Ignore the naysayers, 2009 was a great year in indie rock. Since it's a new year and a new decade, we're going to keep that optimistic spirit afloat as we take a look into the future and gather excitement for our most anticipated albums. There are plenty of rumored releases for the year (Radiohead?! Arcade Fire?!), so we've decided to focus on the first quarter. Kicking off 2010 is the much ballyhooed release of Vampire Weekend's sophomore album, Contra. Here are 10 more to get giddy about. (And if you're really getting antsy, listen to our playlist featuring singles from many of these upcoming albums.)And, of course, you can listen to these as soon as they come out with your Rhapsody subscription. Take a free trial and see what we're all about.
Spoon, Transference (January 19)
After dominating the '00s (seriously, four great albums), Spoon march into a new decade as indie rock's top dog. It ain't easy sustaining that stature, but first single "Got Nuffin" has Britt Daniel coyly cooing he's got nothing to lose. That's what we love about Spoon: smart, sardonic, never overindulgent, just always playing it cool. If that first track is any indication, Transference has them raising the bar high, yet again.
Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck, IRM (January 26)
French multitalent Gainsbourg joins forces with SoCal multitalent Beck, who takes on the role of writer and producer, for her third album. If that combination isn't enough to spark your curiosity, the inspiration for the album's title should. "IRM" is the French acronym for MRI machine, something Gainsbourg spent plenty of time with after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in 2007.
Yeasayer, Odd Blood (February 9)
The tribal-tinged bop of first single "Ambling Alp" brings more of that mystical, mesmerizing psych-pop that drew us to the eccentric Brooklyn bunch's stellar 2007 debut, All Hour Cymbals. We expect more great tracks on Odd Blood to dig deeper into Yeasayer's flair for infectious global beats and oddball pop worthy of much oddball dancing.
Hot Chip, One Life Stand (February 9)
It's been six years since Hot Chip introduced the world to their lovably scruffy brand of electro-tinged indie-pop with their debut album, Coming On Strong, and across two more albums plus scads of singles and remixes they've gotten both weirder and poppier -- no mean trick for a band with their kind of buzz. Lead single "One Life Stand" comes across like a manifesto for a new sincerity, without ever coming off as kitsch, or shtick.
Shearwater, The Golden Archipelago (February 23)
The Austin natives' fascination with nature (right down to their name, and member Jonathan Meiburg's graduate studies in ornithology) is embedded in their stirring baroque pop. They can convey both the beauty and tragedy of Mother Earth more than any Sounds of Nature disc can, and they follow up 2008's critically acclaimed Rook with a deeper rumination on the natural world, this time with a focus on island life. Sounds devastatingly dreamy.
David Byrne + Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love (February 23)
Ever the iconoclast, the prolific Byrne follows up his most recent collaboration with Brian Eno for a new partnership with "Rockafeller Skank"-er Fatboy Slim. The union is not nearly as weird as the album's concept: a look into the life of Filipino beauty queen turned ex-First Lady with a shoe fetish, Imelda Marcos. It gets even weirder (but more intriguing): the two-disc set features a slew of tantalizing vocalists: St. Vincent, Sharon Jones, Santigold, Cyndi Lauper & Tori Amos, Sia, Alice Russell, and many more.
Broken Bells, Broken Bells (March 9)
Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, was arguably the producer of the past decade. The Shins were arguably one of the decade's most influential indie-pop groups. So the union of Burton and the Shins' lead vocalist/songwriter, James Mercer, for Broken Bells gets us quite giddy. Lead single "The High Road" meshes Burton's knack for psych-tinged eccentricities with Mercer's lullaby croons; it's a promising first taste of what we predict will be one satisfying brew.
The Morning Benders, Big Echo (March 9)
Berkeley's the Morning Benders acquired a modest following upon the release of their 2008 full-length debut, Talking Through Tin Cans. Since then, they've gotten plenty of face time with indie fans, opening for bands like Yo La Tengo, Yeasayer and MGMT and charming everyone's pants off with their Shins-esque sunny pop. They've tapped Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor for co-production duties, which sounds like a match made in multiharmony heaven.
Goldfrapp, Head First (March 23)
Having finished the score for the film Nowhere Boy, Goldfrapp -- who are rumored to be working with Christina Aguilera on her new album -- shuttled between studios in London and the English countryside to finish up Head First, said to be a return to electronic sounds after 2008's folky Seventh Tree.
LCD Soundsystem, TBD (TBD)
The L.A. sessions for LCD Soundystem's forthcoming album apparently found James Murphy dressed only in white -- presumably, they were on some kind of purity/holiness trip, and not just trying to blag their way into one of P. Diddy's parties. Anticipating being "way better than we've ever been," self-confessed neurotic Murphy blogged, "I'm actually excited to get into it in 2010," which suggests that we should all be very excited indeed.
After dominating the '00s (seriously, four great albums), Spoon march into a new decade as indie rock's top dog. It ain't easy sustaining that stature, but first single "Got Nuffin" has Britt Daniel coyly cooing he's got nothing to lose. That's what we love about Spoon: smart, sardonic, never overindulgent, just always playing it cool. If that first track is any indication, Transference has them raising the bar high, yet again.
Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck, IRM (January 26)
French multitalent Gainsbourg joins forces with SoCal multitalent Beck, who takes on the role of writer and producer, for her third album. If that combination isn't enough to spark your curiosity, the inspiration for the album's title should. "IRM" is the French acronym for MRI machine, something Gainsbourg spent plenty of time with after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in 2007.
Yeasayer, Odd Blood (February 9)
The tribal-tinged bop of first single "Ambling Alp" brings more of that mystical, mesmerizing psych-pop that drew us to the eccentric Brooklyn bunch's stellar 2007 debut, All Hour Cymbals. We expect more great tracks on Odd Blood to dig deeper into Yeasayer's flair for infectious global beats and oddball pop worthy of much oddball dancing.
Hot Chip, One Life Stand (February 9)
It's been six years since Hot Chip introduced the world to their lovably scruffy brand of electro-tinged indie-pop with their debut album, Coming On Strong, and across two more albums plus scads of singles and remixes they've gotten both weirder and poppier -- no mean trick for a band with their kind of buzz. Lead single "One Life Stand" comes across like a manifesto for a new sincerity, without ever coming off as kitsch, or shtick.
Shearwater, The Golden Archipelago (February 23)
The Austin natives' fascination with nature (right down to their name, and member Jonathan Meiburg's graduate studies in ornithology) is embedded in their stirring baroque pop. They can convey both the beauty and tragedy of Mother Earth more than any Sounds of Nature disc can, and they follow up 2008's critically acclaimed Rook with a deeper rumination on the natural world, this time with a focus on island life. Sounds devastatingly dreamy.
David Byrne + Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love (February 23)
Ever the iconoclast, the prolific Byrne follows up his most recent collaboration with Brian Eno for a new partnership with "Rockafeller Skank"-er Fatboy Slim. The union is not nearly as weird as the album's concept: a look into the life of Filipino beauty queen turned ex-First Lady with a shoe fetish, Imelda Marcos. It gets even weirder (but more intriguing): the two-disc set features a slew of tantalizing vocalists: St. Vincent, Sharon Jones, Santigold, Cyndi Lauper & Tori Amos, Sia, Alice Russell, and many more.
Broken Bells, Broken Bells (March 9)
Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, was arguably the producer of the past decade. The Shins were arguably one of the decade's most influential indie-pop groups. So the union of Burton and the Shins' lead vocalist/songwriter, James Mercer, for Broken Bells gets us quite giddy. Lead single "The High Road" meshes Burton's knack for psych-tinged eccentricities with Mercer's lullaby croons; it's a promising first taste of what we predict will be one satisfying brew.
The Morning Benders, Big Echo (March 9)
Berkeley's the Morning Benders acquired a modest following upon the release of their 2008 full-length debut, Talking Through Tin Cans. Since then, they've gotten plenty of face time with indie fans, opening for bands like Yo La Tengo, Yeasayer and MGMT and charming everyone's pants off with their Shins-esque sunny pop. They've tapped Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor for co-production duties, which sounds like a match made in multiharmony heaven.
Goldfrapp, Head First (March 23)
Having finished the score for the film Nowhere Boy, Goldfrapp -- who are rumored to be working with Christina Aguilera on her new album -- shuttled between studios in London and the English countryside to finish up Head First, said to be a return to electronic sounds after 2008's folky Seventh Tree.
LCD Soundsystem, TBD (TBD)
The L.A. sessions for LCD Soundystem's forthcoming album apparently found James Murphy dressed only in white -- presumably, they were on some kind of purity/holiness trip, and not just trying to blag their way into one of P. Diddy's parties. Anticipating being "way better than we've ever been," self-confessed neurotic Murphy blogged, "I'm actually excited to get into it in 2010," which suggests that we should all be very excited indeed.
Portions of album content provided by All Music Guide © 2011 All Media Guide, LLC ® 1999-2011 Rhapsody International Inc.
OK, it's January 19th. Where's my Spoon album Rhapsody?
"Measure" by Field Music, February 16th
I'm a little confounded by your lack of a certain band from Oakland.
Rogue Wave follows up their delightful 2008 album "Asleep at Heaven's Gate" with 2010's "Permalight".
Yeah, what about after March? Surely, there must be something else for people to look forward to?
Thanks for the comments. I chose to stick with the first quarter of the year b/c it was just too difficult to narrow down my list for the entire year. Perhaps I will update in April. Lots of releases I'm excited for beyond March. Rogue Wave is a great inclusion. Good call, Elliot.
Yes, totally dig many of the albums listed above, but overall expected major players. Check out April Smith and the Great Picture Show for some truly new and refreshing music.
and, Band of Horses is coming! Infinite Arms should be sick
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Wonderful to read!
Great list, and definitely the most highly anticipated releases of the year. I love almost every album listed above (especially Odd Blood, Transference, This is Happening, and Broken Bells). I guess I just never understood what makes Hot Chip so good.