Five Albums to Look Forward to in 2013

2012 was a pretty great for music (click here to find out why!), but, as with all things, 2012 must come to an end. That’s not so bad though, because it’s only a month into 2013 and it already seems like we’ve got a hell of a lot to look forward to. For the sake of space, I’ll cut down “a hell of a lot” to five. So, let’s dive right in:

My Bloody Valentine’s third album

This one’s kind of a difficult. Four days ago, MBV guitarist/vocalist/main guy Kevin Shields announced that the band’s painfully long awaited third album would be out “in two or three days.” Obviously, it’s not here, though I suppose it could be by the time this post goes up. Granted, people have been waiting for the long awaited sequel to Loveless for going on 22 years now. What’s two or three more?

Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience

On January 14th, after six years out of music, Justin Timberlake finally dropped a new single ahead of a new album. The man hasn’t lost it; even the most boring Jay-Z verse in the history of Jay-Z couldn’t sink the bouncy, brilliant “Suit & Tie.” Timberlake also announced that he would releasing a new album, titled The 20/20 Experience, within the year. JT chose an interesting time to come back: R&B has begun to reassert itself both critically and commercially, though the Billboard remains mostly dominated by EDM and EDM-influences music. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of impact Experience makes.

The Strokes – Comedown Machine

Promotional photo courtesy of RCA
Promotional photo courtesy of RCA

I’ll admit it, so maybe people aren’t anticipating a new Strokes album all that much. The band’s last release, the comeback album Angles, was fairly mediocre. It contained quite a few good tracks, but a whole ton of mediocre experimentation came along with them. Still though, “One Way Trigger” was pretty solid, right? It sounds like what Angles wanted to be. And listen to Julien’s falsetto! I can’t not be excited for a new Strokes album. I have a feeling this one will be good.

Deafheaven – Sunbather

American black metal has been in something of a golden age for the past few years. Bands like Krallice, Ash Borer, and Liturgy have been playing with the genre’s conventions while simultaneously making some of the rawest and most enjoyable metal I’ve heard in years. Deafheaven’s 2011 release, Roads to Judah, was one of the highlights of this movement. The band’s combination of black metal, post rock dynamics, and a lyrical sensibility that is more akin to anguish than it is to Satanism is both refreshing and brilliant. Hopefully Sunbather delivers more of the same.

Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues

After coming out as transgender last year, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace stated that the punk band’s next album would be a concept album about a transgendered prostitute. Grace has always had a way with lyrics, and I’m both excited and scared to hear the emotional gutpunch I’m expecting this album will be. Sonically, it’ll be interesting to see where they go. While the band’s last two albums have trended toward a more traditional punk rock style, the few new songs Grace has performed indicate a shift back toward the band’s earlier work.

It’s a little ridiculous how many good albums are coming out this year. Beyond the five above, we should be receiving new music from Vampire Weekend, Depeche Mode, Iceage, The Men, The Knife, Cloud Nothings, Earl Sweatshirt, Black Sabbath, Marnie Stern, and Phoenix. And I know I’m missing a few. There have also been rumblings from the camps of Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse, among about a million others. I’m looking forward to it.

 

About Burk Smyth

Burk Smyth is a music writer for The Quad. He is from Baltimore, Md. and enjoys punk, indie, black metal, baseball, Magic: The Gathering, Everton Football Club and being terrible at Dota 2. Follow him at @burksmyth, where he tweets about Trent Reznor, Leighton Baines and dotes, mostly.

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