What new music can you look forward to in the coming year?
One album that I'm highly anticipating is Neko Case's Middle Cyclone, which will be on shelves this March. Her 2006 album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, was a critics' favorite, and brought her the most commercial success of her career. Of Middle Cyclone, Billboard says:
The 15-track collection boasts guest appearances from the Band's Garth Hudson, fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah Harmer, M. Ward and members of Case's primary band the New Pornographers, Calexico, Los Lobos, Giant Sand, the Lilys and the Sadies.
Her label, Anti -, has a video posted of the making of the album. Stereogum adds:
We also see Case in the creaky, pretty barn where she moved to record the album (check out the piano lineup and cardboard booth), live footage, Case talking about building an Eiffel Tower out of popsicle sticks, and explaining what she thinks it would be like to have a tornado fall in love with you (A: stormy, dangerous). She also finds time to check out bird nests, listen to the frogs, and smell the flowers.
Another artist who has found critical as well as commercial success in the past few years is Lily Allen. Her new album, It's Not Me, It's You will be available February 10. According to the product description on Amazon's page:
It’s Not Me, It’s You, is the follow-up to Lily Allen’s critically acclaimed 2007 debut, Alright, Still. The album finds Lily in top form, creating a record Blender’s recent "In The Studio" feature described as "part God, part country and all middle finger." Allen wrote and recorded the album’s 12 songs with producer Greg Kurstin (the bird and the bee), who worked with her on three songs for Alright, Still – "Everything’s Just Wonderful," "Alfie" and "Not Big."
Other new records to look forward to: Bruce Springsteen's Working on a Dream, Morrissey's Year of Refusal (which has one of the coolest covers ever), Courtney Love; and further down the line, Tori Amos, and The Gossip, who put out one of my favorites of the past few years, Standing In The Way Of Control. In addition to the news of Neko's album, Stereogum has posted also their 20 Albums We're Most Excited to Hear in 2009.
More places to discover new music:
Flux-Rad
I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS
Sixbucksadonkey
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