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| Tegan and Sara |
My Bloody Valentine hasn’t produced a new album since 1991′s Loveless. While they released the compilation EPs 1988-1991 earlier this year, fans of the group’s lush and textural sound have spent the last two decades wondering if and when the band would come out with new material. Then in November frontman Kevin Shields told NME that a new My Bloody Valentine album would be released on his website before the end of the year, with an EP of new material to follow. While they missed that deadline, on Christmas Eve the group announced on their Facebook page that “on [December 21st] we finished mastering the new album!” Another reason to cheer: the band will also headline Japan’s Tokyo Rocks festival in May.
Listen: “Only Shallow”
Kitten
Last year Kitten, the Los Angeles-based band fronted by 17-year-old Chloe Chaidez, released the debut EP Cut It Out that went viral faster than a video of an actual kitten wrestling a puppy. The six songs on the album were filled with electro-pop beats paired with Chaidez’s phenomenal vocals, which draw comparisons to both Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Florence Welch. While the lyrics verge on the angsty (she is a teenager after all) the choppy beats, catchy choruses and glam stadium-filling sound show that Kitten won’t be sitting at the kid’s table much longer. Their debut full-length release is due out on Elektra Records in mid-2013.
Listen: “Cut It Out”
Phoenix
After Phoenix released their breakout album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, back in 2009 and won Best Alternative Album at the 2010 Grammys, we eagerly awaited a follow-up. According to Glassnote Records head Daniel Glass, the next Phoenix album should finally be out in April. While fans may want more dance floor hits like “1901″ and “Lisztomania,” the group may be changing directions for their fifth album. Phoenix’s frontman Thomas Mars told Spin,”It’s very experimental, it’s very minimal music,” while Glass is quoted in Billboard saying that the album could be “revolutionary.” Apparently a revolution takes a long time to perfect: the group posted a picture with the initials “TPC” to their website back in the spring of 2011.
Listen: “1901”
A$AP Rocky
After multiple delays, A$AP Rocky’s first full-length album Long Live A$AP, will finally drop Jan. 15. The Harlem rapper’s debut follows in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed 2011 Live. Love. A$AP mixtape, which showed the wunderkind was more than capable with cadence, rhythm and rhyme, silencing skeptics who questioned whether the 24-year-old upstart deserved the $3 million contract. Fans may already be familiar with A$AP Rocky’s first two singles off the new album, “Goldie” and “F**kin’ Problem,” which features the venerable talents of 2 Chainz, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. While the singles deserve their buzz, tracks like “LVL” with Clams Casino, “Wild for the Night” with Skrillex, and “Suddenly”—produced by Rocky himself—will have fans hollering for more.
Listen: “F**ckin’ Problem” (Clean)
Azealia Banks
While it feels like Azealia Banks’ fiery flow has been around for years, her debut single “212” came out just over a year ago, in Dec. 2011. On the heels of her July 2012 mixtape Fantasea, Banks’ debut album Broke With Expensive Taste is due on Feb. 12 and is already generating enough buzz to rival a beehive in springtime. Banks’ labyrinthine lyrics and rapid-fire vitriol has earned the rapper serious accolades and a fierce fanbase. While the always outspoken Banks claims she wants out of the rap game, (she called the genre “tacky” and “unladylike” in a recent interview with Hypetrak), she keeps producing new music, including the brand new trap-inflected track called “BBD” she posted to her Soundcloud page on New Year’s Day.
Listen: “212” featuring Lazy Jay (NSFW)
Tegan and Sara
Canadian twin-sister act Tegan and Sara might manage one of the most difficult tasks in the music biz this year: crafting an album destined for commercial success that will also appeal to the band’s diehard fanbase. The duo has been a longtime staple of the indie scene, but Heartthrob (out Jan. 29) may be their breakthrough album. We were immediate fans of the infectious debut single “Closer,” as well as the synth-driven tracks “Goodbye, Goodbye” and “Drove Me Wild.” While Heartthrob will undoubtedly go down in the annals of music history as the ultimate break-up compilation (with track names like “I Was a Fool,” “I’m Not Your Hero” and “How Come You Don’t Want Me”), hopefully it will also be the one that finally introduces Tegan and Sara to mainstream audiences.
