Most Anticipated Albums of 2012 (a.k.a. 10 Reasons to Survive the Year)

Ok, now. I know I should have put this list together before. I know this list should have been made on January 1st. But you’ve got to understand I’ve been extra busy these past few weeks, so here it is anyway!

10. Bowerbirds  - The Clearing

 

As Pitchfork reports, the North Carolina-based folk rock crew will return with an 11-track LP titled The Clearing on March 6th via Dead Oceans.

Track list:

01. Tuck the Darkness In
02. In the Yard
03. Walk the Furrows
04. Stitch the Hem
05. This Year
06. Brave World
07. Hush
08. Overcome with Light
09. Sweet Moment
10. Death Wish
11. Now We Hurry On

9. Band Of Skulls  - Sweet Sour

The English trio will come back with their second album, entitled Sweet Sour, on February 21st. From the very start, they gained attention for their progressive rock influences and songs which are impossible to resist, like I Know What I Am.

Track list:

01. Sweet Sour
02. Bruises
03. Wanderluster
04. Devil Takes Care Of His Own
05. Lay My Head Down
06. You Aren’t Pretty But You Got It Going On
07. Navigate
08. Hometowns
09. Lies
10. Close To Nowhere

8. Franz Ferdinand

After a hiatus of almost two years, the band has announced a comeback to this year with a possible new album.

7. Magnetic Fields  - Love At The Bottom Of The Sea 

Is there any doubt that Stephen Merrit writes the best song titles ever? Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. It's the band’s tenth full-length album and it’s their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs.

Track list:

01. Your Girlfriend’s Face
02. Andrew In Drag
03. God Wants Us To Wait
04. Born For Love
05. I’d Go Anywhere With Hugh
06. Infatuation (With Your Gyration)
07. The Only Boy In Town
08. The Machine In Your Hand
09. Goin’ Back To The Country
10. I’ve Run Away To Join The Fairies
11. The Horrible Party
12. My Husband’s Pied-a-Terre
13. I Don’t Like Your Tone
14. Quick!
15. All She Cares About Is Mariachi

6. Phoenix

Although there's no date set yet, Phoenix will return in the second semester with the follow-up to their fourth album, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". The title is yet to be announced.

5. The Shins -  Port Of Morrow 

"Simple Song" is already out and it fills us with all the happiness we know The Shins can make us feel! The work is out in March.

Track list:

01. The Rifle’s Spiral
02. Simple Song
03. It’s Only Life
04. No Way Down
05. September
06. Bait and Switch
07. Fall of ’82
08. For a Fool
09. 40 Mark Strasse
10. Port of Morrow

4. Air - Le Voyage Dans La Lune  

Due to February 7, Le Voyage Dans La Lune is a tribute to Georges Méliès’ influential 1902 silent film of the same name. The album features contributions from Beach House’s Victoria Legrand and Au Revoir Simone. Will Le Voyage live up to its title?

Track list:

01. Astronomic Club
02. Seven Stars
03. Retour Sur
04. Terre Parade
05. Moon Fever
06. Sonic Armada
07. Who Am I Now?
08. Décollage
09. Cosmic Trip
10. Homme Lune
11. Lava

3. The xx    

The kids that stole our hearts in 2009 have been working on their second album since November and already released a demo, entitled Open Eyes. All news can be found on their blog.

2. Mazzy Star

After a sixteen year wait, it seems that finally we’re going to get new Mazzy Star material. No official release date or album title has been announced, although the tour shows are already being scheduled. The duo already released a single, ‘Common Burn’/‘Lay Myself Down’, in October last year and it’s among the lined-up bands at Coachella. 

1. Andrew Bird  - Break it Yourself 

Break It Yourself is Andrew Bird’s sixth studio album and it’s due out on March 6 under Mom + Pop Label.  Owner of a capacity of turning science and everyday life into poetry, Andrew Bird stands out like one of the greatest lyricists of our time. It doesn’t seem possible to rank his previous works as one being better than another, considering that all albums are filled with pure genius and fascinating whistling. What we’re talking about here is the kind of music that makes you get used to such level of greatness that after it everything seems a little bit ordinary. The man can do no wrong.

Track list:
01. Desperation Breeds…
02. Polynation
03. Danse Caribe
04. Give It Away
05. Eyeoneye
06. Lazy Projector
07. Near Death Experience Experience
08. Behind the Barn
09. Lusitania
10. Orpheo Looks Back
11. Sifters
12. Fatal Shore
13. Hole in the Ocean Floor
14. Belles 

"You’ve done the impossible now, took yourself apart. Made yourself invulnerable. No one can break your heart, so you break it yourself"

Ceci n'est pas un blog, et ça, ce n'est surement pas un article

About half a year ago, I started toying with the idea of starting a blog. I wanted a place where I could expose my musings without the commitment of writing a journal, or a periodic column or anything serious like that. However, even though the idea seemed extremely attractive to me, it took me quite a long time until I could figure out what I really wanted to do, what I really wanted to write and how I wanted to write it.

A half a year later, I must confess I still can't exactly tell you what this blog will be about. Probably whatever I fancy at the time... What I can tell, though, is that this blog comes to me in a time where I've got an overflow of thoughts (and of bottled up feelings, too) and nowhere where I can let them flow to. WARNING: fucked up theories, stupid remarks, unprofessional lists and mix tapes and pretentious criticisms are to be expected. In any case, I hope whoever read this (if there is such person) enjoys it and, who knows?, someday even benefit from it! (Ok, ok. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.)

Well, I believe that’s all for now. See you all very soon.  :)