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Last year, we were bombarded by big-deal releases.
Beyonce and Jay-Z released an album together.
Kanye West was involved in no less than five albums in as many weeks.
Christina Aguilera made a comeback and the year was so packed that it barely got noticed.
Below are some highlights from the year ahead, including some wild speculation.
This isnt a bad thing!
Also, the dudewrote this albumin an Italian town.
What did you do in an Italian town?
Its not a romantic book.
Willeford writes about the hard truths of life in an unsentimental and straightforward way.
The difference, though, is that McCombs never seems to lose faith in human beings.
No cell phone to use for anything at all.
The new music filters the aquatic sonics ofPerson Pitchthrough the refined structures of more recent Panda Bear outings.
But should they even go back to their roots?
Maybe the Weezer we have now the Weezer ofHurleyandRaditude is the real Weezer.
than the catchy, compact tunes of their 2016 comeback album.
So, uh, about not having any tears left to cry?
Or should we say, albums?
According toreports, shes plotting a double whammy one reggae album and a second, poppier album.
But one piece of evidence to support the reggae album theory?
Skrillex is also apparently involved in the reggae album, for some reason.
Shes promised as much, having even shared snippets of it on social media.
Her 2017 debutCTRLwas acclaimed (five Grammy noms!)
and herBlack Panthercollab with Kendrick Lamar, All the Stars, is now in the race for an Oscar.
Second, know these two things: Lizzo cantwerk while playing the flutelike its nothing (shesclassically trained!
In both, probably) andLizzos Instagramwill change your entire outlook on life.
In a sense, its what shes always been doing, but it feels more powerful now.
Its a telling moment: Chance has probably the shortest verse, but its all manic energy.
Hes wearing overalls, bouncing around the room.
recapture their own magic via a shared hometown and dedication to sonic adventurousness?
Will this album even come out?
So far, weve seen itdescribedas a nighttime record, which could mean pretty much anything.
Love it if we made it.SHS
Ty Dolla Sign, TBA
Ty Dolla Sign is a treasure.
Hes been involved in just about every big album in recent memory.
His solo work is warm and weird and catchy.
Shes visually striking care to watch hereat a tarantula alive?
with a quietly forceful vocal and lyrical presence that makes it even harder to turn away.
It took awhile, but by the time hed released 2016sStarboy, hed figured it out.
Shes in the midst of an astonishing run: raking in awards and dropping singles at a rapid pace.
That is not the case with Vampire Weekend!
We need them to point to a way forward.
To change what pop music could be.
Even if she fails, its still interesting.
In a way, this was inevitable from the second they popped onto the scene.
What wasnotinevitable, however, was their ascent to the place they currently occupy.
