Disclaimer: Some of these lists are purely fictional and wish-lists only. Please don't think that some of these are going to come out in 2009. You're going to have to wait until 2010 for the GNT trilogy.
[Ben Czajkowski]
Dear God, there are so many artists and albums that are slated to find the light of day in 2009. I don't even know where to begin with my list. Here are the top 5 possible albums that I would be all over, probably with a pre-order for an awesome T-shirt.
Honorable Mentions: Eminem - Relapse, Aaron Lewis solo project, possibly a Corey Taylor solo album this year (just announced), how about something from Adema, Papa Roach, A Perfect Circle or Tool, and Rob Dougan for the love of Satan!
5. Oleander – TBA: I think it's about fucking time we heard from this band again. They've taken enough time off to let their mental juices percolate with ideas that will allow them to return and pump out another February Son. Their MySpace page promised a reunion of sorts, in 2009. I take that to mean an album will follow suit shortly thereafter. If you've never even heard of this band, they're pretty straight-line modern rock. Check them out, if you're looking for something good.
4. Mushroomhead – TBA: Mushroomhead is slated to release something new to the masses in the spring of 2009, as I commented in my news report, at the end of December. It's about damn time, considering how solid Savior Sorrow was. Volume II was a solid DVD, through and through, and it primed my gears for something new. I don't normally condone anything that comes out of Cleveland, being from Pittsburgh, but I think I can look past that flaw for this album and band.
3. Lamb of God – Wrath: Making a prediction now. This is going to be the best metal album of 2009. And it's going to come out in February; nothing for the rest of the year, even comes close to how grinding and throat-ripping this album is. Drummer Chris Adler said, "This album is going to surprise a lot of people. Typically bands that get to where we are in our career begin to slack off, smell the roses and regurgitate. We chose a different path. No one wants to hear another band member hyping a new record. Wrath needs no hype. We have topped ourselves and on February 24 you will feel it." Good enough for me. Randy Blythe, make my ears orgasm.
2. Mudvayne – TBA: The New Game is such an utter disappointment that it ruined my enjoyment of Mudvayne. The glimmer of hope from that aborted mess: that the band promises to release a new album this year. It's like they knew it was going to be a flop and recorded some noncommercial, creative material as an apology to fans. Wishful thinking, I know. Now, if it were free, we could kiss and make amends, so to speak.
1. Lacuna Coil – Shallow Life: There is no other album, slated for release right now, that I am quite literally counting down the days for. April 1, 2009 is when this album hits the shelves. Hopefully, this isn't a stupid gag because I will be livid. April's Fools Day has notoriously been a quirky day in the music industry, but this trickery would incite a riot.
[Chris Crowing]
Yeah, this is pretty much a who's who of the confirmed and rumored hard rock LPs to come out this year - although I'm also looking forward to the Coheed & Cambria Neverender DVD and the ever exciting possibility of a Metallica live album.
Honorable Mentions: Sepultura - A-Lex; Lamb of God - Wrath; Carcass - As Yet Untitled; Down - Down IV; Killswitch Engage - As Yet Untitled; Marilyn Manson - As Yet Untitled; Mastodon - Crack the Skye; Megadeth - As Yet Untitled; Rammstein - Shallow Life; Chris Cornell - Scream; Depeche Mode - As Yet Untitled; Iron Maiden - As Yet Untitled
5. As the Crow Flies - As Yet Untitled: To be honest I can't wait for my very own band (arrogant to name my column after my band isn't it...) to get our finger out and have that first shiny CD in our hands - all signs point to the summer following a busy springs gigging. I know you couldn't care less, but it's easily one of MY most anticipated albums of next year. Now onto the serious stuff....
4. Alice in Chains - As Yet Untitled: I came to AIC late, growing into my alt rock mere months before Layne Staley died, and I have since become a huge fan of their back catalogue, as well as Jerry Cantrell's solo work, and the work of bands influenced by AIC like Godsmack, Seether, and Metallica (it's true, it's damn true.) So the promise of a new AIC album intrigues me, especially how they go about
3. Deftones - Eros: For me Saturday Night Wrist was a bit of a letdown, and when I saw the Deftones last year, the set was held up by the old classics, as well as an unexpected r3endition of "Back to School." But I would never, EVER write them off, and I think they'll rebound from Chi Cheng's brush with tragedy with a masterpiece to rival White Pony. Wishful thinking, maybe but I love me some new Deftones....
2. Fear Factory - apparently titled Nong 7: I hear rumors that Dino is back, and I hear rumors that he isn't. I hear rumors that Christian is out, and I hear rumors that he isn't. Nonetheless, for all that Transgression disappointed me, I'll always get all sweaty palmed at the thought of a new Fear Factory album...
