2016 has been a little lacklustre for music, with the charts being awash with mediocrity and very few in the way of great albums that demand to be listened to again and again.
It’s a shame that in a year so beset by truly terrible new events that there’s been little in the way of pick-me-ups to help the masses cope.
But the famine of 2016 will make way for the feast of 2017, and there’s so many albums coming out next year that leave me so excited for what’s to come.
I count no fewer than 12 albums I’m looking forward to, with around half of those releases being set in stone and the other half being confident guesses based on artists’ history and noise from the newswires this year.
So let’s have a look at the albums I’m most excited for in 2017:
CHVRCHES
CHVRCHES have been my band of the moment for a good few years now, with their first album Bones being a masterpiece and the follow-up Every Open Eye being pretty darn good in itself.
The band haven’t been shy about their excitement to work on a new album, or #CHV3 as they’re affectionately calling it, and with no tour planned next year and a regular 2-year cycle between their albums so far it seems very likely that Autumn next year will be time for another slice of 80s nostalgia mixed with the best of modern music.
Song to set the scene: “Clearest Blue”
Paramore
Paramore’s self-titled fourth album dropped in 2013, being the first to go without the Farro brothers’ whose sound dominated the background of Hayley Williams’ signature vocals. It wasn’t quite the same without them, but there were a couple of good tunes that made the album worthwhile.
Years have gone by though and Zac Farro will be back on the drums as the group release another album, presumably sometime next year. It’ll be great to see what they can produce with the combination of their mature sound and the vibrant drum style they had before.
Song to set the scene: “Still Into You”
Clean Bandit
Despite losing major band member Neil Milan earlier this year, Clean Bandit have gone on to brand new successes – with their single “Rockabye” currently on a 5-week run at the top of the charts, which has only been bested by Drake’s “One Dance” in 2016.
“Rockabye” isn’t one of their best in my opinion, and it has me pining for their more underground styles of their debut album New Eyes, but it isn’t to say that the band will lose their touch altogether.
It’ll have been three years in 2017 since that album launched, so it’s a relatively safe bet that the band will be working on a new LP to share with the masses and capitalise on their recent chart success. I’m delighted for them, and I really hope they can deliver some classic songs like last time.
Song to set the scene: “Tears” (feat. Louisa Johnson)
Sub Focus
Drum and bass has gone through fits and starts of popularity, with one artist paving a way for another, and Sub Focus might have just been the predecessor to Sigma’s current reign as the chart’s darling for D&B.
The once and future king return’s next year though with a follow-up to Torus, which had some incredible songs packed with emotion and rhythm that I still play over and over again now.
The first single from said album, “Love Divine”, isn’t perfect though – so it’s not unbridled enthusiasm I have at the moment, but I have faith that there’ll be a few more chart-oriented tunes that will break through and do justice to the fantastic ability he has at his disposal.
Song to set the scene: “Love Divine”
Kacey Musgraves
The fresh face of country delighted us once again this year with a Christmas album delivered in a signature style that made old classics and new favourites shine.
Both of Musgraves’ two “mainstream” studio albums have gone on to critical acclaim and it stands to reason that another will come out next year as well to capitalise on her rising star status.
What’s great though is that even though she’s got hits under her belt she still wants to take a risk, and there’s good reason to believe that the next album will take a different tack from what’s going before too – so it’ll be really interesting to see how she manages to blend the traditional country, modern pop and any other style she plans on working into record number 3 (if it’s to come next year)
Song to set the scene: “Ribbons and Bows”
Galantis
It wasn’t until the turn of the year that I finally listened to Galantis’ breakthrough album Pharmacy and discovered what a great dance record it was. Buried among the tunes that catapulted them onto the world stage were some gems that fit their happy and bubbly nature along with some phenomenal guest stars like Dragonette.
They’ve released a couple of singles this year, but there’s been no Galantis album 2 as of yet, but that’s something I hope will change come 2017, with an album most definitely in the works.
