2006... great year for music?

[Josh]

Is 2006 going to be a spectacular year for new releases?

Who knows... but it sure seems possible. Check out all these blips on the radar, all scheduled for possible release this year:

Arcade Fire
Andrew Bird
T-Bone Burnett-- The True False Identity
Neko Case-- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (March 7)
Elvis Costello (My Flame Burns Blue, Feb. 28; and Joe Henry/Allen Toussaint collaboration, summer/fall)
The Cure
The Eels-- Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall (Feb. 21)
Feist
The Fiery Furnaces-- Bitter Tea (Early 2006)
The Flaming Lips-- At War With the Mystics
Hem - No Word from Tom (Feb 7)
The Innocence Mission
Iona-- The Circling Hour
Iron and Wine
The Minus Five-- The Gun Album (Feb. 7)
Van Morrison-- Pay the Devil (March 7)
Leigh Nash
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (Feb. 7)
Don Peris (April 25)
Sam Phillips-- Can I Trade You This for a Tank of Gas?
Portishead
Prince-- 3121
Radiohead (Spring)
The Shins (Summer)
Sufjan Stevens-- Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon?
Tortoise + Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Brave And The Bold (Jan. 24)
Woven Hand
Wilco
Lucinda Williams-- Knowing

Uh... methinks I need a higher paying job!

[Tom]

Arcade Fire
Andrew Bird
T-Bone Burnett-- The True False Identity
Neko Case-- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
The Cure
The Fiery Furnaces-- Bitter Tea
The Flaming Lips-- At War With the Mystics
Hem - No Word from Tom
The Innocence Mission
Leigh Nash
Don Peris
Sam Phillips-- Can I Trade You This for a Tank of Gas?
Portishead
Prince-- 3121
Radiohead
The Shins
Sufjan Stevens-- Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon?
Woven Hand

 

i'll be interested in hearing these albums in particular

[enemy anemone]

I'm looking forward to a new album from Kim Taylor.
I saw someone who runs/ran a Buddy and Julie Miller site post that hopefully Julie will have a new album out this year.  

[danny316]

Sufjan Stevens-- Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon?

Actually, the title will be more along the lines of:

Sufjan Stevens is lost in America! Is he in Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon? Puerto Rico? Is That Even Really a State? What About the State of Confusion?, or, Sufjan Stevens invites you to join his Cross-Country Road Trip, or, I forgot where I am, but let's just say that I was serious about that publicity stunt where I said I'd do an album for each state, but I really meant that each album would actually use each state's landmarks and history as metaphors for my personal life and my faith, or, Sufjan Stevens Does It Again!, or, what the heck was I naming anyway? Is this long enough? Can you read this in less time than it takes to listen to it? (Another state, another album, or, New from Sufjan Stevens, where is he now? In Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon? Puerto Rico? Is That Even Really a State? What About the State of Confusion?, or, Sufjan Stevens invites you to join his Cross-Country Road Trip, or, I forgot where I am, but let's just say...

[Silvah]

I hope so, I think 2005 was pretty boring musically.

[murlough23]

There's a lot that I'm looking forward to this year, particularly the return of Iona. But at the moment it doesn't look like it's going to be monumentally better than any recent years. I think there's been a decent amount of high-quality music released in the past 3 years, with 2002 and 2001 having slightly less to offer, perhaps, but my tastes have also changed since then. 2006 might surprise us, but in general I figure it'll probably be another one of those years where my Music Journal has a ton of B's and a tiny handful of A's.

NP: "Amazon", M.I.A.

[bloop]

I know I want to hear these:

Arcade Fire
Andrew Bird
Neko Case-- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (March 7)
Elvis Costello (My Flame Burns Blue, Feb. 28; and Joe Henry/Allen Toussaint collaboration, summer/fall)
The Cure
The Fiery Furnaces-- Bitter Tea (Early 2006)
The Flaming Lips-- At War With the Mystics
The Innocence Mission
Iona-- The Circling Hour
Iron and Wine
The Minus Five-- The Gun Album (Feb. 7)
Leigh Nash
Sam Phillips-- Can I Trade You This for a Tank of Gas?
Portishead
Prince-- 3121
Radiohead (Spring)
The Shins (Summer)
Sufjan Stevens-- Rhode Island? Vermont? Oregon?
Wilco
Lucinda Williams-- Knowing

And, please, let's make with the new studio effort, Mr. Zimmerman!

[Josh]

Yes, we're long overdue for a new Dylan record. Not to mention a new solo disc from Joe Henry!

[Josh]

Oh, wow... just noticed that, according to his Web site, Ron Sexsmith is just about done with his new album, set to release sometime in 2006. That's VERY good news; the bad news, however, is that he's re-teamed with Mitchel Froom, whose production was a serious drawback on Ron's first few albums.

Still, any new music from Ron Sexsmith is reason to rejoice! Here's hoping this one's on the same level as Retriever!

[Josh]

Murlough, I just noticed that you've got Jars of Clay in your "Eagerly Anticipated" list. Any official word on that, or is that just wishful thinking? (At the prolific rate they've been working at I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they had something new coming out!)

[Brenden]

From what I've been hearing the band saying over on Jarchives, they're working on a new album and hope to have it out in the fall.

[Josh]

That's good news, Brenden-- thanks!

More happy news-- according to their site, The Hold Steady has a new album coming out this year as well. Separation Sunday came in at #4 on my Best of 2005 list, so obviously this one ranks near the top of my must-hear list.

[murlough23]

From what I've been hearing the band saying over on Jarchives, they're working on a new album and hope to have it out in the fall.

Yes - I think they're trying to get over with so that they can be free from their crappy contract with Essential. Hopefully it'll be better than the usual "had to finish the contract" sort of album, but it's Jars, so I figure I can trust them to only have one or two songs get manipulated by the label.