S. Carey, Range of Light (April 1, JagJaguWar)
What: Bon Iver member/multi-instrumentalist/classically trained folky Sean Carey’s 2nd LP
Where: Eau Claire, WI
Sounds Like: Sensitive bros sitting around a lake, reflecting on life, sipping PBR’s, and shit.
Giddy-O-Meter: 8/10
Four years since his ornate, orchestral-folk debut, All We Grow, Carey returns with a gorgeous, reflective follow-up.
Gucci Mane & Young Thug, Young Thugga Mane La Flare (April 1, Brick Squad)
What: Atlanta iconoclast/trap poet laureate vs. the City’s most fascinating, promising young weirdo
Where: (Only in) Atlanta, GA
Sounds Like: A garbage fire at a gas station.
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.2/10
The indomitable Gucci may have finally met his match, as he takes on the most generally combustible, original, exciting MC to emanate from the scene since the Guwop himself came up nearly 10 years ago.
Pure X, Angel (April 1, Fat Possum)
What: The mopey, pastoral slowcore four-piece’s third LP.
Where: Austin, TX
Sounds Like: Smoking waaaay too many cigarettes.
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.5/10
Fresh off 2013’s ace, Crawling up the Stairs, the mellifluous Texans return with another emotional-yet-chill effort. Great for: drinking beers in the summer with friends, weeping in the winter by yourself.
Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, Enter the Slasher House (April 8, Domino)
What: The second solo LP from the Animal Collective frontman
Where: Los Angeles, CA via Brooklyn, NY via Baltimore, MD
Sounds Like: 3 parts weird. 1 part pop.
Giddy-O-Meter: 9/10
Animal Collective member makes super weird/potentially brilliant solo album. Maybe you’ve heard this one before?
EMA, The Future’s Void (April 8, Matador)
What: The post-rock, ultra-feeling sharer’s follow up to 2011’s star-making, Past Life Martyred Saints
Where: Los Angeles, CA via Sioux Falls, SD
Sounds Like: Unfiltered, cathartic lyrics meets uncompromising wall of sound
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.5/10
Past Life Martyred Saints was a harrowing, moving journey through Erika M. Anderson’s psyche, and The Furture’s Void looks set to continue down the same path.
SZA – Z (April 8, TDE)
What: The first lady of TDE’s long-awaited full-length debut
Where: Maplewood, NJ
Sounds Like: Solange, with a much better voice
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.3/10
Though details of Z are scarce, we do know that it will pack experimental, genre-pushing songwriting with cathartic lyricism, swooning melodies, and that voice.
SOHN, Tremors (April 8, 4AD)
What: The long-awaited debut LP from the electro-tinged, experimental pop vocalist
Where: Vienna, AUS via London, UK
Sounds Like: Mantric, confessional sensitive-bro R&B
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.2/10
After tantalizing us with tasty single after tasty single, the shadowy, velvety-voiced singer finally grants us a close up. If the rest of Tremors is as good as the singles we’ve already heard, it’s going to be special.
Ratking, So it Goes (April 8, XL)
What: The long-rumored debut LP from the mischievous hip-hop outfit
Where: New York City
Sounds Like: A modern take on the classic NYC sound
Giddy-O-Meter: 10/10
The word “old soul” gets thrown around a lot, but the rising NYC collective certainly shows a depth that belies their years. Whether it’s the tongue/brain-twising flow of Wiki (am I the only one who hears Skinnyman?) or the evocative soul beats, everything about them feels classic. I cannot wait for this one.
Teebs, E S T A R A (April 8, Brainfeeder)
What: The experimental producer’s proper follow-up to 2010’s breakthrough, Ardour
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Sounds Like: Esoteric, heavily-layered beat music
Giddy-O-Meter: 9/10
It’s been a few years since we’ve heard a full statement from the mercurial beatsmith, but early returns on E S T A R A are incredibly positive. Few artists can match Teebs’ craft, as he meticulously builds compositions with every element inserted to support the groove.
Lewis, L’Amour (April 8, Light in the Attic)
What: One of the great, forgotten albums of the 80s finally gets a second life
Where: ?
Sounds Like: Delicate, gorgeous heartbreak
Giddy-O-Meter: 10/10
I hadn’t heard of this record until the always-reliable Light in the Attic announced the re-release. What I found was a fascinating fragment from a bygone time and a man quietly pouring out his soul over soft synths and delicate acoustic guitar. An album that will gently sweep you away.
Ramona Lisa, Arcadia (April 15, Terrible)
What: The debut solo LP from Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek
Where: Brooklyn, NY
Sounds Like: Orchestral, experimental neo-new wave
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.2/10
The Charilift vocalist gets her Chris Gaines on — creating a new professional identity and exploring a new sound. Pastoral, emotional, and quasi-devotional, early returns indicate that it will be one of the most distinctive LPs of the year.
August Alsina, Testimony (April 15, Radio Killa)
What: The R&B lothario’s long-awaited debut full-length
Where: New Orleans, LA
Sounds Like: Boner Jams Y’all
Giddy-O-Meter: 10/10
One of the best young singers in the game, Alsina has been taught well by his mentor, The-Dream. Boasting one of the truest voices around and swag that can only be measured by the barrel, the 21 year-old is ready for his close-up.
Fear of Men, Loom (April 22, Kanine)
What: The brainy Brits’ proper follow-up to 2013’s excellent singles collection, Early Fragments
Where: Brighton, UK
Sounds Like: Reverb-soaked, lo-fi feelings
Giddy-O-Meter: 9/10
After being snared by 2012’s gorgeous, “Mosaic,” I’ve enjoyed watching the young, dream-pop leaning crew grow up. Loom looks to be a big step forward.
Future, Honest (April 22, Epic)
What: The album that anyone who cares about rap has been waiting for.
Where: Atlanta, GA
Sounds Like: Greatness
Giddy-O-Meter: 20/10
I’ll spare you the hyperbole, but make no mistake, this is important. If Honest is a smash, it catapults him from a rising, eccentric artist to the young hip-hop elite (aka: Drake status). It’s a huge weight, but the outrageously talented 30 year-old has some of the broadest shoulders in music.
Jacques Greene, Phantom Vibrate (April 29, LuckyMe)
What: An evocative, 3-song set from the fast-rising producer/DJ
Where: NYC via Montreal, Canada
Sounds Like: A little bit house, a little bit R&B, a little bit electro (not EDM). In other words, what’s happening right fucking now.
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.5/10
At just 20 years old, the Canadian has already established himself as an accomplished producer, DJ, and songwriter. His cuts jump effortlessly from genre to genre, and very few producers treat vocals with such care and craft. The kid’s a star.
Sd Laika, That’s Harakiri (April 29, Tri Angle)
What: The next-level new release from the always-progressive Tri Angle
Where: Somewhere in Wisconsin
Sounds Like: Heavy machinery you can (sort of) dance to. Kinda sexy, super terrifying.
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.5/10
The uncompromising, relentless producer’s first LP for Tri Angle might not be that fun to listen to, but it will be fascinating. His music lives somewhere between industrial and house, bludgeoning you into submission. I feel like this record was probably on repeat in Rust Cohle’s storage locker.
Movement, Movement EP (April 29, Modular)
What: The Aussie trio’s sensual, hypnotic debut EP
Where: Sydney, AUS
Sounds Like: A dancefloor-oriented Rhye
Giddy-O-Meter: 9/10
We round off the list with the lusty tones of Movement. Following up on the languid magic of their 2013 singles “Feel Real/Us,” the group crafts hypnogogic, lights-out jams with just enough oomph to keep you from falling asleep.
