There are more than 130 albums, EPs and singles being released next week. Mark your calendars and pre-order your favourites — but don’t blame me if things change at the last minute:
TOP ALBUMS
Broken Social Scene
Let’s Try the After Vol. 1
Here’s what the band said about their new EP: “The ceremony of dying generations without any guidelines for how to move forward makes these times easy for the mirror wars to continue. We can hide in the beauty of what has been stolen from us because somewhere there is mystery in not knowing. How can the ruined survive without a back up plan? Let’s try the after.” So, it’s a party record, then?
Florida Georgia Line
Can’t Say I Ain’t Country
Actually, I can. And I do. But it’s not their fault. BroDude 1 and BroDude 2 — I truly can’t be bothered to look up their names — didn’t turn country music into an endless series of shitty, soundalike hip-pop jams about cruising Main Street in small-town America, going to the honky-tonk on Saturday night and sitting on the hood of your pickup with a beer down at the fishing hole while your girlfriend dances in the moonlight in her Daisy Dukes. They just perpetuated it. Which is just as bad.
Avril Lavigne
Head Above Water
Several years ago I interviewed Lavigne. She wasn’t the most candid subject — mostly she just repeated the usual stock answers about how much she loves her life and her fans and touring and blah blah blah. Since then, she’s been through a divorce and a battle with Lyme disease. And now she’s 34. I’d like to think all those things could help her grow into a more forthcoming and exciting artist. Based on the Playmate-With-Guitar cover picture of her album, I kinda doubt it. But I guess we’ll see.
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Signs
Derek Trucks is at the opposite end of the interview spectrum from Avril Lavigne. As I’ve written before, he’s one of the nicest guys in music. His wife Susan Tedeschi isn’t so bad herself. Their latest album Signs was apparently recorded on tape in their backyard studio, and influenced by the deaths of friends, family and formative influences like Gregg Allman, Leon Russell and Butch Trucks, Derek’s uncle and former Allman Brothers Band-mate. Can’t wait. And I hope I get to interview him again sometime.
Dale Watson
Call Me Lucky
Everything I wrote about country music above? None of that applies to Dale Watson. He’s the real deal, and near as I can tell, has been for the past couple of decades. During that time, the hardworking Ameripolitan artist has put out a couple of dozen albums full of working-man odes built around his twangy licks and deep vocals. I don’t know if I’d call that lucky, but it’s pretty damned impressive. Maybe even more impressive than his ponpadour and sideburns. And the weekend games of Chickensh*t Bingo he runs at his own Big T Roadhouse outside San Antonio, Tex.
THE LONG LIST
• Abjects | Never Give Up
• Saba Alizadeh | Scattered Memories
• Anemone | Beat My Distance
• India.Arie | Worthy
• Avantasia | Moonglow
• Regina Belle | Show Me the Way: The Columbia Anthology
• Betty Who | Betty
• Ryan Bingham | American Love Song
• Bjarki | Happy Earthday
• Black Taffy | Elder Mantis
• Body Count | Carnivore
• Body-San | Midnight
• Borstlap / Bruford | Sheer Reckless Abandon
• David Bowie | Let’s Dance Remastered • Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) Remastered • Tonight Remastered • Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87) Remastered • Never Let Me Down Remastered
• Kayla Brianna | Girl Talk
• Hayes Carll | What It Is
• Casanova & 30 Roc | Free at Last
• Cat Empire | Stolen Diamonds
• Chasms | The Mirage
• C’mon Tigre | Racines
• Copeland | Blushing
• Crystal Lake | Helix
• Czarface & Ghostface Killah | Czarface Meets Ghostface
• Dates | Ask Again Later
• Dead Obies | DEAD.
• Dear Seattle | Don’t Let Go
• Stephen Eicher & Trakorkestar | Huh!
