Melody Maker’s Most Anticipated for 2017
2016 was a crazy, crazy year for music. It seemed like every artist in the world released an album this year. It also seemed like every artist in the world died this year as well. But nonetheless, the end of 2016 has come along. So now it’s time to look forward into 2017 and see what the next year has to offer us. I give to you, the albums I am most anticipating for 2017.
TOOL:
The wait for Tool’s follow up to their 2006 album 10,000 Days has been a very, very, very, very long one. There has been a rumor every year since 2012 saying this thing was coming out, but 2017 feels like it might actually be the year. One thing keeping Tool from making progress completing the album was a lawsuit the guys were in the middle of. The lawsuit was finally settled and ever since the mid-later part of 2016, they have been hard at work completing this thing. According to the few people who have heard parts of the album along with Tool themselves, the music is amazing. The end of the wait is near.
Ty Segall – Ty Segall:
The second eponymous and ninth overall album by garage rock titan Ty Segall is set to be released January 27. It’s the follow up to his 2016 release Emotional Mugger, which happened to be one of my favorite albums of the year. Based on the first single released for the album, “Orange Color Queen,” it’s looking like this might be one of the mellower albums in Segall’s ever-growing discography, similar to Sleeper. As a fan of Sleeper, and pretty much all things Ty Segall, I cannot help but get amped for this release.
Sampha – Process
This young man has started to get a bit of press after being featured on music by artists including Drake, Kanye West, Solange, and Frank Ocean. Process will be Sampha’s debut album and is set to be released February 3rd. Sampha does not have too many songs to offer as far as his own discography goes, but based on his EP Dual released in 2013 and the singles “Blood on Me” and “Timmy’s Prayer” released earlier this year, this album has the potential to be a real beauty and a breakout for Sampha.
Reignwolf –
I discovered Reignwolf randomly a few years ago on YouTube one day after watching one of his KEXP concerts and was instantly hooked. Then I saw him at the Troubadour the following summer and that show is still one of the best shows I have been to. Reignwolf, aka Jordan Cook, completely embodies everything rock n’ roll. His monstrous roars and howls accompany his incredible guitar virtuosity and his impeccable, fearless stage presence. Reignwolf is the savior that rock needs right now. However, fans have been anxiously waiting for him to release his debut album for years now. The official debut was set to be released fall of 2016, however it has not yet been released. Hopefully, 2017 will be the year Reignwolf finally releases that damn album.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana and four other albums
Along with having one of the most fun band names to say, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is also one of the more creative bands out there today. Every album is drastically different from the last, ranging from blazing garage rock, to acoustic psych-pop, to relentless, bombastic jams. They’re also prolific. How prolific you ask? Well, they’re planning to release five freakin’ albums in 2017. The first of the five is titled Flying Microtonal Banana, and as the title suggests, this album features experimentation with microtones. The two singles released so far, “Rattlesnake” and “Nuclear Fusion,” are droning, fantastic jams. Flying Microtonal Banana is looking to greatly excite the music nerd in me and I heavily look forward to spinning this album. The album is set to be released February 24th.
Schoolboy Q
I never thought too much about Schoolboy Q. He never struck me as a bad rapper, but never amazed me either. Oxymoron was fairly underwhelming to me as well, so that didn’t improve my impression of him either. Then Blank Face LP came out. This album surprised the hell out of me. It was some of the most epic, bumpin’ rap to come out in 2016 (just don’t tell Magic Fingers that). What was even more surprising was what Schoolboy Q posted on Instagram after he capped off the Blank Face tour. And I quote, “BLANKFACE TOUR IS OVER.... new album 2017 fuck a break I'm already ready.” If the next Schoolboy Q album is nearly as good as Blank Face, then I’m already ready as well.
Zack De La Rocha:
Zack has been fairly quiet since the disbandment of Rage Against the Machine in 2000. There were talks ever since the disbanding that he was working on a solo album. Then, on September 8th, the excellent track “Digging for Windows” produced by Run the Jewels’s El-P was released. Finally, Zack De La Rocha is going to release a full album of material, and the rumored line-up so far is friggin’ stacked. Trent Reznor, DJ Shadow, and Questlove are all rumored to have production contributions on this album.
Gorillaz:
It’s been 6 years since multi-media band Gorillaz released Plastic Beach. I think everyone can agree that’s long enough. Luckily, people eager for a new Gorillaz album don’t have to wait too much longer. In recent interviews, Gorillaz leader Damon Albarn mentioned the album would be done “fairly soon.” Along with this, animator Jamie Hewlett has said that the new album is slated for a 2017 release. Like their previous albums, the guest list is already looking pretty amazing. People like Jean Michel Jarre, Vic Mensa, De La Soul, and Snoop Dogg have all been seen working with Albarn and Hewlett.
LCD Soundsystem:
It all started with a Consequence of Sound article in October 2015. The article threw the internet in a frenzy claiming LCD was coming back and headlining major music festivals. Then on Christmas Eve that year, LCD released a Christmas song, exciting people even more. Then finally, it all became clear in January that an LCD Soundsystem tour and new album were imminent. There hasn’t been too many details given about the new album so far, but we know that it is definitely being worked on due to the band canceling their Asian and Australian tours to work on it.
Dan Auerbach:
I’m a Dan Auerbach fan boy, deal with it. While the last couple Black Keys releases have not excited me too much, Auerbach has given me more than enough to love with his side project The Arcs. This solo album will be Auerbach’s second solo album, the first being 2009’s Keep It Hid. I was very fond of Keep It Hid, and can only hope that this new record will have some of that sweet white-boy soul that I have come to love from Dan.
Wild Shots:
These are a few shots in the dark that have a very low chance of happening but a dreamer can dream.
Kendrick/J Cole Collab:
The talks of a collab album from Kendrick Lamar and J Cole have been around for a while. The world thought that we would see this album after Kendrick and J Cole released freestyles over each other’s beats on Black Friday in 2015. Many people speculated that it would come out February 2016 after a vague line in J Cole’s freestyle mentioned to wait for the month. Alas, February has gone and went, and a bunch of other months have gone and went too, and still no album. However, in an interview with Ab-Soul on the Breakfast Club, he stated that the two have been “working on that motherfucker for a while.” Maybe we will experience the release of this album eventually, maybe we won’t.
Madvillain:
I know this a complete shot in the dark, but MF DOOM and Madlib are releasing the single “Avalanche” along with an MF DOOM action figure. In a 2012 interview, DOOM did claim that the follow-up to the legendary Madvillainy was almost done, so there are definitely unheard Madvillain songs waiting to be unclovered. While those talks have been shot down by Madlib since, a dreamer can still dream. Luckily, a new DOOM-related project may be on the horizon. DOOM brought back his King Geedorah persona to release a mix for Solid Steel and the mix had a few new DOOM tracks on it.
Anderson .Paak:
This man had an absolute monster year in 2016. Releasing one of the best albums of the year, being featured on endless albums ranging from Schoolboy Q to Dre to Chance the Rapper to Macklemore, to releasing another excellent album with Knxwledge as NxWorries, this man really did it all. In interviews dating back to January, .Paak said that he had been recording with Flying Lotus. While a proper follow up to Malibu is improbable for a 2017 release, the fact that Anderson .Paak is already getting ready for a new album is very pleasing news.
