2014 is barely over but there are already a lot of indications that 2015 is also going to give us an impressive amount of records.
As ever, there may well be more focus on how these are delivered than how they actually sound. But regardless of whether the new Radiohead album is delivered (and there’s still quite a few of us who quite like getting these things on vinyl or CD), whether it is hand delivered by Thom and co to us at our front door or yet another innovative way of using the internet, ultimately the most important thing will be what it actually sounds like. The legend that is Bob Dylan will release his 36th studio album, Shadows In The Night, next month. While the last week’s announcement that PJ Harvey is making her record in front of the public at Somerset House in London will doubtless leave many artists wondering about how, exactly, they can top that.
As a reviewer I get sent a lot of music, but it doesn’t mean I’ve got blasé about new releases. I personally will be looking forward to the new records from Belle & Sebastian, Errors and Idlewild (and not just because I live in Scotland), and hoping that after seven years, my all-time favourite band The Cure will finally release the two new albums that have been long promised. If Kate Bush and David Bowie turn up trumps that would be great, too – and I am sure that there’ll be plenty of new discoveries along the way…
Not all of these will appeal to everyone, and certainly not to me, but here is what the release schedules have coming up. Please note: dates are correct at the time of writing and relate to the UK only.
January 12 Diagrams Chromatics; Justin Townes Earle Absent Fathers; Fences Lesser Oceans; Hayseed Dixie Hair Down To My Grass; Panda Bear Panda Bear Meets Grim Reaper.
January 19 Above & Beyond We Are All We Need: Belle & Sebastian Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance; Decemberists What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World; Enter Shikari The Mindsweep; Fall Out Boy American Beauty/American Psycho; Funeral For A Friend Chapter and Verse; Joey Badass B4.Da.$$; Kid Ink Full Speed; Marilyn Manson The Pale Emperor; Mark Ronson Uptown Special; Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love; Waterboys Modern Blues; Laura Welsh Soft Control.
January 26 Charlatans Modern Nature; Chicane The Sum Of Its Parts; Gaz Coombes Matador; Selena Gomez For You; Indiana No Romeo; Rae Morris Unguarded; Papa Roach F.E.A.R.; Phantom Band Fears Trending; Pond Man It Feels Like Space Again; Alasdair Roberts Alasdair Roberts; Meghan Trainor Title; Charli XCX Sucker.
February 2 Blind Guardian Beyond The Red Mirror; Bob Dylan Shadows In The Night; Staves If I Was; T’Pau Pleasure and Pain.
February 9 Blackberry Smoke Holding All The Roses; Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear Idlewild Everything Ever Written; Kodaline Coming Up For Air; Overtones Sweet Soul Music; Peace Happy People; Gretchen Peters Blackbirds; Subways The Subways; Unthanks Mount The Air.
February 16 Carl Barat & The Jackals Let It Reign; Steve Earle & the Dukes Terraplane; Imagine Dragons Smoke + Mirrors; Jose Gonzalez Vestiges and Claws; Ne-Yo Non Fiction; Texas Texas 25; Thunder Wonder Days.
February 23 Black Star Riders The Killer Instinct; Champs Vamala; Aaron Ffye 10 Songs; Gang Of Four What Happens Next; Kid Rock First Kiss; Pop Group Citizen Zombie; Public Service Broadcasting The Race For Space. Additionally, the Prodigy’s sixth untitled album is due for release in February.
March 2 Blue Colours; Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Chasing Yesterday; Modest Mouse Strangers To Ourselves; Rixton Let The Road; Veronicas The Veronicas; Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase.
March 9 Grubby Mits What The World Needs Now Is The Grubby Mits; Madonna Rebel Heart
March 16 Labrinth Take Me To The Truth; Twin Shadow Eclipse.
March 23 James Bay Chaos and the Calm; Errors Lease Of Life; Jermain Jackman Jermain Jackman; Laura Marling Short Movie; Seasick Steve Sonic Soul Surfer; While She Sleeps Brainwashed.
March 30 Circa Waves Young Chasers.
April 6 Marina & the Diamonds Froot.
There are also reissues and compilations forthcoming from The Almighty; Bowling For Soup; Extreme; Judas Priest; John Martyn; Kylie Minogue; OMD; Pretenders; REM; Siouxsie and the Banshees; Tyrannasaurus Rex; and Rick Wakeman
There is also a very long list of artists who are expected to release new albums, or at least have been working in the studio, and are expected to release new material at some point in 2015 (at least, from when I worked on this article!):
Action Bronson; Adele; Ash; Bat For Lashes; Bjork; Black Sabbath; James Blake; Blink 182; Cappadonna; Chic; Chvrches; Coldplay; The Cure; De La Soul; Django Django; Dominic Waxing Lyrical; Drake; Elbow; Everything Everything; Faith No More; Fergie; Fleetwood Mac; Florence and the Machine; Brandon Flowers; Garbage; David Gilmour; Girl Band; The Good The Bad and the Queen; Haim; Michael Kiwanuka; Kendrick Lamar; Libertines; Lil’ Wayne; Limp Bizkit; Maccabees; Metallica; Giorgio Moroder; Van Morrison; Motorhead; Muse; My Morning Jacket; NER*D; No Devotion; Frank Ocean; One Direction; Palma Violets; Passion Pit; Radiohead; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Rihanna; Rudimental; Emeli Sande; The Selecter; Slayer; Smashing Pumpkins; Ringo Starr; Gwen Stefani; Suede; Tame Impala; Teenage Fanclub; Frank Turner; U2; Vaccines: Kanye West; Wilco; Wolf Alice; The Wrens; The XX; Jamie XX.
