Albums I'm Looking Forward to in 2014

Here are some releases coming out this year that I'm very excited about:

Banks - Jillian Banks released two EPs in 2013 and they were awesome. Besides touring with the Weeknd, she drawn some serious comparisons to the Weeknd's dark R&B vibe along with Lana Del Rey's voice and Fiona Apple's style. "Waiting Game" and "Brain" are awesome - in fact, "Brain" is one of my favorite tracks of 2014 thus far. Here's Bank's single "Brain" - Spotify: Banks - Brain

New Blink-182 LP - Word on the street is that these guys are back in the studio and ready to drop a new album this summer. Hopefully they will do something more adventurous than Neighborhoods which is a boring pop-release with a couple stand-out tracks, in my view.

Charli XCX - I loved the hell out of Charli's LP True Romance and 2014 sees her right back at the studio grind. If her last album was not enough, then check out the lead single "Superlove" off her as yet untitled LP slated for release this summer. Looks quite good.

Coldplay - Ghost Stories - Coming out May 19th - I'm very much looking forward to this album exactly not because of Mylo Xyloto which, for me, was a mediocre album at best. Rather, I've seriously dug both of the songs Coldplay has released from their upcoming LP. Check them out below. My preliminary worry is that they released the two best songs on a nine song album and there will be nothing worthy of note when this thing comes out in May. Time will tell. Here is the track listing:

1. Always In My Head
2. Magic
3. Ink
4. True Love
5. Midnight
6. Another's Arms
7. Oceans
8. A Sky Full Of Stars
9. O

Track 2, Magic:

Track 5, Midnight:

Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots - out on April 28th - Damon Albarn is the front man of post-Britpop outfit Blur, as well as the quite famous virtual rock/hip-hop/electronic band Gorillaz. Need I say more? I'm especially interested in seeing where Albarn takes his music. Subdued-darkness? Who knows. Check out the latest single below. Here's the tracklist:

1. Everyday Robots
2. Hostiles
3. Lonely Press Play
4. Mr. Tembo (featuring The Leytonstone City Mission Choir)
5. Parakeet
6. The Selfish Giant (featuring Natasha Khan - A.K.A. Bat for Lashes)
7. You and Me
8. Hollow Ponds
9. Seven High
10. Photographs (You are Taking Now)
11. The History of a Cheating Heart
12. Heavy Seas of Love (featuring Brian Eno & The Leytonstone City Mission Choir)

Track 3, Lonely Press Play:

Track 1, Everyday Robots:

Death Grips - The Money Store is my favorite album of the last 40 years. NO LOVE DEEP WEB and Government Plates were not as good, but they were still pretty awesome. As random as ever, I imagine Death Grips will randomly release an album this year. I hope they do something different and equally or more insane than their releases in the past.

Kanye West - I've heard that Yeezus 2 is happening this year, and I sincerely hope that this is the case. No matter how much he talks out his ass in interviews, I look forward to where Kanye will take his sound next especially with the bombshell that he has invited James Blake to collaborate with him. For now, check out the trailer for the Yeezus tour movie coming out in the next few months:

Kendrick Lamar - This tweet came from TDE: “WE RAN 2013 WITH OUT DROPPING 1 ALBUM. I WONDER WUTS GONE HAPPEN IN 2014 WHEN I DROP 6.. THEY NOT READY 4 THIS #TDE #HiiiPoWeR TAKE OVER.” Dare I assume one of those albums is going to be Kendrick's sophmore LP? Only Schoolboy and Isaiah Rashad have dropped LPs thus far - that leaves 4 to go. A man can dream.

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence - Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) is reportedly producing or at least heavily influencing Lana's LP coming out this summer. I actually liked Born to Die quite a bit, and I'm totally not ashamed of that fact. I even like the short film Tropico she did. Ultraviolence should be a quite enjoyable listen, more than likely even better than Born to Die.

The Roots - And Then You Shoot Your Cousin - How I Got Over was the best Roots record in their entire discography, Undun is a favorite of mine as well. Oh, and their the Tonight Show band. I hope they keep up the good work with some sick tracks on this new LP. I have no reason to think otherwise.