1. Biffy Clyro - As Yet Untitled - 2007's Puzzle was an amazing slice of alt rock, rocketing Biffy to right up there with the Foo Fighters and the like as one of my favorite acts. 2008 was a breakout year for the band, with high profile festival slots, moving into the arena level for their own headlining shows, and the stunning top ten single "Mountains." Now Biffy are reported to be heading into the studio to craft the follow up - and if it builds on what has gone before, with their characteristic Scots' wit and taste for invention then it'll be a clear contender for album of the year.
[Dan Marsicano]
5. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague: The death metal band's last album Kill was a fantastic release, one that had the aggression and brutality of their previous works, but with a much improved production value. Evisceration Plague should be another stellar release, if the band continues to fire on all cylinders.
4. Megadeth: 2007's United Abominations was a return to form for Dave Mustaine and company. The band had seemed to get back on track after a decade of wading through mediocre albums and a few failed experiments along the way (Risk). From early reports, the new album could be a hell of a thrash metal album; one can only dream. New guitarist Chris Broderick was awesome in Jag Panzer, so hopefully Dave uses his talent to the band's advantage.
3. Dream Theater: The New York progressive metal band has been going strong for over 20 years and their material seems to be getting better and better as the years go on. Systematic Chaos was a perfect blend of everything from the band's past four albums and their new one should be just as engaging.
2. Slayer: Christ Illusion was a decent affair, but it felt lacking from time to time of the craziness of their earlier stuff. My faith in the band was restored with a leaked version of a new track, "Psychopathy Red," which harkens back to Divine Intervention days. This one might get delayed until 2010, but I hope the band can get it out before the end of the year.
1. Between The Buried And Me: In late 2007, I heard Colors for the first time and fell head over heels for the progressive death metal band. The album is a perfect mesh of everything related to metal and the musicianship is at a high level. Even after a year-and-a-half, I haven't gotten sick of the album and I've started to get into their back catalog as well. If their new stuff can even equal half of what Colors turned out to be, we could be looking at the album of the year.
[Jeff Modzelewski]
5. Faith No More - The Courtney Love Years: Yes, Courtney Love was a member of Faith No More for about a week or so. Look it up. It's time we heard some of those recordings. It'll be a train wreck like never before.
4. AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Y'all: For years I've been saying that AC/DC are the masters of taking three songs and turning it into a career. With this, AC/DC are going to prove me wrong with a country-western masterpiece.
3. Guns and Roses - The Real Chinese Democracy (I Was Just Fuckin' With Ya): I still believe that there's no way that Axl could've spent 15 years working on "Chinese Democracy" and turned out that piece of garbage. Let's do it right this time.
2. Chimaira - The Infection: Figured I'd take the last 2 spots for albums I'm really excited about. "Resurrection" was Chimaira's best album to date, and I expect them to give another great performance with their new album that comes out in April. I'm especially excited about this album because they're recording a cover of "Conviction," a song that local Cleveland group Unified Culture (and State of Conviction) originally did. Plus, if I heard right, they brought in Jason "J-Mann" Popson to do some vocals on the track. Seriously, if you're a metal guy, you'll want this album.
1. Dave Matthews Band - TBA: Yeah, I lose all my metal credibility when I talk about DMB, but I don't care. They're an amazing group of musicians, and I'm hoping for something much better than their last effort. Since LeRoi Moore passed away in August, I don't know exactly what to expect, but I have high hopes. The songs that they've been playing on tour the past few years have been really good, and I know they've spent a lot of time on this one. This could be a great album.
[Jon Kinsey]
5. First release by Money Can't Buy Music: MCBM is the spoken word side project of ballboy leader Gordon Macintyre. This album hasn't got a title yet, and I'm not even sure if it will see the light of day this year, (Macintyre not only has two bands, but also works full time as a teacher, so his release schedules are notoriously sketchy) but I've been looking forward to it ever since the demo version of "The Ghosts" started floating around online a couple of years ago.
4. A solo album fromJason Lytle: The former Grandaddy frontman is rumoured to be in the studio and working on his first solo offering. My fingers are firmly crossed that we see this sometime this year. If not, I might cry.
3. Morrissey – Years of Refusal: I was never really a fan of the Smiths, but have, over the last six months or so, slowly got into Morrissey's solo stuff. I loved his last album Ringleader of the Tormentors and am quietly looking forward to his new release.
2. Bonnie Prince Billy – Beware: I'm a huge Will Oldham fan, so it goes without saying that I am pant-wettingly excited that his new album is less than three months away. The fact that this is released on my birthday makes it all the sweeter.
