With school in full swing, and summer now officially over, we’ve had albums like Washed Out’s Paracosm, the ever controversial Yeezus, Settle by Disclosure, Random Access Memories by Daft Punk, and Speedy Ortiz’s angsty, yet lyrical Major Arcana to enjoy for the time being. However, with the fall comes more music to look forward to. Be sure to keep these albums on your radars:
Elvis Costello and The Roots — Wise Up Ghost (released 9/17): The acclaimed English singer-songwriter and the Grammy winning hip-hop/neo soul group join forces on a collaborative album that seems like a music nerd’s dream come true. It will be interesting to see how Elvis Costello’s songwriting is complemented by the innovative hip-hop style of The Roots. Nevertheless, this is a record to keep your eyes open for.
Chvrches — The Bones of What You Believe (released 9/24): The Scottish electropop trio’s debut album is probably one of the most anticipated albums of the year. The series of singles (“The Mother We Share,” “Gun,” “Recover”) and the EP (“Recover EP”) that have been released over the past year show that the band has a lot of promise and a diverse set of high-energy synth-pop songs. It is hard to not enjoy their material.
Yuck — Glow And Behold (9/30): Even after front man Daniel Blumberg left to focus on releasing his solo material, the Britain-based indie rock band is still back at it with the release of its sophomore record. The two singles that were released over the past few months, “Middle Sea” and “Rebirth,” still retain the nostalgic 90’s alternative sound, but they have more of a structure compared to the free-flowing form of the songs present on their acclaimed self-titled debut album. If you love groups like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., or Pavement, then this is the album for you.
Danny Brown — OLD (9/30): Probably one of the most unique musical figures around right now, Danny Brown is following up his critically acclaimed second album, XXX, with OLD, for which the artist only recently announced the release date and revealed the off-kilter album art that perfectly matches his style. The album includes collaborations with A$AP Rocky, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Mr. MFN eXquire, Freddie Gibbs, Charli XCX and Purity Ring. If you want a rap album with a different feel from Drake’s Nothing Was The Same, out this week, then this is the record to check out.
Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience, Part 2 (9/30): After releasing the neo-soul/pop epic The 20/20 Experience earlier this year to mark his return to music, JT is back with the second installment of The 20/20 Experience. The follow-up album will consist of outtakes from the original album, in addition to new material. The first album went on to become one of the best-selling records of the year, so expectations are high for the second — with Timbaland’s production skills and Timberlake’s talent, this release should not disappoint.
Cults — Static (10/15): The 50’s inspired indie pop duo is following up its well-received self-titled debut album with Static. In interviews, members Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion said to expect a more aggressive sound on their sophomore effort, with songs incorporating a five-piece band. This can definitely be heard on the two singles from the album (“I Can Hardly Make You Mine” and “High Road”) and shows a band with no signs of a sophomore slump.
Arcade Fire — Reflektor (10/29): The Canadian indie rockers are back with their fourth album, Reflektor, which follows up The Suburbs, the Grammy award winning album of the year back in 2011. The record, which will be a double LP, will feature production by James Murphy, of DFA and LCD Soundsystem fame. In a recent interview with BBC, frontman Win Bulter described the sound of Reflektor as a “mash up of Studio 54 and Haitian voodoo.” Until the album release, look for the first single and title track, “Reflektor,” and the interactive music video created in cooperation with Google (available on justareflektor.com).
