January has come and gone. In some parts of the world Lana Del Rey‘s “Born To Die” has already been released to mixed reviews, nowhere near making as big a splash as was anticipated by some. I’ve given it a listen, it’s fine, but, as I expected, nothing remarkable. In not-LDR-related news, there have been plenty of good releases so far in this past month, with Cloud Nothings, Porcelain Raft or Hospitality dropping very solid albums. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg to what looks to be like a great year for music.

Below is the first part of what my personal picks (I want to emphasize that part, though some overlap, these aren’t the site’s picks, just mine) for great albums I hope this coming year brings. Supposedly it’s the last one we’ve got, and though I don’t really believe the 2012 hullabaloo, I really hope all these artists bring their A-game and blow me away just in case it actually is time to go.

Alabama Shakes – “Boys and Girls” (April 10)

In an otherwise rather weak year for EP’s, Alabama Shakes’ self-titled debut EP was an incredibly strong showing of what a band is capable of when they’ve got talent. The four songs on the EP took the classic soul sounds of Arteha Franklin, Otis Redding or Sam Cooke and infused them with a 2011 attitude. The result was a tribute to the past while bringing down the door for the future, in their case an incredibly bright one.

The band has already signed to ATO Records (in North America)/Rough Trade (in the res of the world) and their first full-length is set to be released April 10th. An early look at the tracklist reveals that the songs on the EP are also featured on the album, but hopefully they’ll have some sort of new flavor to make them sound new.

The four-piece from Alabama have been touted as “Ones To Watch” by this very site, so here’s to hoping Alabama Shakes take 2012 by storm.

Azealia Banks – TBA (Spring/Summer)

Potty-mouthed singing rapper Azealia Banks made a huge splash last year with her hit “212”, which was proclaimed our best song of 2011. Despite having only released a few songs, the Harlem native signed to Universal Records and has been around the world displaying her talents, which are more than noteworthy. She’s also been contacted by none other than Kanye West (something she boasted about on Twitter), which doesn’t hurt her cred either.

Now, blogs everywhere await her debut album, expected in late spring or early summer, to see if Azealia Banks can carry her energy and fire-spitting over a whole album’s worth of material. Let’s just hope her threats to “ruin [us] cunt” aren’t actually real. And, if they are, “Whatcha gon’ do?”.

The Beach Boys - “Celebration: The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary” (TBA)

When The Beach Boys (or their publicists, whatever) announced last fall that they were reuniting for a 50th Anniversary tour and album I squealed like a little girl, not going to lie. Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and co., are one of my favorite bands, and to hear that I might get the opportunity to see them (or what’s left of them) live was incredibly exciting for me. When I watched the promotional video of the gang performing “Do It Again” for said tour and album, despite the blatant use of Auto-Tune, my excitement did nothing but grow. Despite the pitch correction, though, they sound fantastic given their age.

There’s not much known about the tour or the album yet. The tour will have 50 US dates and 50-60 other dates worldwide, and the album will be all re-recorded material. Some new tunes might be great, but given Brian Wilson’s recent Disney reinventions, it might be best for the boys (old men?) to stick to the tunes everyone knows and loves. I’ve already watched the promo video countless times, and gone to revisit their back-catalog (“Pet Sounds” never stops being an incredibly rewarding listen) in anticipation. More announcements can’t come fast enough!

Beach House – TBA (TBA)

Despite the buzz created a few weeks ago when the studio Beach House has been working at announced that their album was completed (which turned out to not be true), little is known about the follow-up to “Teen Dream”, one of 2010’s best albums. The good news is, though, that it’s expected to drop this year. The New York duo have been relatively out of touch for a while, so we can only assume they’re hard at work on making an album that lives up to the band’s legacy.

“Teen Dream” was a beautiful album, and songs like “Take Care”, “Real Love” or “Zebra”, to name a few, were built to tug at your heartstrings with haunting melodies and instrumentation that worked just as well at the forefront of the listener’s attention as they did in the background. It showed a great step both in production value and songwriting from its predecessor, “Devotion”, while maintaining the band’s aesthetic and sound. I can only hope that whatever Beach House puts out continues this path and we get another stunner.

