Beck
Beck Hansen is a musical genius. His body of work – a stunning amalgam of rock, pop, folk, electronic, hip-hop, and worldbeat, with synths & samples, acoustic & electric instruments, and lyrics both sacred & profane – leaves little doubt that his place is etched in the annals of American music history. Amidst the diversity, fans notice the biggest shifts occur when Beck is at his most introspective. 2014’s “Morning Phase” is a deliberately simple and carefully crafted acoustic masterpiece, fully deserving of a Grammy [no matter what Kanye says]. A year later, the particularly catchy dance groove single, “Dreams,” was released, with very little indication of when a full album might follow. It took almost three years after the similarly stripped down soul search that was “Sea Change” before he returned to lo-fi samples and dance hooks with “Guero.” Please don’t make us wait that long, Mr. Hansen.
Tycho
EDM continues to dominate club playlists and festival lineups, but many danceophiles & festivaliens are growing weary of having their organs liquified by one bass drop after another. Thankfully, a variety of downtempo grooves and ambient melodies has kept bodies on the dance floors, sans ear protection, as presented by acts such as Bonobo, ODESZA, and Tycho. It’s been almost two years since the San Francisco-based artist’s 37 minutes of brilliance that is “Awake” was released, leaving fans clamoring for more. Thankfully, Scott Hansen (the man behind the soothing synth sounds) announced via Twitter in November that the next album is due out in 2016.
Mike Gordon & Leo Kottke
32 years into their career, Phish is showing no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, many phans have described 2015 as a renaissance, with all new material and a renewed passion for “the jam.” After a summer tour for the books, the band took fall off to concentrate on their side projects. Early in October, bassist Mike Gordon Instagrammed a photo of himself with famed 12-string virtuoso Leo Kottke. The post read simply, “with Leo today,” and while the background was clearly not the Bahamas [where the duo recorded 2002’s “Clone” and 2005’s “Sixty Six Steps”], the bassist known fondly as “Cactus” was definitely armed with an instrument. Many folks claim that “Mike & Leo” is the finest of the Phish side projects, and album #3 is much overdue.
Vampire Weekend
In late 2007, Vampire Weekend came seemingly of nowhere with a spot-on equation for bridging the gap between mainstream pop and intelligent roots music. They released two stellar albums, toured in support, and proceeded to disappear for nearly three years. Then came “Modern Vampires in the City” in early 2013, another year and a half of touring, a Grammy, and once again… silence. There were some rumblings of studio time & songwriting sessions earlier this year, but Ezra Koenig made it clear that they were in no rush. With only three albums in their catalog, the next offering will remain both widely anticipated and a complete mystery.
My Morning Jacket
Everyone calm down. This writer is fully aware that MMJ released an album in 2015. “The Waterfall” was an instant success, and the band proceeded to hit the road with a healthy summer & fall calendar, including notable returns to Bonnaroo & Forecastle, and even a few stops in Europe. All that being said, it was reported that the Stinson Beach, CA recording sessions produced two full albums worth of material. Sure, they’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone mix & master twelve more songs, but the fans are ready. The album exists, and it will be released in 2016, hopefully sooner rather than later.
