Future Faves? Upcoming 2010 album releases…

Posted on January 27, 2010 at 12:25 pm | No Comments

As far as my ears are concerned, yesterday was the first major multi-album new music release day of 2010, so it’s past time for my annual list of what I’m looking forward to in the months ahead. I’ve included albums with solid dates, some with ballpark estimates, a few that are mere whispers on the wind. Oh, and a couple of pure fantasies. A boy can dream, can’t he?

Keep in mind, this is not even close to a comprehensive rundown of what’s supposed to be coming out – just the stuff I have high hopes for. If it’s not on here, I’m either apathetic at best or totally unaware. That said, go ahead and let me know what you’re looking forward to this year, and any guesses you have at surprises that might show up down the road…

(note: Labels and release dates are U.S.-centric. And when available, label name links will send you to pre-order info for each album. So, y’know, go ahead and do that. I’ve also made all the MP3s linked here available in one handy .zip file, linked at the bottom.)

JANUARY 2010

Major Stars – “Return To Form” [Jan. 26th on Drag City]
[MP3] “The Space You Know“

The Magnetic Fields – “Realism” [Jan. 26th on Nonesuch]
[Stream] the entire album at Drowned In Sound

Retribution Gospel Choir – “2” [Jan. 26th on Sub Pop]
[MP3] “Hide It Away“
[Stream] the entire album

Boy Genius – “Staggering” [Jan. 26th on Greenpop Recordings]
[MP3] “Blame Love“

Beach House –“Teen Dream” [Jan. 26th on Sub Pop]
[MP3] “Norway“

Los Campesinos! – “Romance Is Boring” [Jan. 26th on Arts & Crafts]
[MP3] “Romance Is Boring“

FEBRUARY 2010

Midlake – “The Courage of Others” [Feb. 2nd on Bella Union]
            [MP3] “Rulers, Ruling All Things“
            [Stream] The album at NPR
            [Watch] album teaser trailer

The Album Leaf – “A Chorus of Storytellers” [Feb. 2nd on Sub Pop]
[MP3] “Falling From The Sun“

Theodore – “Hold You Like A Lover“
[Feb. 9th on Moon Jaw Records]

Chris Page (The Stand GT/Camp Radio) – “A Date With A Smoke Machine”
[Feb. 16th on Kelp Records]
[MP3] “Two Twenty Twos“

Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson – self-titled second album
[Feb. 23rd on How is Annie Records/Norway]
[MP3] “To Sit Down Or To Follow, So I Follow“

Robert Pollard – “We All Got Out of the Army” [Feb. 23rd on GVB Inc]

Field Music – “Measure” [Feb. 16th on Memphis Industries]
[MP3] “Measure“

Quasi – “American Gong” [Feb. 23rd on Kill Rock Stars]
[MP3] “Repulsion“

Eluvium – “Similes” [February 23rd on Temporary Residence]
[MP3] “The Motion Makes Me Laugh“

Shearwater – “The Golden Archipelago” [Feb. 23rd on Matador]
[MP3] “Black Eyes“

Various Artists – “Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox” (physical release) [Feb. 23rd on Merge]
[Stream] the album at Merge

MARCH 2010

Frightened Rabbit – “The Winter of Mixed Drinks”
[March 1st on Fat Cat Records]
[Video] “Nothing Like You“

Rogue Wave – “Permalight” [March 2nd on Brushfire]
[MP3] “Good Morning“

Arletta – “Dandelion Bingo Parlour”
[download code available at 3/6 Great Scott show / possibly vinyl later]
[MP3] “You Ruined My Election

Sennen – “Age Of Denial” [March 8th on Hungry Audio]
[Video] For title track “Age Of Denial“
[Stream] New songs on MySpace

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – “The Brutalist Bricks” [March 9th on Matador]
[MP3] “Even Heroes Have To Die“

Broken Bells – self-titled debut
[March 9th on Columbia/Sony]
[Video] “The High Road

The Morning Benders – “Big Echo” [March 9th on Rough Trade/Beggars]
[MP3] “Promises“

Standard Fare – “The Noyelle Beat”
       [March 16th on Bar/None]
            [MP3] “Fifteen
            [Download] a free Christmas song @ SPC

Love Is All – “Two Thousand And Ten Injuries” [March 16th on Polyvinyl]
[MP3] “Kungen“

Bettie Serveert – “Pharmacy of Love” [March 23rd on Second Motion]
[Video] “Deny All“

