A whole lot of music happened in 2011. Like a whole lot. Virtually every artist on our collective radar seemed to release and album or a mixtape or five mixtapes or a cassette-only EP that, if you wanted it, you had to rob somebody at knifepoint outside Other Music. Music in general could be excused for taking a breather in 2012, especially with the Mayan apocalypse looming and all. But no, that’s not happening. Already, we’re excited to hear a whole ton of music that’s slated to arrive over the next 12 months.
The year ahead of us raises a whole ton of questions. Can James Mercer’s reconstituted Shins recapture their once-dominant indie majesty? Do Sleigh Bells have anywhere left to go after their face-rupturing first album? Can the xx possibly follow up that first album? Is Nicki Minaj, a certified pop star at this point, really going back to her jackhammer demon-rap roots? What are Best Coast and Jon Brion cooking up together? Will the return of Leonard Cohen leave a smoking hole at the center of all of our hearts? And will Lana Del Rey still be worth arguing about a couple of months from now? We don’t know, and we can’t wait to find out, but the period of speculation is, in its way, just as fun.
Below, you’ll find our alphabetical list of fiftysomething albums that we can’t wait to hear. We’ve limited our scope to albums that are definitely (or, at the very least, almost definitely) coming out during the next calendar year, which means the Detoxes and Aphex Twin comebacks will have to find spots on someone else’s list. (For real though, can those please come out finally?) And even without the hypotheticals, we’re left with a deeply interesting list of new records. And if the world does crumble next December, at least we’ll have fun batting these records around between now and then.
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01 Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (2/7, via Astralwerks)
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02 Animal Collective – TBA
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03 Bear In Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool (April, via Hometapes/Dead Oceans)
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04 Best Coast – TBA
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05 The Big Pink – Future This (1/16, via 4AD)
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06 Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself (3/6, via Mom + Pop)
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07 Blondes – Blondes (2/7, via RVNG Intl.)
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08 Cat Power – TBA
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09 Ceremony – TBA (via Matador)
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10 Chairlift – Something (1/24, via Columbia)
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11 Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory (1/24, via Carpark)
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12 Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (1/31, via Columbia)
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13 Matthew Dear – Headcage (1/17, via Ghostly)
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14 Lana Del Rey – Born To Die (1/30, via Interscope)
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15 Dirty Projectors – TBA
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16 The-Dream – Love IV: Diary Of A Madman (3/20, via Def Jam)
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17 The Evens – TBA (via Dischord)
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18 Field Music – Plumb (2/14, via Memphis Industries)
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19 Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes (1/24, via Vagrant)
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20 Fleetwood Mac – TBA
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21 Garbage – TBA
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22 Grimes – Visions (1/31, via Arbutus)
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23 Grizzly Bear – TBA
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24 Heartless Bastards – Arrow (2/14, via Partisan)
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25 Islands – A Sleep & A Forgetting (2/14, via Anti-)
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26 Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral (2/6, via 4AD)
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27 Light Asylum – TBA (via Mexican Summer)
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28 Lindstrøm – Six Cups Of Rebel (2/6, via Smalltown Supersound)
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29 Lower Dens – TBA
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30 Madlib & Freddie Gibbs – TBA
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31 Madonna – TBA (March, via Interscope)
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32 The Magnetic Fields – Love At The Bottom Of The Sea (3/6, via Merge)
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33 Mazzy Star – TBA
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34 The Men – Open Your Heart (3/6, via Sacred Bones)
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35 Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2/14, via Young Money)
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36 Janelle Monáe – TBA
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37 Morrissey – TBA
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38 No Doubt – TBA
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39 Oberhofer – TBA (via Glassnote)
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40 of Montreal – Paralytic Stalks (2/7, via Polyvinyl)
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41 Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend (1/24, via Secretly Canadian)
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42 Rancid – TBA
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43 Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t (TBA, via Def Jam)
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44 Santigold – Master Of My Make Believe (TBA)
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45 School Of Seven Bells – Ghoststory (TBA, via Vagrant)
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46 The Shins – Port Of Morrow (March, via Columbia/Aural Apothecary)
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47 Sleigh Bells – Reign Of Terror (2/14, via Mom + Pop)
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48 Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light (3/19, via Double Six)
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49 Soundgarden – TBA
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50 T.I. – Trouble Man (TBA, via Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
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51 Trailer Trash Tracys – Ester (1/17, via Double Six)
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52 Trust – TBA (via Arts & Crafts)
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53 The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know (2/7, via FatCat)
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54 Rufus Wainwright – Out Of The Game (TBA)
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55 The Walkmen – TBA
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56 The xx – TBA
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57 Yeasayer – TBA
So that’s our list. But what are we missing? What are you guys looking forward to hearing next year? Let’s keep this conversation going in the comments section, and we’ll update as we get more confirmations…
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the new volta album comes out this year!
:D
SPOON!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I think Built to Spill is aiming for a 2012 release.
Screen Door Porch: The Fate & The Fruit (Spring Release)
Delta Spirit Self titled March 13, 2012
Dirty Three! And maybe Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds but that’s nothing official…
Jens Lekman.
I thought I read that Twin Shadow will be releasing new stuff 2012…sooner the better!
How to Destroy Angels debut lp in 2012 as well.
No! Lupe fiasco used a sampling of Modest Mouse’s song Float On which is like 6 years older than Lupe’s gay ass song.
I really can’t wait for Animal Collective.
and Best Coast.
and Yeasayer.
and The xx.
and Lower Dens.
and Andrew Bird.
and Grimes.
and Grizzly Bear.
andThe Shins.
and Sleigh Bells.
and Santigold.
and Morrissey.
and Islands.
That is all. :)
all about The Shins being on this list! yeeeee! They just released a new song from the album:
http://simplesong.theshins.com/
SO STOKED
and they’re playing Coachella :)
Sigur Ros
Jens Lekman
sigur ros too =)
a modest mouse album PLEASE! <3
Springsteen.
The Knife +1
The Mars Volta!
The Mars Volta will release “Noctourniquet” March 27th confirmed off Omar’s feeds.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will hopefully be my favorite album of this upcoming year.
what about vampire weekend? and MGMT!!??? both are great bands and on the process of recording!
Ratatat is supposed to release an album 2012!
Does this list still get updated? Or should I just use wikipedia?
Killer Mike R.A.P. Music
And El-P’s cancer for the cure should be in the top 10.
mewithoutYou is set to release on May 5th!!!
Doesn’t Beach House have a new album coming this year? If so, that definitely needs to be on the damn list. Other than that, looks good.
Am DESPERATE for some new Janelle Monae.
Rush-Headlong Flight. JUNE. word.
Also, Big Boi new album
The Knife has to be on this list…and pretty damn high up, too
yeah you need “The Knife” up there asap
I know this comment is a bit late, but I saw this post and just had to say: Nicki Minaj is in the list and Passion Pit is NOT?
What about Passion Pit!? I’m a huge fan of Gossamer, largely due to the fact that it represents all of Michael Angelakos’ struggles as of late..this article pretty much explains it all…
http://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/reader/passion-pit/