which should beef up the sound and layers. By now, we should know what to expect from this one, and we should like it.
Also: Band of Horses