Fanfarlo – “Rooms Filled With Light” (February 26)

Fanfarlo’s “Reservoir”, released in 2009, was a relatively underrated album from what I remember. While earning praise most places that gave it a shot, it seemed to be passed up by many, for one reason or another. When I discovered it, in 2010, I found myself coming back again and again, drawn in by the raw emotion created by the combination of sounds the London five-piece presented. There were dashes of Arcade Fire in there, with hints of Beirut, in a more folk-y style than either of those bands.

Now, Fanfarlo is returning with “Rooms Filled With Light” and what seems to be an interesting change of sound. We’ve already heard “Replicate”, “Deconstruction” and “Shiny Things” which explore new territories and sounds for the band, even incorporating electronic elements at times. Word around the Internet is that the record is pretty darn good, but until it’s more readily available I’ll be glad to keep waiting.

Frank Ocean – TBA (Spring)

For me, the soulful crooner born Christopher Bereux is really the only saving grace of the collective Odd Future. His debut mixtape/album (Ocean himself considers it an album), “Nostalgia/Ultra”, was one of the best albums of this past year, and displayed his songwriting abilities and his ear for hooks, melodies and samples, as well as an opinion (a real opinion) on controversial topics such as gay marriage. It was refreshing to see an R&B artist talking about real issues rather than cars, money and fame, and calling women “women” instead of the derogatory names used by other artists in the same field.

In his recent interview with BBC after being placed #2 on their Sound of 2012 list, he admitted that he’s working on an album that he hopes will be out in the spring. After an incredible last year, with his own work -both on “Nostalgia/Ultra” and otherwise- as well as features on “Watch the Throne” and songwriting credits on Beyoncé’s underrated “4”, Ocean doesn’t need to prove that his incredibly good at what he does. All he’s got left is to keep it up.

 Grizzly Bear – TBA (TBA)

Grizzly Bear is one of those indie-darling bands that have made a name for themselves based on a series of consistently strong albums. Their style is not for everybody (I will admit to not being entirely sold myself) but what’s undeniable about Grizzly Bear is that they know how to write beautiful harmonies and melodies, and I’m a complete sucker for those. Songs like “Knife” and “Two Weeks” are the sole reason I come back to revisit “Yellow House” and “Veckatimest” (the albums those songs come from), and every time I do they’re one step closer to fully unraveling.

The band recently posted on their Twitter they were off to lock themselves in a (beautiful) house until the record was done, so, for the sake of their sanity (and that of many fans) I’m hoping that it’s not too long. Until there’s a new Grizzly Bear album though, you can enjoy Daniel Rossen’s solo EP “Silent Hour/Gold Mile” due out March 20th.

Janelle Monaé – TBA / TBA (TBA)

Janelle Monaé delivered a monster of a record in the summer of 2010 with “The ArchAndroid”. Although branded as pop or R&B, the album was, in fact, a tribute to musical history and diversity that displayed the incredibly talented nature of the young musician. The songs spanned all sorts of genres and styles from classic soul and R&B to pop to more psychedelic forms of rock and pop, and included top-notch tracks such as the Big Boi featuring “Tightrope” or the pop-y “Cold War”.

It’s been reported, although not much is known, that Monaé is expected to be dropping an (or maybe even two!) album(s) later this year. It’ll be hard to guess what journey we’ll embark on when listening, but given her track record, it’s difficult that the album will be any kind of a disappointment.

 The Killers – TBA (Summer)

I consider “Hot Fuss” to be one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s not the most groundbreaking album, but its incredibly strong singles and the synth-rock meets Britpop sound that the Las Vegas band put on the table was enough to place then on the map. Since then, The Killers has never been able to put out an album that worked quite as well. For me, the highest highs the four-piece have been able to produce were actually on their sophomore album, “Sam’s Town”, but the album was disappointingly inconsistent. And while “Day & Age” starts off strong, the production choices made by the band can’t carry the album to the end.