Song to set the scene: “Love On Me” (feat. Hook ‘n Sling)
Porter Robinson
Worlds wasn’t only an important album for Porter Robinson, but I truly think it changed the way that I and many others thought about dance music. It blended classic EDM tropes with Japanese culture and a sort of storytelling that felt almost other-worldly in a way that almost no other music has thought to accomplish before or since.
Again, while there’s no concrete proof here of anything new on the horizon, Porter’s tweets about delighting in making music suggest that there’s something brewing in his amazing musical mind. He said back in 2015 that if he was to make something new it’d be more in the mould of Worlds than anything we see on the market at the time, and if it’s another blast of fresh air then it would sit very nicely in the pantheon of albums slated for 2017.
Song to set the scene: “Shelter” (with Madeon)
Alesso
Alesso might be only 25, but it seems as though he’s been on the dance music scene forever. His last album, Forever, spawned so many amazing tunes that was barely out of the charts in one way or another for about two years, so his soaring brand of EDM is rarely far from the dancefloor.
He’s returned in September with some new music that, while lacking the punch of what’s gone before, shows there’ll be something bigger to come in 2017. Another big dance album might seem like it’d flood the market, but with other Swedish DJs like Avicii seemingly hanging up their headphones – Alesso might be the one to top them all once more.
Song to set the scene: “Take My Breath Away”
Disclosure
Unlike most others on this list, Disclosure did put out new music in 2016 – with a surprise EP in June called Moog for Love adding three new tracks to their repertoire. While for the most part it followed a similar pattern to last year’s Caracal, with slightly slower tones that we’d expected from the band’s smash hit album Settle, the highlight tune of “Boss” showed they’ve still got the chops for making fantastic dance music.
There’s not been much inklings of a Disclosure third album yet, but considering the interval between their last two albums and their obvious desire to get out and produce new stuff – I wouldn’t be surprised if 2017 sees a renewed and revived Disclosure ready to make new hits once more.
Song to set the scene: “BOSS”
Major Lazer
The almost undisputable kings of dance music at the moment, Major Lazer have scored massive hits in the last two years with some of the most streamed songs in history coming from their numerous collaborations with the likes of MØ and Justin Bieber.
Their last record was titled Peace is the Mission… and part two of this theme comes in January next year with Music is the Weapon. So far the collaborators list looks as high profile as a festival with the likes of Rihanna, Sia, Nicki Minaj, Tove Lo, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe and more all playing their parts.
This album will set the tone for the whole year and most likely fill the dancefloors right through to December, so it’ll be a joy to behold when it comes out.
Song to set the scene: “Cold Water” (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ)
The Killers
Las Vegas’ finest might be getting on in years, celebrating 10 years this year since their sophomore record Sam’s Town came out, but that doesn’t mean they’re finished by any means.
The band have been on hiatus since their last album tour for 2012’s Battle Born wrapped up, but they’ve still kicked around and done their own thing as well in that time.
The foursome have been putting tracks together for a lot of this year, and dived back into the studio in September to start laying down the groundwork for their newest release.
What always amazes me about The Killers is how different they can make each album sound, with each of their four so far being almost completely different in style but managing to carry the same feeling and strength through it all.
Personally I want to see more of the Hot Fuss/Day & Age style that they came up with on their 2 new tracks in 2014, but we’ll see what happens when the 5th album drops next year. No matter what though, it will be an unforgettable album and well worth its place on this list.
Song to set the scene: “Shot at the Night”
LCD Soundsystem
The return of my favourite band for a Christmas single was good enough for me last Christmas, but the New Year brought news of a tour and a new album that eclipsed my wildest dreams.
Tour they did, and I even managed to see them at T in the Park to cap off a 7-year wait to do so, but the album has yet to arrive.
2017 will be the year though, as a lighter touring schedule in the latter half of this year and next year seems ripe for a new release.
The wait doesn’t concern me much either. When I thought I’d wait an eternity with nothing, another year doesn’t seem so bad. That and James Murphy’s penchant for pedantic quality assurance makes me all the more ready for a phenomenal return album when it does finally drop, more than likely in 2017.