Get Pumped! Top 5 Albums I'm Still Looking Forward To (2015)

The year is more than half over now and it's already been quite an eventful 6 months. There have been albums which are being hailed as instant classics or even album of the year already. And there have been albums that have put final nails in coffins. And there's, of course, been everything in between. Personally, I already think this will be a year to remember in music, like 2010 and 1994 and 1967. However, there yet remain albums slated for release this year that have me squealing like a little girl to get my hands on. (Of course we could have more Star Wars's drop out of nowhere and we could have more Trust Fall (Side A)'s that make me sad, but here we go!)


1. Battles - La Di Da Di

Listen: "The Yabba"

Why I'm Excited: Where do I begin? I'm a sucker for mathy, heady, drum oriented instrumental rock and Battles are one of my favorites in this genre. It's essentially a supergroup, though each of its super-members is relatively unknown: John Stanier, drums (Helmet, Tomahawk); Ian Williams, guitar and keyboard (Don Caballero); and Dave Konopka, bass and guitar (Lynx). These guys teeter somewhere between math rock in their precision and post-rock in their emphasis on textures more than hooks. And it's awesome.

Take a gander at the dudes performing "The Yabba," a cut off of this new LP.
(Sep. 17 -Warp)


2. Animal Collective - TBA 

Listen: "Monkey Riches" from 2012's Centipede Hz

Why I'm Excited: Why?? Come on, it's my boys, Animal Collective! ...Well, then again Panda Bear just release the incredibly boring Panda Bear vs. the Grim Reaper this year -- with a gem or two. And Centipede Hz was a disappointing, very half baked and messy follow up to MPP -- with a gem or two, like "Monkey Riches" up there.

But even still, as a band, Animal Collective has almost never let me down. Their incredibly unique ears for experimentation and polyrhythm and hooks are unmatched, and when they flop, it's only because they're taking one of those elements too far (usually experimentation). I'm betting money that I will genuinely love at least part of this album; I'm hoping it's all of it.
(? - Paw Tracks)

3. Beach House - Depression Cherry 
 

Listen: "Sparks"

Why I'm Excited: Beach House is one of those bands, along with say the Tallest Man on Earth or the New Pornographers, who have found a sound that just works album after album. What makes it even more enjoyable is they seem to mature and tweak the formula just enough each time that they're reliable but not predictable.

That's definitely the case with the lead single, "Sparks," from this new album, Depression Cherry, scheduled for release on Aug 28. "Sparks" features some incredibly mature and gorgeous songwriting alongside vocalist Victoria Legrand's signature alto coos.
(Aug 28 - Sub Pop)

4. Zombi - Shape Shift

Listen: "Pillars of the Dawn"

Why I'm Excited: Zombi write soundtracks for movies that will never exist. Usually these movies take place in the 80s or on a distant planet whose culture and technology suspiciously resembles that of the USA in the 80s. There are high speed car chases, intense heists stealing cyber-treasure, dune buggy rides on the moon with nude models, and summonings of spectral  elephants; basically something for everybody.

I'm excited to hear what new sounds in their cinematic, texture-heavy, synth-post-rock vein they will mine next.
(Oct. 16 - Relapse)

5. Grimes - TBA

Listen: "Circumambient" from 2012's Visions

Why I'm Excited: Songwriter Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, created her last album, as the creation myth goes, after attempting to induce insanity by locking herself into her room with no lights for nine days without sleep or contact from other humans. The result was the understandably dark and hallucinative pop of Visions, which was one of the most enjoyable and addicting albums of 2012. She's been making waves since January of 2014 in announcing a much-anticipated follow-up album, but now we have a release date and some more information, but no singles or album titles yet.

Interestingly, her recent statements indicate that this album will be an aesthetic departure from her previous releases, which were "sad" (her word). This LP, she says, will be "happy and angry," a nice dichotomy of emotions that I'm sure she will translate into her contagious pop with great results.