It’s been a while since “Day & Age” (over three years, in fact), though, and lead singer Brandon Flowers’ solo effort, put out in 2010, didn’t do enough to calm my Killers cravings. The band supposedly went on hiatus for a while, which would explain the time since “Day & Age”, but now they’re back recording an album which may or may not see the light of day this year. I’m always going to wait to see if they’re able to recapture the magic from their 2004 debut, but something makes me think that, like Coldplay, The Killers are becoming more and more of a lost cause. Here’s to hoping that’s not the case.

 Marques Toliver – TBA (TBA)

Marques Toliver is perhaps the least known artist on this list. Despite having very little material out, he has more than impressed us with the spectacular “White Sails”, which currently exists only in live versions and as a demo. Last year, on top of the “Butterflies Are Not Free” EP, the Florida native also dropped a mixtape “Studying For My Ph.D”, which was another display of his creativity, love of string instruments, and impressive voice.

While it’s not entirely clear that the record will actually be finished this year, Toliver is in the studio working on his first full-length, according to his Twitter, making it more than eligible for this list, and one of the albums on it that has me most intrigued.

The Miracals – TBA (TBA)

The Miracals manage to encompass everything I love about 60’s pop and infuse it with a modern day twist, adding bits of Vampire Weekend or The Drums to the mix. So far, the quartet have put out two incredibly strong yet short EP’s, 2010’s “Hermosa” and 2011’s “Give Me A Chance” that have always left me craving so much more.

While thematically a full-length from them might be a bit repetitive (only The Beatles can pull off singing about girls for a full album), I know that the young Southern California band have enough musical ability to pull it off. This is another record where not much is known about the process, but it’s also underway, much to my anticipation.

Memoryhouse – “The Slideshow Effect” (February 28)

I had never heard of Memoryhouse until last month, when their song “The Kids Were Wrong”, the first song the band has released from their upcoming album “The Slideshow Effect”, blew me away. There’s something about that song that’s kept me coming back to it time and time again, and has had me salivating for more from the Canadian duo. I love Denise Nouvon’s light, airy vocals and the dreamy nature the song manages to capture so well.

I’m really glad I don’t have to wait much more for the band’s debut album, which is due out February 28th, because if I play “The Kids Were Wrong” many more times I think I might just break it. Luckily, the song “Walk With Me” has recently been released, and features a much more dreamlike atmosphere and a fantastic build, so I run less of a risk of causing any harm to the file on my computer.

MGMT – TBA (TBA)

MGMT’s debut, 2008’s “Oracular Spectacular” seemed to garner them more fame and success in the mainstream audience, via its incredibly strong hook-laden singles, “Kids”, “Electric Feel”, and “Time to Pretend”, than in indie circles, where the band were actually hoping to make a splash.

Probably because of this, the band dodged anything resembling a single for the 2010 follow-up “Congratulations” which was received with mixed reviews, with some attacking the band for abandoning the hooks and synths, and others touting the band’s songwriting abilities and knowledge of 60’s and 70’s prog-rock.

Personally, I stand somewhere in the middle. While I do think “Oracular Spectacular” is a better album, and not exactly because of the singles, “Congratulations” was much more cohesive, and showed an increase as far as the band’s songwriting skills and production.

The question on most blogger’s/critic’s mind is probably where the New York band is going to take their sound next. I’m one such curious mind, and will go into whatever they put out next without reservations. Bring it on.

 Michael Kiwanuka – “Home Again” (March 26)

To see Michael Kiwanuka ranked #1 on BBC’s Sound of 2012 list, ahead of “bigger” artists such as Frank Ocean or Azealia Banks, was a surprise for me, but it was most definitely a pleasant one. Much like Alabama Shakes, the singer channels another time, harkening back to a similar musical palette as the Alabama natives, with clear influences from the likes of Sam Cooke, Al Green or Bill Withers. More importantly than the BBC, though, he’s been name a One To Watch for 2012 by us.