1. A new album from Tom Waits: Probably not, but you can't blame a guy for dreaming!
[Matt Shoemaker]
5. The Kris Norris Project- Icons of the Illogical: I am assuming this is Kris Norris, formerly of Darkest Hour. I had no idea he had split from the band, and a solo project could be great for him. He's an incredible guitarist, and while Darkest Hour did nothing but help his talent grow, I think some time alone in the spotlight could be pretty cool for him. His sweep solos are ridiculous, he's great with thrash riffs, and he's pretty fast. Depending on which musicians he works with, if any (He could very well just pull a Buckethead and do an album to show off his guitar skills), this could be a fantastic album.
4. The Autumn Offering- TBA: The Autumn Offering is slowly growing into a serious force to be reckoned with, especially after their last album, Fear Will Cast No Shadow. They added a new singer and a new drummer, and everything just got better for them, so I'm hoping they continue their trend of solid material this year.
3. Something by Nine Inch Nails: Hopefully, Trent adds a little more onto the Ghosts compilation, as that was one of my favorite albums of last year. His digital release scheme ensures people are going to log on and buy whatever he puts out, since he's been cutting out the middleman lately, releasing albums for (a minimum of) 5 bucks and absolutely nothing, referring to Ghosts I-IV and The Slip, respectively.
2. A new Apocalyptica album: I have no idea if the band plans to release new material this year, but their last release was in '07, so I figure they're about due for something new at some point this year. The Finnish cello metal band's last album was great, with collaborations from Till Lindemann of Rammstein, Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour, and Adam Gontier of Three Days Grace, plus a couple of others, not to mention a collaboration with Amon Amarth on their new album, so I can only imagine what big names they'll be able to pull for a new album.
1. A new Buckethead album: This dude's been my musical obsession as of late, and I seriously doubt he's going to go a full year without putting something new out. The guy is practically the Lil' Wayne of the rock genre, with credits on over 70 albums in the past 20 years. There's no way he's not showing up sometime this year.
[Michael Adler]
Honorable Mention: Ray Parker Jr.: Please, please, please Mr. Parker Jr., give us another album for 2009! You brought the goods with "Ghostbusters"; you have to be THE man that saves music in 2009!
5. U2 - No Line on the Horizon: It's U2, and thus by definition will be awesome. Some love to dump on the band, but they're still a vital and creative force in music today. I expect this album to be one of the top albums of 2009.
4. White Stripes - Some album with a ridiculous name: The White Stripes always put out quality stuff, and Wikipedia says Jack White's working on new stuff, in addition to a collaboration with Thom Yorke. It should be a blast.
3. Days of the New - Trees of Color: I think I may be the only Days of the New fan left, but apparently at some point they're putting out a new album, and there's some songs on myspace that sound pretty good. I give them credit for being the only Pearl Jam rip-off band to rise above their humble origins and start putting original music. And it's always cool being a fan of a band no one cares about/remembers/has heard of.
Tied for first and second: Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy Trilogy: Sebastian Bach claims there'll be more material released from the Chinese Democracy sessions, possibly a trilogy of sorts. I hope they come out this year. I loved Chinese Democracy 1: A New Hope, and feel that Chinese Democracy 2: Axl Strikes Back will be just as awesome. Chinese Democracy 3: The return of Slash will totally rock our world.
[Mitch Michaels]
5. Eminem - Relapse: When Eminem broke with "My Name Is", he managed to take mainstream hip-hop to the TRL audience. Since then, pop-rap has degraded from "The Way I Am" to "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and "Lollipop". I'm really looking forward to what Em has to say with a good amount of rest behind him and a whole new landscape of shitty rappers and pop bands to bust on.
4. Kanye West - TBD: Right now, Kanye's saying his next album will be out in June, which is just seven months after 808s & Heartbreak hit shelves. Now, we all know rap releases have a predisposition to change release dates a million times, but I still look for this to hit us before 2009 closes. So it begs the question - what will Kanye do? The guy's ego is too big to do anything to make us think he thinks the vocoder experiment was a mistake. So what new trend will Kanye try to show us is so cool? Rascal Flatts team-up, anyone?
3. Neil Young - Archives, Vol. 1: This fucking thing has been coming soon for like 20 years. Neil is now saying that it takes a medium with the storage power of Blu Ray to get it done right. I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Neil hasn't released a decent new studio album since....we'll say Broken Arrow in the 90's...so it'll be fun to bask in the greatness of the glory days again. And it will be a shitload of basking, obviously.
2. Dave Matthews Band - TBD: I gotta say it - DMB intrigues me. I haven't liked a studio album by them since Crash, but shit if they don't get it done live. It's odd that they simultaneously thrive on Top 40 singles and a ravenous concert crowd. Not a typical combination. Anyway, it'll be very interesting to see how they get it done after four years away from the studio and without their venerable saxist, the late LeRoi Moore.
1. Dr. Dre - Detox: Dr. Dre only has TWO FUCKING ALBUMS. How insane is that? He's like the Jimi Hendrix or Niravana of gangsta rap, only he's yet to get around to dying. Perhaps that's his greatest fear that keeps Detox constantly in production. Still, Dre says '09 is the year and I believe him, yo. I don't know why, but I do. And let's just forget that 2001 wasn't that great. The guy made The Chronic - 'nuff said.
[Patrick Robinson]
Ok, I'm going to cheat a little in that, in preparing this list, I came across a number of releases that I'm looking forward to, but too many to limit it to a Top 5. So, imagine my Honorable Mentions as numbers 6-10, with the first being number 10, decreasing in order to number 6.
Honorable Mentions: 50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct (I want to see him self destruct), Busta Rhymes - Back On My B.S. (no more name changes, give me an album), Bishop Lamont - The Reformation (only so low because of others on the list), Joe Budden - Padded Room (who else wants to see Joey go batshit insane, in a good way, on this release?), Royce Da 5'9" - Street Hop ("Executive Producer: DJ Premier. Enough said).
5. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3: Two things in particular are making this an anticipated album for me. The first is that Jay seems revitalized on his most recent appearances, and American Gangster, where he was allowed to flex his hustling muscles again certainly helped. The second is that Jay has always seemed to try harder on his Blueprint albums. Unfortunately, Jay also has a tendency to slack off after a critically acclaimed album, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here.
4. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV: Let the hate commence! Seriously though, this time two years ago, I was wishing Wayne would die in a fire, 12 months ago, I was coming round to his style, gaining an appreciation of sorts for it. Six months ago, I was praising his extremely unorthodox style, combined with his sincere moments on Tha Carter III. I'm looking forward to the next installment of his series because I want to believe that Tha Carter III wasn't a fluke. Call me crazy, but so long as this isn't preceded by 235 mixtapes, I'm sure my anticipation is only going to grow.
3. Eminem - Relapse: When you can successfully commandeer Dr. Dre and take him away from Detox, you know you're onto something good. Add to that the rumors of DJ Premier's involvement, a possible Royce reunion track and a collaboration track with T.I. dealing with their alter egos, and I'm damn excited. It's been four years since Encore, which had some shining moments largely clouded by weak lyricism and often non-existent subject matter, so I'm hoping that the break has given him time to recuperate and focus.
2. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2: This and my number 1 choice are probably not going to be released next year, as they're getting to the point of becoming a running joke in hip-hop. His last two albums have been alright, but nothing truly memorable as his debut album was. The list of producers attached to the project so far is nothing short of terrifying in terms of quality - RZA, Dr. Dre, J Dilla, DJ Scratch, Mathematics, Erick Sermon, Marley Marl and Pete Rock have all been named. If his last few guest appearances are any indication, he's still got ‘it' and in particular, "Bulletproof Diaries" on L.A.X. has me really looking forward to this album.
1. Dr. Dre - Detox: Ah, the Chinese Democracy of hip-hop, although I don't think we can make that association anymore given Guns N' Roses actually got their album out. We've been promised this album every year since Encore came out and Eminem said they were "making Dre do it". His last two albums have essentially spearheaded new sounds in terms of production in hip-hop, so there's high expectations there. There's also the fact that the guest list seems to be growing by the day, with more and more premier artists appearing to get tracks on the album. To be honest, I don't expect this or Raekwon's album to actually be released this year, mainly because I think that would be like having seventeen Christmases come at once, and the overload would probably kill me. But hey, maybe it was planned from the start. With 50 Cent, Eminem and now Dre set to come out, it looks like 2009 is going to belong to the Aftermath crew.
[Paul Hollingsworth]
Honorable Mentions: U2- I'm curious to see just how much, if anything, U2 has left in their musical well. Chris Cornell - There's something fascinating about watching a musician abandon everything he's known for and trying something new. . . fascinating in a car-crash kind of way. Mos Def - One of the more interesting rappers around, his albums seldom disappoint. Ciara - A new Ciara album means new Ciara videos, which always make me happy.
5. Prince - According to the 411mania intertubes, Prince will release three albums this year. Hopefully, at least one of them will be more like Planet Earth and less like everything else he's released in the last ten or fifteen years.
4. Bruce Springsteen - The Boss has been on a roll since Devils and Dust, and I look for more late-career goodness from the man. The involvement of Little Steven and the rest of the E-Street Band only adds to my anticipation.
3. Neko Case - Go and find a picture of the album cover for Neko's upcoming album, Middle Cyclone. Go on, I'll wait. Awesome, huh? How can an album cover like that not contain some great tunes? It also doesn't hurt that Neko's last album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, was one of my favorites of 2006.
2. Dr. Dre - Almost in the same mythical category as Guns 'n Roses' Chinese Democracy, this long delayed album is scheduled for release sometime this year. It's been forever since Dre has put out an album on his own, and it should be interesting, at the very least.
1. Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth is scheduled to release its first album in three years. I've been a fan of SY since college, and after drifting away for a while, they returned with a vengeance on Rather Ripped. I'm hoping for a great album from one of the greatest bands ever.
Here are my biggest picks for 2009. I missed out on so much last year, so this year, I'm putting my name on the waiting list early. So here it is...
4. DJ Premier - Man Of Few Words: Premier has been promising this album for years...almost as long as Dre promised DETOX. Hopefully, Premier delivers this year. It's been a long time since he produced an entire album, and with Guru acting like a punk these days (neither of them have spoken with each other in years), Premier has no excuse. He needs to hurry up and bring it.
2. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2: Another album that fools have been promising for years. Raekwon has spent years trying to live up to CUBAN LINX part 1, only to find that it's a Mt. Everest-level task. But then again, working with lots of mediocre producers all these years, it would be a difficult enough task to come up with a half-way DECENT album, much less an album that's on par with CUBAN LINX. Let's hope that Ghost helps him out as far as beat selection goes. CUBAN LINX was a springboard for both Rae & Ghost, and if CUBAN LINX 2 is to be a success, they both need to work together.
5. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand: Early reviews have been very encouraging, with the general consensus being that it's their best work to date. That's a mighty big statement, considering how great their predecessors have been.
4. U2 - No Line on the Horizon: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was probably U2's best album since Achtung Baby. After 15 years of pussyfooting around, U2 finally made a straight up rock record. I don't really know if this new album will retain that sound, but U2 albums are rarely bad, so at the very least it should be decent.
3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3: The Blueprint is, in my opinion, one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. The same can't be said about The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, but its predecessor stands as one of the most celebrated and acclaimed hip-hop albums ever recorded. Like the first two, Kanye West is, once again, handling production duties. Hopefully this will sound more like the first one rather than the second.
2. Radiohead - TBA: Maybe if I knew a little bit more about this album, it would be #1, but I don't even know if they're putting another album out this year. I remember reading somewhere that after their 2008 tour was over, they would head back into the studio and record new material. Who knows if that's the case, but a new Radiohead album is always welcome in my collection.
1. Silversun Pickups - Swoon: I bought a copy of Carnavas on a whim about a year ago. I heard "Lazy Eye" on the radio and really liked it, but I hadn't planned on buying the album. But I ended up buying the album on iTunes and immediately loved it. Swoon promises to be a "fucking loud" record but also a "quiet and delicate" one at the same time. I really hope this album is up to the standard of Carnavas, which has quickly become one of my all-time favorite albums.
5. U2 - No Line in the Horizon (Release Date - February 27): This one is sure to be another monster album, though I would kind of like to hear the Rick Rubin produced songs that were completely scrapped.
4. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – TBD: They have some new songs on their MySpace page. They promise a release sometime this year. Personally, the Bosstones were my favorite band as a teenager. Being from the area I got to see them before they blew up nationally. I guess we're in for a ska revival this year with the Bosstones, No Doubt (not that I'd call them ska anymore), Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake all releasing records this year.
3. Beastie Boys – TBA (Release Date - May 2009): I always get excited about a Beastie Boys album, but the last two I kind of out grew them. The pure hip hop they have been recording could use an infusion of rock they used in the 90s and on their earlier recordings.
2. Taking Back Sunday - New Again (Release date - April 14): According to their website, they are putting the finishing touches on a new album to be released this year. I have always liked their distinct way of harmonizing so I am very excited about this record. My only question is will the new guy Matt Fazzi of Facing New York be better than Fred?
1. Green Day - TBA: According to Alternative Press, Green Day is working hard on its next album with producer Butch Vig (of Garbage, producer Nirvana's Nevermind). It will be interesting to see where they go after the oodles of praise they received from American Idiot. Personally, I think the success of American Idiot will not be matched because of that album was released at a perfect, while this one will be solid, just not in the consciousness of everyone.
Honorable Mentions: If you have any...
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