WERS 88.9 fm - 2010 Album Preview

February 1^st, 2009

Although 2009 was a rather slow year for the record industry, in terms of both sales and releases, 2010 is shaping up to be a banner year of music for the independent mind. Plenty of our favorite artists were holed up in the recording studio and are now appearing with new material that's got everyone excited. What follows is our list of WERS.org's most anticipated releases of 2010.

Animal Collective—ODDSAC:  Described as a "visual album" from Danny Perez and Animal Collective, ODDSAC is a project hardcore AC fans have been literally waiting years to materialize. The film has no concrete plot, so it would be most accurate to describe it asa lengthy music video, but the 30 second trailer is as trippy as it gets, and following the their 2009 release of Merriweather Post Pavilion (which made our Best Albums of the Decade list), it would be in the interest of curious music fans everywhere to check out ODDSAC. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival and plans for further distribution are in the works—Premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

Spoon – Transference: These Austin-bred indie rockers became the darlings of the blogosphere with their 2007 release of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. We give regular airplay to an array of tracks off that album, such as "Don't You Evah," "The Underdog," and "Black Like Me," so the release of Transference is something any WERS listener can count on sinking their teeth into – Out now

David Byrne & Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love: What happens when the iconic Talking Head's frontman teams up with an electronica pioneer? We'll find out when David Byrne & Fatboy Slim release Here Lies Love. Although Slim's performing style is a world apart from that of Byrne, the Talking Head's were one of the first rock acts to incorporate elements of electronica music, so the paring of these two has been widely hailed as a match made in heaven— February 23

Jimi Hendrix — Valleys Of Neptune: The man passed away in 1970 and we're still getting new material from him! It has been announced that the estate of Jimi Hendrix is releasing an album featuring new material, live cuts of well known singles, as well as covers of his contemporaries such as Cream. There's nothing left to be said about Jimi Hendrix that hasn't been said, but new studio material is sure to be of value to all classic rock fans— March 8

Gorillaz: Plastic Beach – March 2010: This multi-platinum virtual band are back with their third studio album, rumored for a March release date, and said to feature guest appearances by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Lou Reed. Their 2006 release, Demon Days, gave the world dance floor hits like "Dirty Harry," and "Kids With Guns," and with the time and effort that's been put into Plastic Beach, it seems as though the wait will be well worth – March 8

The White Stripes – Under Great Northern Lights: When one of the biggest rock bands in the world releases a box set revolving entirely around live material, everyone takes note. On March 16^th, The White Stripes will release the documentary film, Under The Great Northern Lights. The release will be accompanied by a box-set release featuring the film, another DVD documenting their 10^th Anniversary concert, a double LP/CD with 16 live tracks, and a hardcover book of photography — March 16^th

She& Him – Volume II: M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel turned a lot of heads when they announced they'd be releasing a record together in 2008, and low and behold, their freshman debut, Volume One, made its way onto many-a-critics best-of lists. M. Ward kept busy in 2009 with super group Monsters of Folk, and to be blunt, there's nothing either she or him could release that we won't be keeping an eye on – March 23^rd

Broken Bells – Broken Bells: Whether on The Grey Album, with Gnarls Barkley, or producing The Black Keys, DJ/producer Danger Mouse established himself as an iconic pop figure worth following. When it was announced that he was teaming up with James Mercer of The Shins, it took a lot of energy to keep our cool. Everything either of these two touch turns to gold and it's more than fair to expect this trend to continue when they put out an album together as Broken Bells – March 9th

MGMT – Congratulations:  This New York City-based duo got on the radar in a big way with the 2008 release of their freshman debut, Oracular Spectacular. Congratulations, their follow-up, is due this spring, and after their opening slot for Sir Paul McCartney this summer, rumors are running rampant that Macca has been assisting the project, some going as far as to say he's producing the record – spring 2010

Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame: Hippies and hard rockers alike have taken notice of Philadelphia's latest export, Dr. Dog, and with the upcoming release of Shame, Shame, you can expect Dr. Dog to get peoples attention in a whole new way. Their blend of Haight-Ashbury psychedelia with roots rock and a hint of grunge has earned Dr. Dog a hardcore following that isn't exactly mainstream. After the groups  upcoming Anti-Records debut, you can expect this to change— April 6th

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way: The most authentic soul act in the world is back! High on the heels of 100 Days, 100 Nights, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will release I Learned The Hard Way. Her backup band got a lot of press by performing the instrumentals on Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, but the work they've done with Jones put's Winehouse to shame. Every record she puts out is better than the last, so everyone whose been feeding off 100 Days is ready for I Learned The Hard Way— April 6th

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1: These Brooklyn-bred Hebrew School drop-outs will be following up their 2007 instrumental Release, The Mix-Up, with Hot Sauce Committee Pt.1. This album was set to be released in September of 2009, but unfortunately, due to Adam "MCA"' Yauch's struggle with cancer, the albums release has been pushed back to a future point in time. Based upon the previous release date, it's assumed that this album is complete. Hopefully MCA will have a quick recovery, and fans of the Beastie Boys will be spinning the Hot Sauce sometime this year – TBA

Radiohead: Although no announcements have been made regarding a proper studio release, there's ample reason to anticipate some music from Radiohead in 2010. What is known is that following their world tour in support of In Rainbows, the Oxford-quintet went back into the studio with longtime producer Nigel Goodrich. Front man Thom Yorke went on record saying that due to everything that goes into releasing a proper LP, what's more likely from them in the future is EP's and singles. With all of those facts in mind, expect new material from Radiohead in 2010… in one format or another— TBA

-Words by Andrew Bruss