In 2013, we saw rock bands like Queens of the Stone Age and The National cement their role as heavy weights in the "rock" scene. We also saw artists like Disclosure, CHVRCHES and AlunaGeorge give us a hint into what the future holds, while Daft Punk reigned over them all and smiled. 2013 was ultimately a year of electronic innovation in rock, but what will be the defining characteristic of 2014? There's a slew of releases on deck, from Kanye West to Robyn to Modest Mouse. We'll see what ACTUALLY materializes, but here's 10 releases that we can't wait to get out ears on:Broken Bells - After The Disco (2/4)Just hearing Danger Mouse's name makes me get hyped. The dude who brought us The Grey Album, Gnarls Barkley and DangerDoom is embarking on his 2nd Broken Bells effort alongside James Mercer of The Shins and this one already looks to be more ambitious than their debut LP. A two-part short film/music video for "Holding On For Life" has already made it's rounds on the internet along with the title track and the masterful "The Changing Lights." Nothing builds anticipation quite like leaking tracks slowly with digital features surrounding them. This is precisely why we're excited for this record and wouldn't be surprised if it not only blows the debut out of the water, but finds it's way onto our 2014 best of List. -- SpinelliSt. Vincent - St. Vincent (2/25)Coming off the success of her collaboration with David Byrne, St. Vincent’s self-titled album is set to be released in February and two tracks have already been published on YouTube, semi-ironically as "Digital Witness" calls to attention our lack of self from too much social media exposure. If that and “Birth in Reverse” are anything to go by then St. Vincent aims to bring us another eclectic ensemble of harmonies, instrumentation and mind-bending guitar flagrancy. -- JHGFD
Charli XCX - Superlove (Spring)As if True Romance didn't already leave you absolutely enamored with Charli XCX this last year, she's back at it in 2014 with Superlove. The alt-pop princess definitely seems to be riding the posi-tumblr waves and dropping some of the gothy undertones from her debut judging by the beyond infectious and even radio friendly title track released at the end of 2013. It's promising that the entire album will follow suit by way of inspiration from other cult icons The Waitresses and Bow Wow Wow. With a new album and even a possible writing sesh with Hilary Duff - 2014 is pretty much going to be Charli XCX's year. -- TatyahnaBanks - GoddessBANKS is bringing her own brand into the alt R&B scene. Instead of being simply ambient, she rasps haunting love songs over crisp, unignorable production from names like Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Her discography plays in The Weeknd’s neighborhood. She demonstrated how holistic her music can be in her London EP, and with her blasting Florence Welch-like vocals in the newest single “Brain”, Banks will create a cult with her debut full-length. -- Chihuahua0
Tokyo Police Club — Forcefield (3/25)Though the band hasn’t released any studio material since 2010, Canadian quartet Tokyo Police Club’s upcoming LP Forcefield is still a highly anticpated one. Judging by the release of singles “Hot Tonight” and “Argentina”, the band looks to continue to perfect their catchy indie brand — albeit with more polished production than in the past. The group’s last release, Champ, combined layers of dueling keyboards and guitar riffs with the band’s usual steady, unwavering pop-rhythm section. This, complemented by vocalist David Monk’s straightforward songwriting, improved upon the group’s pleasantly textural and hook-based sound as heard on 2008’s Elephant Shell. Forcefield looks to carry these same undertones, but more nuanced and with more maturity. -- SquantoGRIMES - TBDIn 2012, Grimes rocketed from the art-school conversation of those select few trend-setters convened at the back of your lecture theatre to internet stardom. Hosting the MTV awards, triumphing the prestigious Pitchfork 2012 track of the year and hyping audiences with fearlessly applauded live shows, hurtled Grimes into the conversations of everyone. A trend-setter and agile feminist in her own right, Grimes spearheaded the Canadian electro-pop vista with acts like Purity Ring and Doldrums closing in on the vanguard thanks to a duo of perplexing singles, eccentric accompanying yet addictive music videos and one hell of an album. Despite one enigmatic tweet, not a lot is known about what she will do next but a record is on the way and the expectation is vehement. With Jay Z's Roc-Nation management suits orbiting around her, her next release couldn't be unchained at a greater time and what's best? Grimes is in full control. -- Reuben Tasker
Sampha - TBDSampha Sisay has quietly been building the buzz for his first full-length project.. You know him from his features on Drake’s introspective “Too Much “, and his vocals on several tracks off of SBTRKT’s debut album. Sampha's chilling vocals are truly unique and he draws clear roots from the great soul singers of the past. Yet he still has clear influences from the experimental/electronic genres too. While he's been alongside other artists up to this point, the release of Sampha's debut has us on the edge of our seats. -- BigBadBonjPhantogram - Voices (2/18)Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter have made quite the name for themselves with their dark indie rock, laced with electronica. Everything about them is dark, from the industrial feel of Carter's production, to Barthel's beautiful dark features and hair; Only to be overshadowed by her entrancing voice. Carter layers her vocals to create sounds and hooks that can make you both close your eyes and sway as well as absolutely lose control of your body. Make no mistake about it, Barthel is the star and if Phantogram's recent live performances are any indication, this record's gonna hit. -- Spinelli
Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow 2/3Bombay Bicycle Club’s chilled indie has earned them a lot of fans and even more use as background music. Their fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow, was due to drop last year, but the band took their time to get the sound right (and judging from the reviews, they’ve succeeded). If the first singles are any indication, their sound is evolving in an exciting way. It’s more bass heavy, with influences from world music, and easier to dance to than ever, but they’ve retained their radio-friendly vibe. -- VesuviusKanye West - TBD‘…Everybody want to know what I would do if I didn’t win’ uttered Kanye West in a glistening bleached suit at the 47th GRAMMY awards upon charming ‘Best Rap Album’ for his debut The College Dropout, ‘I guess we’ll never know’ was his follow up. And on that victory West accelerated to super-stardom, championed only by his mentor, Young Hov’, and the seminal artists that enthused him, Kanye has been one of the most unswervingly successful and inventively untried musicians of all time.
It’s easy to see then, why every release by West has not only been met with critical and commercial success but has further amplified the longing for another record, and last year’s Yeezus (my album of the year) was no omission. Digital Dancehall trafficked blows with Acid House in a spectral rant that lyrically delimited spots of dogmatic existentialism (‘New Slaves’), comical entreaties (‘I Am A God’) and elegiac, hallucinogenic grief (‘Hold My Liquor’, ‘Guilt Trip’). What made Yeezus so interesting to study was not only how matchlessly different it sounded and read in comparison to other entries in Kanye’s discography, but how different it sounded in comparison to any other rap album. With an apparent 8-song album shaped by jazz-rap scientist Q-Tip and previous Kanye collaborator and production fable Rick Rubin, as well as the fact that Kanye’s explosive public reputation in 2013 gives Kanye a hell of a lot to rant about, it’s easy to see why the longing for a new Kanye album is stronger than ever. -- Reuben Tasker