Jonsi Birgisson (of Sigur Ros) – “Go” [March 23rd on XL Recordings]
[Stream ] “Boy Lilikoi” on his site

Radar Bros. – “The Illustrated Garden” [March 23rd on Merge]
[MP3] “Horse Warriors“

Serena Maneesh – “S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor” [March 23rd on 4AD]
[MP3] “Ayisa Abyss“

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 – “Propellor Time” [March 23rd on Sartorial Records]
The V3 are Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, & Bill Reiflin, and album guests include
Johnny Marr, Nick Lowe, Egyptian/Soft Boy Morris Windsor & John Paul Jones

Let’s Wrestle – “In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s” [March 23rd on Merge]
[MP3] “We Are the Men You’ll Grow to Love Soon“
[Video] “We Are the Men You’ll Grow to Love Soon“

Nada Surf – “if i had a hi-fi” (covers album)
[Available on March 25th at shows]
[Stream] “Enjoy The Silence” (Depeche Mode/home demo)

Black Francis – “NonStopErotik”
[March 30th on Cooking Vinyl]

Teenage Fanclub – “Shadows” (their 9th full-length)
       [In March? on their own PeMa label]
            [Watch] “When I Still Have Thee” (new song, live acoustic)
            [Watch] live videos of three other new ones

APRIL 2010

Elliott Smith – “Roman Candle” and “From a Basement on a Hill”
(vinyl resissues/remastered) [April 6th on Kill Rock Stars]

Red Sparowes – “The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer”
[April 6th on Sargent House]
[Video] album teaser

The Tallest Man on Earth – “The Wild Hunt” [April 13th on Dead Oceans]
[MP3] “King of Spain“

The Break [ex-Midnight Oil/Violent Femmes] – “Church of the Open Sky”
[April 16 on Bombora/MGM]
[Stream] “Cylinders” on their site

Caribou – “Swim” [April 20th on Merge]
[Download] New song “Odessa” in exchange for your email addy

The Radio Dept. – “Clinging To A Scheme” [April 21st on Labrador]
[MP3] “Heaven’s On Fire“

Walter Schreifels – “An Open Letter To The Scene” [April on Big Scary Monsters]

MAY 2010

The New Pornographers – “Together” [May 4th on Matador]

Broken Social Scene – title tba
[May 4th on Arts & Crafts, I assume]

Paul Weller – “Wake Up the Nation” [May 4th on Yep Roc]

Kevin Dunn – “No Great Lost: Songs, 1979-1985“
[May 18th on Casa Nuevo]
[Download] free MP3 with email addy and code ‘paris’

The National – title tba [May on 4AD]

Elsewhen in twenty-ten…

Travels – “Robber On The Run”
[June on Own Records]

Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam – “Life Stream” [March/April]
[MP3] Download a demo

Soundpool – “Mirror In Your Eyes” CD/LP
[“Early 2010” on Killer Pimp / 7″ available now]
[MP3] “But It’s So

Ceremony – “Rocket Fire” CD/LP
[“Early 2010” on Killer Pimp / 7″ available now]
[MP3] “Someday

Snowden – new EP (before SxSW) / new album (“soon to arrive”)

Tiny Pupils – sophomore album in early 2010

Kristin Hersh – “Crooked” [CASH music / Early 2010]
[Stream] full album with a Strange Angels membership
[MP3s] Download demos at CASH Music

Mogwai – “Special Moves” live CD/DVD (includes live film “Burning”)
       [Spring on Rock Action Records]
            [Watch] “Burning” teaser trailer
            [Download] “2 Wrongs Make 1 Right“ live MP3 w/email address

Versus – in the studio
[Stream] rough mix of new song “Neither Nor” on Myspace

Boston Spaceships – [EP in April/Album in June]

Bottomless Pit – “Blood Under The Bridge” (“…expect a summer release.“)

WALLcreeper – Boston-based band’s debut album (mems. of Karate/Blanketeer)

Soft Power (Mary Timony‘s new band) – in the studio last Fall

One Happy Island – self-titled full-length
[June 7th on Odd Box Records/UK]

The Thermals – title tba [Sept. 7th on KRS, I assume]

Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody – “I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years”

Crowded House

Ghost Wars (Arlie Carstens from Juno) – recording underway

Buffalo Tom

School of Seven Bells – “Disconnect From Desire” [Spring on Vagrant]