The 100 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2014

The 100 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2014

We’re almost (almost!) done reflecting on the year that was, so it’s time to start taking a closer look at the year that will be. For the past several years, we’ve ranked our most anticipated albums. Today the feature returns, bigger than ever, with a whopping 100 records we’re looking forward to hearing, enjoying, debating, dissecting, and canonizing these next 12 months.

We limited the list to albums we feel confident will come out in 2014, whether because we’ve heard confirmation (or close to it) from labels, managers, or the artists themselves, or because the timing seems extremely likely. For the educated guesses, we needed something resembling evidence to go on, which is why we didn’t include perennial wish list material like the Avalanches (who have been the subject of fruitless rumors for more than a decade) but did include Joanna Newsom (who has been debuting new material for well over a year) and Taylor Swift (who, like clockwork, has released a new LP every other autumn since 2006 and is “ahead of schedule” for LP5; speaking of which, how cool would it be if she made an album that resembled …Like Clockwork?).

Of course, there are some question marks here — if you concentrate hard enough you can actually hear the Wrens painstakingly deliberating some extraneous overdub right this second — but last year we basically forced My Bloody Valentine to finally get on with it and release MBV, so do not bet against us.

Once we had raked in a heaping pile of information, we set about sequencing it according to our highly arbitrary yet stunningly accurate sense of expectancy. We listened to as many of them as we could get our hands on, and those spins frequently affirmed our suspicions that something splendid was afoot; in those cases, since we’ve already heard the records, our anticipation is as much about looking forward to increased visibility for the artists and the discourse that will rage when you guys get to hear this stuff. Other factors that stoked our curiosity: Maybe we rhapsodized constantly about the artist’s last album, maybe it’s a “companion piece” to a modern classic, maybe it’s a beloved songwriter’s first album since coming out as transgender — anything that might jar somebody out of the daze that sometimes accompanies the ceaseless cycle of album promos and into genuine excitement about new music.

Here’s what we’ve been looking forward to. Click on an artist’s name for all our recent news and audio/video teasers of the album where available…

100 Bruce SpringsteenHigh Hopes (Columbia, 1/14)

99 The RentalsTBD (Polyvinyl)

98 Broken BellsAfter The Disco (Columbia, 1/14)

97 Empress OfTBD (Terrible/XL)

96 tUnE-yArDsTBD

95 Schoolboy QOxymoron (Interscope/TDE, 2/25)

94 Thee Oh SeesTBD

93 No Mythologies To Follow (Chess Club/RCA Victor, 2/24)

92 You Blew It!Keep Doing What You’re Doing (Topshelf, 1/14)

91 Bleeding RainbowInterrupt (Kanine, 2/25)

90 The New PornographersTBD (Matador, Late Spring)

89 SisyphusSisyphus (Asthmatic Kitty, 3/18)

88 Wu-Tang ClanTBD

87 Drive-By TruckersEnglish Oceans (ATO, 3/4)

86 MastodonTBD

85 PhantogramVoices (Republic, 2/18)

84 Wolves In The Throne RoomTBD (Southern Lord, Winter)

83 Meek MillTBD (MMG)

82 MogwaiRave Tapes (Sub Pop, 1/21)

81 Pusha TKing Push (Def Jam)

80 ActressGhettoville (Werkdiscs/Ninja Tune, 1/28)

79 Rick RossMastermind (MMG/Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam, Early 2014)

78 The HorrorsTBD

77 ceoWonderland (Modular, 2/4)

76 Johnny CashOut Among The Stars (Columbia/Legacy, 3/25)

75 Black LipsUnderneath The Rainbow (Vice, 3/18)

74 Da Mafia 6ixTBD

73 Best CoastTBD (Spring)

72 The MenTomorrow’s Hits (Sacred Bones, 3/4)

71 My Morning JacketTBD (ATO)

70 Belle And SebastianTBD (Matador, Late Spring)

69 Neneh CherryBlank Project (Smalltown Supersound, 2/25)

68 Freddie Gibbs & MadlibPiñata

67 The NotwistClose To The Glass (Sub Pop, 2/25)

66 FKA TwigsTBD (Young Turks)

65 G-SideGz To Godz

64 Perfume GeniusTBD (Matador, Fall)

63 Death Cab For CutieTBD

62 DIIVTBD

61 Lily AllenTBD (Warner Bros.)

60 LiarsTBD (Mute, March)

59 Parquet CourtsTBD

58 SamphaTBD (Young Turks)

57 GodfleshA World Lit Only By Fire (Early 2014)

56 PallbearerTBD (Profound Lore, August)

55 The Pains Of Being Pure At HeartTBD (April)

54 The Hold SteadyTBD (Vagrant, Winter)

53 Twin ShadowTBD

52 CaribouTBD

51 Wye OakTBD (Merge)

50 TombsSavage Gold (Relapse, Spring)

49 Dum Dum GirlsToo True (Sub Pop, 1/28)

48 Linda PerhacsThe Soul Of All Natural Things (Asthmatic Kitty, 3/4)

47 Flying LotusTBD

46 PharrellTBD (Columbia)

45 Amber CoffmanTBD

44 Lana Del ReyUltraviolence (Interscope)

43 Angel OlsenBurn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar, 2/18)

42 The BugAngels And Devils (Ninja Tune)

41 WarpaintWarpaint (Rough Trade)

40 Stephen Malkmus & The JicksWig Out At Jagbags (Matador, 1/7)

39 Katy BLittle Red (Rinse/Columbia)

38 James Blake & Chance The RapperTBD

37 Damon AlbarnTBD (Warner Bros.)

36 U2TBD (April)

35 Hamilton LeithauserTBD

34 Real EstateTBD (Domino)

33 Julian CasablancasTBD

32 AlcestShelter (Prophecy, 1/21)

31 MigosY.R.N. 2 (January)

30 White LungTBD

29 EMAThe Future’s Void (Matador/City Slang, Spring)

28 Sam SmithIn The Lonely Hour (Columbia, 5/26)

27 Bat For LashesTBD (Warner Bros.)

26 Jessica PrattTBD

25 The War On DrugsLost In The Dream (Secretly Canadian, 3/18)

24 Modest MouseTBD

23 WilcoTBD (dBpm)

22 FutureHonest (Epic)

21 Sun Kil MoonBenji (Caldo Verde, 2/4)

20 St. VincentSt. Vincent (Republic, 2/25)

19 Charli XCXSuperLove (Atlantic, Spring)

18 Titus AndronicusTBD (XL)

17 GrimesTBD

16 SwansTBD (Young God)

15 TV On The RadioTBD

14 Run The JewelsRun The Jewels 2 (Fool’s Gold)

13 Fleet FoxesTBD

12 Fucked UpTBD (Matador, Spring)

11 RobynTBD

10 SpoonTBD

9 Against Me!Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble, 1/21)

8 Taylor SwiftTBD

7 AgallochTBD (Profound Lore, April)

6 The WrensTBD

5 Joanna NewsomTBD

4 Cloud NothingsTBD

3 Frank OceanTBD

2 BeckMorning Phase (Capitol, 2/14)

1 Kanye WestTBD (Summer)

So which albums are you anxiously awaiting? Are we mad to exclude Blur, or just realistic? Scrutinize the rankings and share your own picks in the comments. As usual, let’s all just assume Detox isn’t happening.

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