As 2008 comes to a close, we at Stranger Dance are starting to look forward to what 2009 holds. A number of our favorite artists (Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Wilco, etc.) have confirmed upcoming albums and even more are flirting with the idea.
A few things stuck out to us while compiling this this. First, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy promises his “biggest and most ambitious album” to date. The New Pornographers crew have obviously been busy with a new release scheduled for the group as well as members A.C. Newman and Neko Case (no word on an upcoming Destroyer album).
On the hip-hop front, Jay-Z is set to drop his third post-retirement album and we finally get to hear Detox and Relapse the long-awaited album from Dr. Dre and Eminem, respectively.
Below is a list of confirmed albums with release dates and MP3 samples where available (sorry Animal Collective fans, but…).
[Click on any column to re-sort]
| Date | Artist | Album | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/6/09 | Glasvegas | Glasvegas | "Daddy's Gone" |
| 1/6/09 | The Gourds | Haymaker! | |
| 1/12/09 | Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavilion | |
| 1/20/09 | A.C. Newman | Get Guilty | "There are Maybe 10 or 12" |
| 1/20/09 | Andrew Bird | Noble Beast | Stream entire album here |
| 1/20/09 | Bon Iver | Blood Bank [EP] | "Blood Bank" |
| 1/20/09 | Or, the Whale | Light Poles and Pines | "Isn't She Awful" |
| 1/20/09 | Antony & the Johnsons | The Crying Light | |
| 1/20/09 | John Frusciante | The Empyrean | "Unreachable" |
| 1/27/09 | Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band | Working on a Dream | |
| 2/3/09 | Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele | The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele | "Meet Me in the Garden" |
| 2/9/09 | Mos Def | The Ecstatic | |
| 2/10/09 | Dan Auerbach | Keep it Hid | "The Prowl" |
| 2/16/09 | Beirut | March of the Zapotec and Realpeople Holland | |
| 2/16/09 | Morrissey | Years of Refusal | |
| 2/17/09 | Alela Diane | To Be Still | "White as Diamonds" |
| 2/17/09 | Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit | Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit | |
| 3/3/09 | Neko Case | Middle Cyclone | |
| 3/10/09 | Handsome Furs | Face Control | |
| 3/16/09 | Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | Beware | |
| 3/24/09 | Dan Decon | Bromst | |
| 3/24/09 | The Decemberists | Hazards of Love | |
| 3/31/09 | Great Lake Swimmers | Lost Channels |
In addition to the confirmed releases above, here’s a list of expected releases without release dates currently:
