Kendrick Lamar – TBA
Easily head and shoulders above the new breed of storyteller rhymespitters in hip-hop, Kendrick has a hell of a lot of anticipation and good will behind him going into the G.O.O.D. Kid m.A.A.d City follow-up. Having released one song “i” and premiered another excellent track on The Colbert Report (RIP), we’ve got a feeling this one’s going to be unstoppable.
Deftones – TBA
During 2014, Deftones have confirmed on several occasions that they are definitely working on a new record. Frontman Chino Moreno also told us that the release of the band’s mythologized Eros album is an eventual inevitability, so we may see a world of Deftones goodness in 2015.
Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear (Sub Pop, 2/10)
Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, is among the more fascinating minds of the musical spectrum, and the follow-up to 2012’s Fear Fun is introduced by the cerebrally fascinating, sardonic gloom of “Bored In The USA,” a magnificent first impression.
“My ambition, aside from making an indulgent, soulful, and epic sound worthy of the subject matter, was to address the sensuality of fear, the terrifying force of love, the unutterable pleasures of true intimacy, and the destruction of emotional and intellectual prisons in my own voice,” Tillman explains. “This material demanded a new way of being made, and it took a lot of time before the process revealed itself. The massive, deranged shmaltz I heard in my head, and knew had to be the sound of this record, originated a few years ago while Emma and I were hallucinating in Joshua Tree; the same week I wrote the title track. I chased that sound for the entire year and half we were recording. The means by which it was achieved bore a striking resemblance to the travails, abandon and transformation of learning how to love and be loved; see and be seen. There: I said it. Blammo.”
Teenage Time Killer – TBA
Oh, you thought Dave Grohl was taking a day off? Fuck no. He’s about to feature on a star-studded new album coming out from Rise Records, in a project called Teenage Time Killer. Featuring Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Neil Fallon of Clutch, Aaron Beam of Red Fang, Nick Oliveri, Randy Blythe from Lamb of God and oh so many others, Teenage Time Killer is a supergroup of utter killers from the metal and hardcore scenes. The instrumental parts for the upcoming album were recorded at Dave Grohl’s famed Studio 606 in Northridge, California on the famous Neve mixing board, which was the central focus of Grohl’s acclaimed “Sound City: Real To Reel” documentary. Look for a lot of booze-soaked supergroup action to impale your ears – and hopefully quite a few stages – this year.
Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves (Epic, 3/3)
Modest Mouse have been off the scene for a long time, and haven’t released a full-length LP since their 2007 effort We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. According to a leaked letter by a fan site owner, the album will be released March 3, 2015. Given the strength of new single “Lampshades on Fire,” we’re most definitely excited.
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V
Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V” has been caught in a comically high number of delays and complications, leading inevitably to problems between the rapper and his label. According to Cash Money Records president Mack Maine, we should see the album in early 2015. We’ll see if that holds true.
Dr. Dre – TBA
The Axl Rose of rap wants us to forget about Detox. Dre’s got a new album in the works, and supposedly this one won’t take seven decades to complete. With the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton hitting theaters in August, the iron is hot for the striking when it comes to 2014’s highest paid musician. Now let’s see if he follows through on the promise.
Björk – TBA
O.G. Weirdo queen cancelled numerous appearances to continue work on her next album, the first since 2011’s ambitious multimedia project Biophilia. Here’s hoping the ethereal chanteuse black belt can make a more structured return to the avant-pop landscape she reigned over.
Rounding out the top 50 – releases expected to be awesome:
Alain Johannes, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd & Friends (Untitled Project) – TBA (more details)
Doomtree – All Hands (Doomtree Records, 1/20) (more details)
Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor (Hell, Etc., 1/20) (more details)
Eagles of Death Metal – TBA
Clutch – TBA
Incubus – TBA
AWOLNATION – TBA
Will Butler – Policy (Merge, 3/10)
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
Lieutenant (Nate Mendel) – TBA
JEFF The Brotherhood – TBA
School Of Seven Bells – TBA
Band Of Horses – TBA
Death Grips – The Powers That B (Third Worlds/Harvest)
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
HAIM – TBA
Giorgio Moroder – 74 Is The New 24 (RCA, Spring)
Savages – TBA
Fleetwood Mac – TBA
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
Mark Ronson – Uptown Special (RCA, 1/12)
My Morning Jacket – TBA
Built To Spill – TBA (Warner Bros.)
Faith No More – TBA (Reclamation Recordings, April)
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
Chance The Rapper & The Social Experiment – Surf
Death Cab For Cutie – TBA (Atlantic, March)
Purity Ring – TBA (4AD)
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
James Blake – TBA
Baroness – TBA
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
Rihanna – TBA
Deafheaven – TBA
Muse – TBA
Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love (Sub Pop, 1/20)
Dave Grohl – Project TBA
Bob Dylan – Shadows In The Night (Columbia, 2/3)
Run The Jewels – RTJ3 (TBA)
Frank Ocean – TBA (Def Jam)
The Smashing Pumpkins – Day For Night (Martha’s Music/BMG)
