Let's Push Things Forward - 2013 Preview

• by Jake Miller
• Dec 14, 2012

Always looking forward, never looking back.  Here are a few of our most highly anticipated releases of next year.  Some of these have been confirmed, some are merely rumbles that leave us in anticipation.  

Toro Y Moi-Anything In Return-January 22- Chaz Budnick is known for his sublime, mature take on pop music and if the first single "So Many Details" is any indicator, that trend will continue.  2011's Underneath The Pine was a serious step forward from his previous work and we have high hopes for this early 2013 release.  See the stellar new video for "So Many Details" here.  

Atoms For Peace-Amok-February 26  While Thom Yorke's other band is taking a sabbatical he's been hard at work with Flea and Radiohead producer/de facto 6th member Nigel Godrich on his Atoms For Peace project.  All the tracks we've heard so far are about what you would expect from a Yorke fronted project: twitchy, haunting and apocalyptic in the same vein as his 2006 solo release The Eraser. The guy just doesn't do 'sunny' but with Flea on bass we can expect plenty of bombast.  The incomparable Stanley Donwood, naturally, is in charge of the art direction.  You can listen to "Default" here.  

The Knife- Shaking The Habitual-April 9- The electro-spooky Dreijer family  have just announced the release of their first LP since the fantastic, nightmarish Silent Shout.  Karin released the very strong Fever Ray in 09 but something just didn't quite feel right.  Now that the Swedish brother and sister duo are back together we couldn't be more excited.  A European tour has been announced but dates are pending. Check out the mysterious LP announcement over here.  

Phoenix-April- After touring off of 2009's stellar breakout Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix for what felt like a decade, (Seriously, I saw them no less than 4 times on that never ending tour.  No complaints, though.) the French foursome are back with a confirmed new album in April and, we'll assume, another 5 year tour.  

Daft Punk- It's been seven years since the release of Human After All, DP's last release of original material, and the rumors have run rampant since.  What's with Thomas Bangalter's tinnitus?  Will they release commercial music again?  It seems like they are rumored to headline Coachella EVERY Spring but it appears that next year will finally be the time we get a new release.  It's been confirmed that the men in the metal masks have worked with funk pioneer Nile Rodgers and synth God Giorgio Moroder on their new project.  Other than that, details are scant.  No title, no release date but we'll have our fingers crossed and our ears perked for the latest album from everyone's favorite Frenchmen.  

Queens Of The Stone Age-  Josh Homme has been the one constant in Queens since their inception but there's exciting news out there that Dave Grohl and Nick Oliveri(WHAT?!?) have rejoined the group essentially making this the Songs For The Deaf lineup once again.  Anyone that has followed QOTSA has to be unbelievably excited about this news but to top it off it has also been confirmed that Trent Reznor will collaborate on the project.  No release date or title yet but details are surely coming.  Early 2000s fanboys?  Consider your minds blown.  

Arcade Fire-  Since sweeping the (yawn) Grammys 2 years ago, Arcade Fire have been hard at work on a new album.  The epic "Abraham's Daughter" from The Hunger Games soundtrack was a bit of a departure from your typical AF track so it will be interesting to see what their new release brings.  Another interesting note is the involvement of former LCD Soundsystem boss James Murphy on the project which has been confirmed by multiple sources.  No release date or title has been released but we would guess late Spring.  

Whatever The Hell Kanye Is Up To-  We've heard rumors about a Q-Tip heavy Cruel Winter project from G.O.O.D. Music.  We've heard he's working on another solo LP.  But mostly we just see him kicking it with Kim Kardashian and setting new fashion trends.  Hopefully Mr. West will grace us with a new project sometime in the upcoming year. -Jake Miller