Album Release Wishlist for 2013

2013 still smells fresh and I'm getting impatient with the music industry's release schedule. There have been few drops in the periphery of my taste, but I could really use something big and powerful to punch me in the head right about now. I don't know what's coming this year, other than a new Thao and Youth Lagoon. Those are already on my List Of Big Deals. I have plenty of anticipatory excitement to spare, and it seems like in our day and age, the heads up & lead-in time is becoming shorter and shorter.

With that spontaneous nature of the industry in mind, this is what I'm hoping for in 2013. I'm hoping these bands will put out a press release over the coming 11 months with something to the effect of, "We're done with our new album, and it will be out as soon as I finish this sentence." Ever since IN RAINBOWS that seems to be a favorite buzz getter -- Death Grips did it most recently, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's how the new My Bloody Valentine comes out. With that in mind, these are bands that I miss and follow-ups I'm hungering for.

I would love to hear from you guys.

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I Love A Good Ethereal Jam

So while I was exploring Tumblr tags, I happened to come upon The War on Drugs playing their amazing song, "Best Night" on KEXP. It's an old video, especially with the new year looming on us, but dang, what a cool band.

The in-studio live radio performance is a different breed from the concert performance or the album recording. It's a midway point between the two -- they're not responsible for making it more bombastic or engaging the way they would in a 1200 seat concert venue, but they don't have all the tricks of the studio to polish off their work. The changes from the original are pretty glaring. Adam Granduciel sings with an even heavier Dylan affectation at first, and he just plays with the weirdo vocal melodies. The song can't be a glittery, warping, kite in the wind in this environment, so they make up for it by just jamming. It's a great cruise.

They're due for a new album in 2013, right?