Listen: “Closer”
FIDLAR
The LA-based band FIDLAR swiped their name from a skate culture acronym which stands for “F**k It Dog, Life’s A Risk.” The moniker is a pretty fair assessment of their sound: brash, youthful and ballsy. When the band releases their self-titled debut on Jan. 22 listeners can expect to hear back-to-back tracks of reckless guitar-driven garage rock. But FIDLAR isn’t just another California punk band churning out hard-driving rock (although tracks like “Cheap Beer” certainly live up that expectation); rather they infuse their songs—like the stand-out “Gimme Something”—with a subtly sunny pop vibe that shows off their LA roots.
Listen: “Cheap Beer”
Charli XCX
Charli XCX has released a series of well-received dark wave singles, mixtapes and an EP since 2004, when M.I.A. helped put out the young British synth-pop stars debut mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism, but come February she will release her first full-length album. At only 20 years-old, the vaguely goth Charli XCX (nee Charlotte Aitchison) has a vocal maturity that outshines many more seasoned singers, crafting songs that are alternately gorgeous, anthemic, throbbing and occasionally weird, with soaring vocals and swelling choruses that sweep you up in their melodies.
Listen: “You’re the One”
The Neighbourhood
If you’re a fan of bands like Coldplay, fun. or even Vampire Weekend, you’ll want to pick up The Neighbourhood’s debut album when it comes out in March. The Los Angeles-based quintet has a pop sound that owes a debt both to indie outfits like Foster the People and mainstream rockers like Maroon 5. The band signed with Columbia Records after releasing the buzzed-about single “Female Robbery” and a five-song EP, I’m Sorry, that earned the group some eager fans anxious to hear more of their R&B-inflected indie rock.
Listen: “Sweater Weather”
Sky Ferreira
There’s nothing indie about Sky Ferreira. The singer/model/actress’s almost meteoric rise to fame has been pushed along by affiliations with A-listers like her mentor Michael Jackson (!!!) and friend Katy Perry, and her single “Everything Is Embarrassing” was the cult hit of 2012. The song’s undeniably catchy beats, simplistic hooks and lovelorn lyrics make for a serious earworm. Ferreira’s much delayed debut album, I’m Not Alright, is scheduled for release in early 2013 and based on tracks like “Lost in My Bedroom” (which came out Jan. 2) and “Red Lips” (co-written with Garbage’s Shirley Manson) we anticipate a hit.
Listen: “Everything Is Embarrassing”
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire has kept mum about their forthcoming album, the first since 2010’s Grammy-winning The Suburbs, but one longtime rumor was finally confirmed: it will be produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. While it’s hard to imagine that Murphy will bring his dance beats to the new Arcade Fire album, the pairing has fans excited. When exactly the album will drop is unclear, but 2013 seems likely, especially since, according to their manager Scott Rodger, the group already has recorded more than 35 songs. In an October interview with Ottawa radio station CKCU 93.1 FM, drummer Jeremy Gara said, “We’re under no pressure to do anything under any sort of schedule,” but the band recently previewed some new music at a private show in Montreal. Fingers crossed!
Listen: “Neighborhood 1”
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After Phoenix released their breakout album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, back in 2009 and won Best Alternative Album at the 2010 Grammys, we eagerly awaited a follow-up. According to Glassnote Records head Daniel Glass, the next Phoenix album should finally be out in April. While fans may want more dance floor hits like “1901″ and “Lisztomania,” the group may be changing directions for their fifth album. Phoenix’s frontman Thomas Mars told Spin,”It’s very experimental, it’s very minimal music,” while Glass is quoted in Billboard saying that the album could be “revolutionary.” Apparently a revolution takes a long time to perfect: the group posted a picture with the initials “TPC” to their website back in the spring of 2011.
Listen: “1901”
A$AP Rocky
After multiple delays, A$AP Rocky’s first full-length album Long Live A$AP, will finally drop Jan. 15. The Harlem rapper’s debut follows in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed 2011 Live. Love. A$AP mixtape, which showed the wunderkind was more than capable with cadence, rhythm and rhyme, silencing skeptics who questioned whether the 24-year-old upstart deserved the $3 million contract. Fans may already be familiar with A$AP Rocky’s first two singles off the new album, “Goldie” and “F**kin’ Problem,” which features the venerable talents of 2 Chainz, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. While the singles deserve their buzz, tracks like “LVL” with Clams Casino, “Wild for the Night” with Skrillex, and “Suddenly”—produced by Rocky himself—will have fans hollering for more.