So far, all the material the British singer has put out has been magnificent. Particular standouts are the title track from his debut, “Home Again”, or “I’m Getting Ready”. Kiwanuka’s voice is most definitely from another time, and it’s incredible what he’s able to do at just 21 years of age. His debut album is due out March 26th, a date that can’t come soon enough.

 Miike Snow – “Happy To You” (March 26)

“Happy To You” will be Swedish producer trio Miike Snow’s second album, following their eponymous debut from 2009, a record that was a great display of what synth pop should be. It was incredibly consistent through sound and song-quality, with the flaw that it started to sound a bit monotonous towards the end. Individual tracks such as “Animal”, “Silvia” or “Black & Blue”, however, were hook-laden displays of what can be done a genre that seems to underestimate itself at times.

We’ve already heard a few tracks from “Happy To You”, such as the mesmerizing “Devil’s Work”, with its great piano riff, which wouldn’t have been out of place on the debut, or the dark, Lykke Li-featuring “Black Tin Box”. The material so far shows that the Miike Snow are sticking to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” motto, and are only making slight adjustments to the sound to keep things fresh. And two months away, it’s already looking to be a great release.

 MIKA – “The Origin Of Love” (March)

MIKA is an outright pop artist and, as such, rarely (if ever) gets any coverage from the indie blogosphere. For me, he’s my musical guilty pleasure that’s not really guilty. I will never hide that I am a fan of pop music, so long as it’s more inventive than most of the crap on the radio, and MIKA fits the bill perfectly. His debut album, 2007’s “Life In Cartoon Motion”, was, at its best, the epitome of what pop music should be. It displayed tons of creativity and subtleties without neglecting the hooks that characterize radio-friendly pop music, not to mention MIKA’s more than impressive vocal range (which he manages to maintain in the live setting, an impressive feat). Songs like “Grace Kelly” and “Relax (Take It Easy)” have followed me since and never fail to put me in a better mood.

In 2009 MIKA released “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”, a mixed album in which some of his magic got lost amidst ballads, but still displayed his knack for writing great pop songs. That MIKA hadn’t lost his magic was more than demonstrated through the single he released last summer, “Elle Me Dit”. The all-French track was decidedly more dance floor friendly (without entering club-y territory) and was a return to form for the Lebanese-born singer.

Now, MIKA plans to return in March with “The Origin Of Love”, which already has an impressive array of producers lined up, such as Pharell Williams or Nick Littlemore of Empire Of The Sun. According to the singer, the album will be “more grown up” and less layered than his previous work, which should make for an interesting change. I, for one, can’t wait.

 the morning benders – TBA (TBA)

“Big Echo”, the morning benders’ second album, was my favorite album of 2010. Released in March of that year, it took a few spins to really hit home, but once it did, I never dropped it, listening to it at least a couple times every month. The beautiful baroque-pop the New York-via-California band presented on most songs was captivating beyond all measure. It was just impossible to come back to the album and not discover some new element that just wasn’t there before, and tracks like the career-high “Excuses”, or standouts such as “Stitches” or “Mason Jar” tugged at your heartstrings with swells and builds that displayed a maturity well beyond the members’ early-twenties. This style carried through non-album track “Virgins”, which they presented live for La Blogotheque, and which, despite the band’s promise, has not been released yet.

Last year, the group put out a cover of The Strokes’  “Last Nite” for Stereogum’s 10-year-anniversary tribute to “Is This It” (recently named one of our best albums of all time) that presented a radical change of mindset. Instead of their usual 60’s influenced slow pop, the four-gone-three-piece (judging by a recent band photo bassist Timothy Or is no longer in the band) presented a dance pop tune chock full of synths, dance grooves and instant melodies.

Personally, I loved that style just as much as the last one, so I’m extremely excited for the album that the band will hopefully put out this year. It’s personally my most anticipated album of this year, so here’s to hoping it’s not a disappointment, which given the morning benders’ track record I doubt is even possible.

Watch the new video for MGMT‘s cover of the Bauhaus song “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything” below, taken from their Late Night Tales compilation.

