The Cave Singers – No Witch (2/22 Jagjaguwar)
Welcome Joy was a much underestimated and under appreciated album in 2009. Let's hope that 2011 gets The Cave Singers the recognition that they deserve. Listen to the first single, “Swim Club”, here.
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (1/18 Capitol)
Some indie rock snobs might think that The Decemberists sold out with The Crane Wife and subsequently jumped the shark with The Hazards of Love but just hold tight, something tells me that they're going to return to old times with The King Is Dead. Listen to “Down By The Water” here.
Iron and Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean (1/25 Warner Bros.)
Iron and Wine will either send me over the moon or break my heart with this one. We've heard “Walking Far From Home”, which incorporates more electronics than we're used to hearing out of Sam Beam but maybe that will be a good turn to take.
DeVotchKa – 100 Lovers (2/15 ANTI)
Three years is a long time to wait for a follow up to an album. Luckily this Colorado crew seem like they're going to make it worth the wait. Listen to “Contrabanda” here.
/a>John Vanderslice
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John Vanderslice took a new approach to his next album. Instead of spending weeks and months in the studio, he spent a grand total of 3 days with Minna Choi and her Magik*Magik Orchestra. Get a little taste here.
Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours (1/24)
It seems that most of the time these “most anticipated album” end up no where on the end of the year top ten lists. But something tells me that Mine Is Yours will be a contender next year. Listen to the first two singles here and here.
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing (3/1 Paper Bag Records)
The Rural Alberta Advantage took the indie forum by storm in 2009 and have continued their upward progress ever since then. Hometowns made its way onto a number of top ten lists that year and put on one hell of a tour.
Bright Eyes – The People’s Key (2/15 Dangerbird)
Supposedly this is going to be Conor O'Berst's retirement release. My assumption is that he's not retiring but just moving beyond Bright Eyes and onto bigger things.
The Mars Volta – TBD
This one has been spinning around the rumor mill lately. In a few different interviews Rodriguez-Lopez has mentioned that the follow up album to Octahedron has been put on hold because he felt that it was “boring”. So we'll see.
Fleet Foxes – TBD
Fleet Foxes were on the list last year as well. Initially the thought was that the new album would come out in the second half of 2010 but with just a few weeks left in the year, something tells me that's not going to happen. So we'll hold onto hope for 2011.
The Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck (3/29 Merge)
The Mountain Goats are probably one of the most consistent bands in indie rock. They just keep on cranking out great album after great album.
