2007 Sounds Pretty Good to Me

The last 30 to 60 days has seen every major and minor publication in print and online, including Newsvine scrambling to put together "the best" music of 2006. These lists both reflected releases I felt were the strongest of the year as well as revealed acts that I'd never heard of. While I did find several bands and artists whose music I respected and enjoyed I found that, even after exploring the most critically acclaimed albums of the year, my favorites remained those records that I had been waiting for and picked up almost immediately upon their release. With that in mind, the list that follows are the records that I've heard about that I am most looking forward to, not as a would-be critic, but as a fan.

January will see releases from the two real saviors of hip-hop. Mos Def and Talib Kweli. They've consistently produced music that is simultaneously fun, engaging and insightful. I look for these two records to overshadow Jay Z's disappointing Kingdom Come and even Nas' excellent Hip Hop is Dead. Sadly, I doubt I will have time to thoroughly listen to these albums since January is also the month in which the Shins' new record, Wincing the Night Away is scheduled to hit shelves and computer screens. I am a huge fan of their previous works and if they hold to their own standards of quality we will all likely be reminded about this album in 11 months as magazines compile their "Best of 2007" lists.

In February I will indulge my sense of nostalgia and pick up the new Ataris release, Welcome the Night. I am a tad wary, however, as the rumors indicate that the band is moving away from their pop-punk roots and are trying to create an album that is "more grown up." This will either result in an end product that is compelling and intriguing or one that falls completely flat.

March and April should see releases from both Modest Mouse and the Arcade Fire. Modest Mouse's new album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sunk will feature ex-Smiths bass player Johnny Marr and from what I hear fans of their previous record's single "Float On" will find much to listen to on this record. Arcade Fire's Neon Bible will (hopefully) build on everything I loved about their self-titled EP and their full length, Funeral which was one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2004.

Wading into waters a bit more vague, both Metric and the Alkaline Trio will be putting out music, though not all of it new. Metric will finally make available their first album Grow Up and Blow Away which they recorded in 2002 but which their label never released. The Alkaline Trio, a band whose early work I love but whose more recent work I am fairly ambivalent to, will see both an album of unreleased b-sides hit shelves in January as well as a brand new album later this year. I keep buying Alkaline Trio records hoping they return to their older form but am usually greeting with an album that is catchy and fun but little else.

In the territory of tentative releases Rancid, Radiohead and the Arctic Monkeys are said to be working on releases for the first quarter of the year. Lupe Fiasco, following fast on the heels of last year's fantastic Food & Liquor is slated for his sophomore album, The Cool to see stores in mid to late summer. An old favorite of mine, Jimmy Eat World, is looking to release a new album around this timetable as well, but it will likely be pushed back into the fall. The band's first two efforts, Static Prevails and Clarity are two of my all time favorites and so I commit to buying everything they come out with. This year's fourth quarter holds two more rumored releases: Coheed and Cambria's Volume Two of Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness and while Volume One was fairly lackluster I'm big enough of a fan of their sound to try out the second. Pop-punk/dance-rock hit Panic! At the Disco should also be releasing their sophomore album after dominating the iPods of 16 year-old girls in 2005. Yes, I listen to them. Yes, I will listen to the new album. I think they are clever and quirky and they are fun to dance to. Sue me.

So far this year looks to be a pretty decent year for music though I'm sure, as was the case in 2006, there are treasure troves of great bands and albums that I have not heard about, and might not hear about until next year. That being said, here are my picks for albums to watch out for in the next 12 months. What does your 2007 sound like?

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