Búfalo is a Brazilian duet formed by Felipe Mattos and Renan Pamplona. The members, who live in Santa Catarina (a beautiful southern state), found each other online. Felipe was looking for people on MySpace because he wanted to form a band. Well, so did Renan. But that wasn’t the only coincidence: they found out that they both lived in the same city, so this is how it all started.

Felipe is studying to get to college and Renan has almost graduated from med school, so they produce and edit everything at home. Recently, they released their first EP, called “Too Young To Think Of Dying”, with six songs, recorded with a strinking lo-fi style. But that didn’t stop them. In fact, soon after they began touring.

You may ask me what I like about them the most, and I must answer that I like them because it’s poetical, the lyrics are always short but also well worked, and the instrumentals complement it at all.

Their genre may be considered as post-acid, tropical, sad-wave or summer-heart, and their influences are bands and musicians like Wavves, Sleep Party People, The Weeknd, MGMT and Toro Y Moi.

In August they released a split album (Centavo and Fraturas were the two other bands that collaborated with Búfalo), called “Tinha Vontade De Cantar”, and in September a newer EP, this time called “Algum Dia Minha Dor”. All of their songs are free to download on their Bandcamp page, or you can check out some highlights below.

Connect with Búfalo – Facebook| Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Last.fm

Búfalo – Pacto
Búfalo – Príncipe
Búfalo – Promessa

Buy the album on Amazon – Vinyl | MP3 | CD

Pepper Rabbit, the New Orleans-born but Los Angeles-based duo that consists of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent, are a dreamy yet cerebral outfit.  Their sound and image is almost avant-garde, and their last record and debut LP, “Beauregard,” was a lo-fi, multi-instrumentalist wonder, far exceeding any and all expectations one could have for a debut.  At first glance, they seem an unlikely duo, which isn’t surprising, since they met by chance, upon an introduction by a mutual friend. But their music is so well-crafted and finely-honed that it seems they’ve been together for decades.

Their latest, “Red Velvet Snow Ball,” further expands on the surreal-yet-accessible sound “Beauregard” brought and packs it with kicks–vocal, synth, electric and otherwise.  “Tiny Fingers” kicks the album off with a tinny, swaying, floaty sound that leads comfortably into the punchier, 80’s-infused “The Ballad Of Alessandro Moreschi,”  a slightly more percussive, more anthemic song.

“Red Velvet Snow Ball” seems to only pick up momentum as it progresses (a snowball, indeed), and tracks three and four, “Dance Card” and “In Search Of Simon Birch” are increasingly ambitious, with the latter bringing vocals not unlike those of Fleet Foxes: dreamy, pastoral, sweeping.  Track five, “Murder Room” and its follower, “Family Planning,” unfortunately lead away from the organic feel of “Simon Birch,” but they’re nevertheless enjoyable tracks, reminiscent of something that might have been on Passion Pit’s “Manners.”

But these are just slight missteps, and “The Annexation Of Puerto Rico,” packed with echoing vocals and driving percussion bits, comes in just in time to pick up the album for its final tracks.  “Allison” and “Rose Mary Stretch” punchily lead into the closing track, “Lake House,” which deserves to be blasted on a sunny day and danced to unabashedly.

In every song, Pepper Rabbit slightly resemble their contemporaries.  The soft crooning at the beginning of “In Search Of Simon Birch” calls to mind an early Ben Gibbard, singing the opening of the acoustic version “405.” (Which seems a completely appropriate parallel for the LA-based Pepper Rabbit.)  Echoes of Phoenix and MGMT, especially tracks from “Congratulations,” are present in synth and electric sounds and floaty-yet-punchy vocals.  But these similarities don’t peg Pepper Rabbit as off-knockers, but rather as completely with their time. Their sound is at once fresh and familiar, and “Red Velvet Snow Ball,” only their sophomore LP, will hopefully be only one of many fantastically-crafted albums from this duo.

Connect with Pepper Rabbit: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | Website | Last.fm

Connect with Gardens & Villa – Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Blog

I think you can file the new band, League, under the catchiest band of 2011.  They first grabbed the indie-blog world with their ridiculously infectious track, “Golden Maps,” which has it all – a synthetic loop, fun vocals (think Passion Pit collides with MGMT), and a catchy beat that builds, making it impossible not to dance.