• Robert Ellis | Texas Piano Man
• Endon | Boy Meets Girl
• Famous Dex | Wave Creator
• Rosie Flores | Simple Case of the Blues
• Folamour | Ordinary Drugs
• Frankie | Sta7ges EP
• Jon Fratelli | Bright Night Flowers
• FTR | Manners
• Gobby | Beats by Gobby 2
• Charles Wesley Godwin | Seneca
• Golden Daze | Simpatico
• Good Shade | Way Out
• Joey Graceffa | Kingdom EP
• Larry Grenadier | The Gleaners
• Heartstreets | Why Make Sense
• Yaron Herman Trio | Songs of the Degrees
• Hexvessel | All Tree
• Holiday Ghosts | West Bay Playroom
• Tom Holkenborg | Alita: Battle Angel
• Homeshake | Helium
• Hot Flash Heat Wave | Mood Ring
• Jared & The Mild | This Story is No Longer Available
• Jensen Interceptor | The Ultimate Wave Riding Vehicle
• Jethro Tull | This Was 50th Anniversary
• Eli Keszler | Empire
• Chaka Khan | Hello Happiness
• Kid Buu | Blind For Love 2
• Gladys Knight & The Pips | On and On: The Buddah / Columbia Anthology
• Ladytron | Ladytron
• Lazerbeak | Luther
• Lilnedbigby | Mclovin
• Frederic Lo | Hallelujah!
• Long Ryders | Psychedelic Country Soul
• Lucki | Freewave 3
• Hugh Marsh | Violinvocations
• Michael McDermott | Orphans
• Methyl Ethyl | Triage
• Millencolin | SOS
• Maria Minerva & Cherushii | Maria Minerva & Cherushii
• Rina Mushonga | In a Galaxy
• My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult | In the House of Strange Affairs
• Johnny Nash | Make a Wilderness
• Natti Natasha | illumiNATTI
• New Seekers | The Albums 1970-73
• Nihiloxica | Biiri
• Noctorum | Afterlife
• Norvhar | Kauna
• Nov3l | Novel
• Nubiyan Twist | Jungle Run
• J.S. Ondara | Tales of America
• 1K Phew | What’s Understood
• One OK Rock | Eye of the Storm
• Or To Not To | It Loved to Happen
• Papoose | Underrated
• Perfect Son | Cast
• Picture This | MDRN LV
• Piroshka | Brickbat
• Elvis Presley | Best of the ’68 Comeback Special
• Project Pat, Keak Da Sneak, Kafani | Lean & Cookies
• Pye Corner Audio | Hollow Earth
• Quinn XCII | From Michigan With Love
• Boo Ray | Tennessee Alabama Fireworks
• Gemma Ray | Psychgeology
• Bebe Rexha | Last Hurrah
• Rotting Christ | The Heretics
• RY X | Unfurl
• Cameron Sanderson | Cascade
• Saor | Forgotten Paths
• Saxophones | Desperately Seeking Suite
• Kristen Lee Sergeant | Smolder
• Ami Shavit | Yom Kippur 1973
• Ben Shemie | A Skeleton
• Shook Twins | Some Good Lives
• Sir Babygirl | Crush On Me
• Skratch Snobs | Ye vs. Tay
• Sonic Dawn | Eclipse
• Stats | Other People’s Lives
• SWMRS | Berkeley’s On Fire
• Taemin | Want
• Elena Temnikova | Temnikova 4
• Yann Tiersen | ALL
• Tiger Lillies | Devil’s Fairground
• Tourist | Everyday
• 24hrs | Vanentino Twenty
• Mark Vernon | Magneto Mori: Kilfinane
• Kanon Wakeshima | Decade
• Seth Walker | Are You Open?
• Jeff Whalen | 10 More Rock Super Hits
• Wicca Phase Springs Eternal | Suffer On
• William the Conqueror | Bleeding on the Soundtrack
• Carvin Winans | In the Softest Way
• Woman’s Hour | Ephyra
• Xylo | Pretty Sad EP
• Trisha Yearwood | Let’s Be Frank
• YGT | Sinking Ship
• Yung Bleu | Bleu Vandross 2