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Musically, 2010 treated us very nicely. MGMT put out a sophomore album that was either commercial suicide or a stroke of genius, depending on who you ask. We got 70 minutes of Kanye at the very best he has ever been. A surprisingly good album was recorded in a bedroom by local act Good Kids Sprouting Horns. Even the older-fashioned citizens were fed something new they could digest, whether it was the newly released Hendrix songs or the return of ’80s new wave heroes Devo.
As unpredictable as any year of music releases can be, there are still several anticipated records that make me as anxious as the dog on the Beggin’ Strips commercial. These may not be the records I favor most at the end of the year, but for now, they are what I am most eagerly looking forward to. You may not have heard of them or you may not care, but if you give them a chance, you will realize why I can’t wait for them.
Fleet Foxes – (Currently Untitled)
After getting a bunch of plays on MySpace, the Seattle natives signed a record deal and released one of the most gentle and beautiful albums of 2008, right out of the home of grunge. The band of 20-somethings sound far beyond their years and hope to expand on that in their next album, expected to be released sometime this upcoming spring.
According to singer Robin Pecknold, the album will be “less poppy” and “more groove-based,” citing Roy Harper — who was paid tribute to in a Led Zeppelin song — as a primary influence. Some potential tracks have been performed on tour, and on Jan. 22, Pecknold posted a status to the band’s Facebook page that reads, “Announcements coming SOON, thank you for waiting and caring. The record is totally done and mastered and has been for a bit. XO Robin.”
U2 – Possibly Titled “Songs of Ascent”
While the band is still on the U2 360° Tour — the highest grossing concert tour of the past two years — buzz has been surrounding the band’s camp about what is next to come. In 2011, it may not be a question of whether they’ll release an album, but rather which of the ones they’re working on will be released, or how many of them will be put out.
Supposedly, the band may have as many as four different albums in the works: one that is produced by Danger Mouse, one produced by will.i.am, one by David Guetta and RedOne — a possible soundtrack album from the Spiderman musical that Bono and The Edge wrote music for — and one composed of unused material from the band’s last album, “No Line on the Horizon,” tentatively titled “Songs of Ascent.” With all these different chefs in the kitchen, it is difficult to believe that they will not at the very least put out an interesting listen.
Explosions In The Sky – (Currently Untitled)
Those of you who have watched “Friday Night Lights” — either the movie or the television show — have heard at least one song by Explosions in the Sky. They provided some of the uplifting background music for both, more prominently so for the film version.
While I know more than one person who testifies that this band’s work is the perfect sleep aid, in a good way, and fantastic background ambiance for homework sessions, the beautiful intricacies and uplifting progression of the lengthy compositions are more than capable of being enjoyed independent of other stimuli.
After evolving their powerful yet delicate sound on each of their five albums, the band plans on releasing a new collection of tunes this upcoming spring. Not much is known about it, aside from a Facebook status update from November on the band’s page that reads, “…[W]e don’t want to say too much about it this early, but our new album will be coming out in spring 2011. We’re pretty excited about it.”
Bangor Daily News