The JB List | Seven Fall Albums We’ve Got Our Eyes On

There’s tons of amazing albums set to be released over the next few months and we’ve compiled a list of seven in particular that we can’t wait to hear. Check it out and be sure to leave a list of the albums you’ve got your eyes on as a comment below the post.

The Avett Brothers – Magpie and the Dandelion (out: 10/15)

The Skinny: After a nearly three year wait between their breakthrough album I And Love And You and last year’s The Carpenter, The Avett Brothers will drop their second new record in as many years with Magpie and the Dandelion. Once again teaming with uber-producer Rick Rubin, the songs were recorded during the same sessions as The Carpenter.

Why We’re Excited: In an open letter to their fans, the band has described their latest offering as having a “youthful wonder,” and judging by its first single -“Another Is Waiting” -we couldn’t agree more. The tune has everything we’ve come to love about this band: plucky banjo, beautiful harmonies and earnest heartfelt songwriting. Rick Rubin brings out the best in a lot of bands, but there is clearly something special when he teams up with the Avetts.

Paul McCartney – New (out: 10/15)

The Skinny: There has been a lot of mystery surrounding this one. What we do know is that after dabbling in pop standards and classical music, Macca has recruited an impressive list of producers -Ethan Johns, Mark Ronson, Paul Epworth and Giles Martin – to help craft this one, his first album of original material since 2007. The 12-track effort is also rumored to feature everyone from the surviving members of Nirvana to Bruce Springsteen to Eric Clapton.

Why We’re Excited: At age 71, McCartney, is easily having one of his best years in quite some time. The former Wings’ front man has earned rave reviews for his live shows this year, by digging deep into his storied songbook and busting out Beatles songs that had never been played live. Last week we got our first taste of what’s to come with the album’s Mark Ronson-produced title track – and were wowed with its vintage psychedelic-pop sound.

Arcade Fire – Reflektor (out: 10/29)

The Skinny: I think we can all agree that Reflektor is arguably the most anticipated record of the fall. For the last month-plus the Montreal-based band has been teasing fans with cryptic, graffiti-style artwork that has seemingly revealed not only album’s title, but also messaging of something set to happen on September 9 and 9 PM (ed. note –a video for the album’s title track will be released at that date/time). So sit tight, only a week to go.

Why We’re Excited: With each new studio album The Arcade Fire have continued to build on their brand of grandiose chamber-rock. For their fourth studio effort Win Butler & Co. recruited LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy to produce several tracks, which has fed into the fervor of anticipation for this one.

Jonathan Wilson – Fanfare (out: 10/15)

The Skinny: Last year at the Newport Folk Festival, Jonathan Wilson has a coming out party of sorts – thanks in part to headliner Jackson Browne repeatedly singing his praises throughout the weekend. Since then, the singer-guitarist has gone from being known mostly as the guy that produced Dawes’ first two studio albums and Father John Misty’s critically acclaimed debut, to becoming one of the faces of the new West Coast psychedelic folk-rock movement. Wilson has also earned the admiration of Deadheads thanks in part to his must-hear version of “Mission In The Rain,” and his recent association with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.

Why We’re Excited: With his 2011 debut album, Gentle Spirit, Wilson impressed with his gorgeous, sweeping psychedelic suites that often stretched past the six minute mark. For his follow-up we can likely expect more of his expertly crafted Harry Nilsson meets the Grateful Dead sound, with Wilson recruiting a heady roster of collaborators that includes Graham Nash, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Josh Tillman, Patrick Sansone (Wilco) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes).

Gov’t Mule – Shout (out: 9/24)

The Skinny: There is no slowing down Warren Haynes. For the latest Gov’t Mule record, the ever-busy guitarist somehow managed to find the time to record a double-album. The two-disc set features eleven brand new songs that he not only recorded with his full-time band, but then pulled a role reversal by inviting an impressive list of guests into the recording studio to reinterpret those same set of tunes. The diverse guest list features the likes of Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood, Toots Hibbert, Dr. John, Grace Potter and My Morning Jacket front man Jim James.

Why We’re Excited: It’s a good year when we get one Gov’t Mule record, but the bonus-disc has turned our excitement level up to eleven. Over the years Haynes justly earned the reputation as the “King Of The Sit-In,” so we’re loving the fact that it’s his turn to play host and get these artists to on his turf. The Jim James collaboration on “Captured” is already a match made in heaven, with the pair creating an instant classic Southern-soul burner.

White Denim – Corsicana Lemonade (out: 10/29)

The Skinny: Whether they know it or not White Denim are the most exciting new jamband out there. The Austin-based band, with their unrelenting brand of earworm-y psychedelic-garage-prog, is ready to be anointed “the next big thing.” On stage the four-piece are a force to be reckoned with, often seguing in and out of songs for stretches of 20-plus minutes at a time without a break. On wax the band’s last studio album, D, captured the definitive prowess of a band firing on all four cylinders. For their follow-up, Corsicana Lemonade, White Denim headed to Chicago to record at Wilco’s famed studio The Loft, where they enlisted the helping hand of Jeff Tweedy to produce two songs, and give the record a full mix.

Why We’re Excited: Besides the obvious fact the we can’t wait to hear what a Tweedy-produced White Denim track sounds like, the band has already gone on record calling the release a “rollicking 10-song mission statement.” Who are we to disagree with such a definitive declaration like that?

Elvis Costello & The Roots – Wise Up Ghost (out: 9/17)

The Skinny: When the news of this collaboration broke it sounded like a bad internet prank. After our initial bit of head-scratching it all started to come together. Here’s why it makes sense: Costello has been a chameleon throughout his career. This is an artist that has adapted with the times going from post-punk to new wave to soul music to Americana. Heck, he even released an album with Burt Bacharach. The Roots have proven on a nightly basis as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that they might easily be the one of the best bands going. So the question shouldn’t be will this out-of-left field pairing work, but why has it actually taken this long to happen?

Why We’re Excited: Costello and ?uestlove are brothers from another mother – both possessing encyclopedic knowledge of popular music, so putting these two guys together in a recording studio seems like an absolute no-brainer. Judging solely from the album’s lead single, “Walk Us Uptown,” we’re expecting some amalgam of Philly soul mixed with hip hop break beats and Costello’s wry songwriting.

Words By: Jeffrey Greenblatt