This duo, Jorge Ribeiro and José Tornada, comes to us from London, UK, and have a way of making the techno beats and vocals reminiscent of the Flashdance days of the 80′s, sound cool (i.e. “A-61″ v. Phil Collin’s “In the Air Tonight”).  Originally, students on their way toward far too restrained careers, Ribeiro and Tornada ditched their books and went straight for the synthesizer.

While I kid about “A-61,” the track actually has a lot of depth, filled with lingering guitar strokes, an intense electronic loop, airy and slightly sadistic sounding vocals, and accompanied by accentuated drumbeats to add drama.  In fact, their entire “Golden Maps EP”, which is an astonishing and impressive eight tracks, has depth, variety, and a strong point of view.  Their sound is signatory, which is a great quality to have in this new age of electronic music.  Their disc art is perfect for their character – light and sunny, yet introspective and dreamy.

Connect with League - Facebook | Twitter | Myspace | Bandcamp

League – “Two Wild Hearts”
League – “Take My Hand”

They may be coming soon to a big-time near you. Or they may be heading to the hospital with salmonella, if their latest video is anything to go by. Sooner or later, though, expect to be hearing more from London-based Tiger Love, a.k.a. New York-bred brothers Roy and Gigi, and drummer Loral.

Take a look at that “Gio Gio” video again, and tell me you wouldn’t believe me if I told you that Tiger Love were actually The Mighty Boosh feat. Adrien Brody. Am I right? Obviously, the fact that they also remind me of “Brodyquest” is immaterial.

The French do many things better than the British – complaining, striking, stalling policy reform at the European Union, and so on. But now we can comfortably say that synth-laden retro wannabe-’80s electropop is back in Saxon hands. Admittedly “Gio Gio” does feature Parisian singer Petite, but I’m willing to overlook that, and having already toured with Yelle and Yuksek, they’re clearly snapping at the relevant heels. They’ve also toured with Uffie on her UK dates, although she’s only slightly more French than I am, which is not at all.

If you’re into Electro House in any way, you’ll enjoy Tiger Love. They’ve been compared to a “poppier MGMT“; I’d say a slightly mellower Justice or Surkin, or maybe even a good Scissor Sisters, but they themselves cite influences ranging from The Velvet Underground to Macauley Culkin – I bet you’re glad we narrowed things down. Kudos to them for their self-directed video for single “Pussy Cocaine”, which went pretty crazy on The Hype Machine. It’s always good to see a band with a hands-on approach to things.

Keep your eyes peeled for Tiger Love out and about with Hurts and Kavinsky right now, and an album due out later this year. In the meantime, look out some pastel-coloured leggings, lay (pun intended, I’m afraid) down a carpet of eggs, and jump around to any of the following downloads.

Connect with Tiger Love - Facebook | MySpace | Last.fm

Tiger Love – “Under Control”
Tiger Love – “Pussy Cocaine”
Tiger Love – “Gio Gio”

Connect with Wolf Gang – Facebook / Twitter / Myspace / Website

Connect with Gardens And Villa – Facebook | Bandcamp | Blog

Seeing as how The Pass is originally from Louisville, KY, it seemed only natural that they’d play at the Kentucky Derby this past weekend.  There, they debuted a new track, which has a harder rock and roll edge than their previous stuff.  The guitar trill effect in the beginning, I assume and hope, will turn into an electronic beat when it hits the studio, but I like the effect nonetheless.  However, I’ll be the first to admit it…it sounds similar to another Southern band, Kings of Leon, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Kyle Peters belts out the chorus adding a more rugged sound to the new catchy tune.

We first heard from The Pass when they blew people away with their electronic pop, Psychedelic rock style album, “Burst”.  Listening to “Burst” followed by this new track, shows how the band is evolving, but I hope they keep true to their electronic, new wave genre.

Connect with The Pass – Facebook / Myspace / Twitter / Last.fm / Bandcamp