Listen: “F**ckin’ Problem” (Clean)
Azealia Banks
While it feels like Azealia Banks’ fiery flow has been around for years, her debut single “212” came out just over a year ago, in Dec. 2011. On the heels of her July 2012 mixtape Fantasea, Banks’ debut album Broke With Expensive Taste is due on Feb. 12 and is already generating enough buzz to rival a beehive in springtime. Banks’ labyrinthine lyrics and rapid-fire vitriol has earned the rapper serious accolades and a fierce fanbase. While the always outspoken Banks claims she wants out of the rap game, (she called the genre “tacky” and “unladylike” in a recent interview with Hypetrak), she keeps producing new music, including the brand new trap-inflected track called “BBD” she posted to her Soundcloud page on New Year’s Day.
Listen: “212” featuring Lazy Jay (NSFW)
Tegan and Sara
Canadian twin-sister act Tegan and Sara might manage one of the most difficult tasks in the music biz this year: crafting an album destined for commercial success that will also appeal to the band’s diehard fanbase. The duo has been a longtime staple of the indie scene, but Heartthrob (out Jan. 29) may be their breakthrough album. We were immediate fans of the infectious debut single “Closer,” as well as the synth-driven tracks “Goodbye, Goodbye” and “Drove Me Wild.” While Heartthrob will undoubtedly go down in the annals of music history as the ultimate break-up compilation (with track names like “I Was a Fool,” “I’m Not Your Hero” and “How Come You Don’t Want Me”), hopefully it will also be the one that finally introduces Tegan and Sara to mainstream audiences.
Listen: “Closer”
FIDLAR
The LA-based band FIDLAR swiped their name from a skate culture acronym which stands for “F**k It Dog, Life’s A Risk.” The moniker is a pretty fair assessment of their sound: brash, youthful and ballsy. When the band releases their self-titled debut on Jan. 22 listeners can expect to hear back-to-back tracks of reckless guitar-driven garage rock. But FIDLAR isn’t just another California punk band churning out hard-driving rock (although tracks like “Cheap Beer” certainly live up that expectation); rather they infuse their songs—like the stand-out “Gimme Something”—with a subtly sunny pop vibe that shows off their LA roots.
Listen: “Cheap Beer”
Charli XCX
Charli XCX has released a series of well-received dark wave singles, mixtapes and an EP since 2004, when M.I.A. helped put out the young British synth-pop stars debut mixtape Piracy Funds Terrorism, but come February she will release her first full-length album. At only 20 years-old, the vaguely goth Charli XCX (nee Charlotte Aitchison) has a vocal maturity that outshines many more seasoned singers, crafting songs that are alternately gorgeous, anthemic, throbbing and occasionally weird, with soaring vocals and swelling choruses that sweep you up in their melodies.
Listen: “You’re the One”
The Neighbourhood
If you’re a fan of bands like Coldplay, fun. or even Vampire Weekend, you’ll want to pick up The Neighbourhood’s debut album when it comes out in March. The Los Angeles-based quintet has a pop sound that owes a debt both to indie outfits like Foster the People and mainstream rockers like Maroon 5. The band signed with Columbia Records after releasing the buzzed-about single “Female Robbery” and a five-song EP, I’m Sorry, that earned the group some eager fans anxious to hear more of their R&B-inflected indie rock.
Listen: “Sweater Weather”
Sky Ferreira
There’s nothing indie about Sky Ferreira. The singer/model/actress’s almost meteoric rise to fame has been pushed along by affiliations with A-listers like her mentor Michael Jackson (!!!) and friend Katy Perry, and her single “Everything Is Embarrassing” was the cult hit of 2012. The song’s undeniably catchy beats, simplistic hooks and lovelorn lyrics make for a serious earworm. Ferreira’s much delayed debut album, I’m Not Alright, is scheduled for release in early 2013 and based on tracks like “Lost in My Bedroom” (which came out Jan. 2) and “Red Lips” (co-written with Garbage’s Shirley Manson) we anticipate a hit.
Listen: “Everything Is Embarrassing”
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire has kept mum about their forthcoming album, the first since 2010’s Grammy-winning The Suburbs, but one longtime rumor was finally confirmed: it will be produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. While it’s hard to imagine that Murphy will bring his dance beats to the new Arcade Fire album, the pairing has fans excited. When exactly the album will drop is unclear, but 2013 seems likely, especially since, according to their manager Scott Rodger, the group already has recorded more than 35 songs. In an October interview with Ottawa radio station CKCU 93.1 FM, drummer Jeremy Gara said, “We’re under no pressure to do anything under any sort of schedule,” but the band recently previewed some new music at a private show in Montreal. Fingers crossed!
Listen: “Neighborhood 1”
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