15 Intriguing Albums Still to Come in 2023
Live albums from MJ Lenderman and Car Seat Headrest, cover albums from Cat Power and Dolly Parton, and much more in the weeks ahead.
Hello and welcome back to The Wax Museum, the vinyl and vibes curation newsletter, where we dig up grooves from the past, present, and future.
I am busy finishing a 100+ page e-book that will be out sometime in December. Paid subs will receive this book as a membership perk. If you like vinyl and new music, you won't want to miss it!
Now with the self-marketing out of the way, let’s get into it!
As we wind down 2023, let’s take a look at 15 interesting albums still to drop, which should add depth, diversity, and dynamism to an already vibrant year in music.
November 10th
Beirut - Hadsel
Get Vinyl: Pacific with Signed Postcard | Black
The last we saw of Zach Condon, he cancelled his 2019 tour due to physical and mental collapse that he’d been pushing aside since he was a teenager. His new album Hadsel, named after the Norwegian island where he recorded these songs, brought Condon a new sense of self-determination.
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
Get Vinyl: Clear | Black
Bob Dylan’s 1996 performance at the Manchester Free Trade Hall (known as the Royal Albert Hall Concert due to a mislabeled bootleg) featured the infamous switch from acoustic to electric midway through the show, drawing accusations of “Judas” from the folk purist audience.
In November 2022, Cat Power delivered a song-for-song recreation, even down to the switch at the halfway mark. Excited to hear this one in full.
Pinkpantheress - Heaven Knows
Get Vinyl: Zoetrope | White
Building on the success of her acclaimed mixtape to hell with it, English pop singer PinkPantheress' debut album deals with relationships—be it romantic, parasocial, materialistic endeavors, navigating grief, or discovering solace amid solitude.
November 17th
Danny Brown - Quaranta
Get Vinyl: Red | Black
Quaranta, Italian for forty, serves as the spiritual successor to XXX, Danny Brown’s 2011 breakthrough hip hop album that chronicled the tumultuous experiences of a life lived on the edge at the age of thirty. Check out the single “Tantor,” produced by The Alchemist.
Dolly Parton - Rockstar
Get Vinyl: Pink | Metallic Silver | Clear Blue
Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dolly Parton joins forces with the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Steven Tyler, Sting, Miley Cyrus, and many more to create her first-ever rock album Rockstar. The 30-song collection includes nine original tracks and 21 covers of iconic rock anthems spread across four vinyl.
Emeli Sandé - How Were We To Know
Get Vinyl: White | Black
Renowned British singer-songwriting Emeli Sandé, known for her emotional and honest style, harkens back to her breakout days with her latest pop record How Were We To Know. Released independently through Chrysalis Records, the album's 11 tracks delve into into intimate experiences with love and the courage it takes to embrace vulnerability.
Smoke Fairies - Carried in Sound
Get Vinyl: Transparent Blue, Signed Cover | Orange
Following the acclaim of their 2020 record Darkness Brings The Wonders Home, alt-folk duo Smoke Fairies drop their sixth album Carried In Sound, which explores themes of loss and grief with an undercurrent of inner strength.
The Polyphonic Spree - Salvage Enterprise
Get Vinyl: Morning Sun Yellow | Black
The Polyphonic Spree harness the symbolism of the Phoenix, a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, with new album Salvage Enterprise. Led by frontman Tim DeLaughter, the group invites listeners to ride through life's challenges with hope and optimism, ultimately emerging triumphant from the ashes of the past.
MJ Lenderman - And the Wind (Live and Loose!)
Get Vinyl: No vinyl announced at this time.
MJ Lenderman, who plays guitar and some vocals for Wednesday (current Wax Museum AOTY leader), is dropping a live album, featuring perhaps my favorite single of the year “Knockin’.” Mr. Lenderman should be dropping a new album in 2024, which I am anxiously awaiting.
November 24th
Guided by Voices - Nowhere To Go But Up
Get Vinyl: Black
Hey this band sounds pretty good, do they have any other records?
Spector - Here Come the Early Nights
Get Vinyl: Cloudy Blue | Halloween Splatter | Picture Disc
British indie rockers Spector return with their fourth album, citing influences as diverse as ABBA, Blur, and Nick Cave. The album will deal “with the tenets of getting older like hair loss, moving house, and not being able to go clubbing with a baby.”
December 1st
Full of Hell & Nothing - When No Birds Sang
Get Vinyl: Red/Silver Split | Bone & Gold | Splatter
Certainly one of the most exciting collaborations of the year, Nothing and Full of Hell have come together to create a new "wall of sound” conjuring extreme peaks and valleys inspired by My Bloody Valentine. Lead single “Spend the Grace” is a grindcore and shoegaze mashup that sounds beautifully post metal.
Love Minus Zero - L’Ecstasy
Get Vinyl: Black
Here we have another collaboration, this time between Montreal DJ Tiga and Scottish composer Hudson Mohawke. Their debut album promises to be a love letter to hardcore romance, a liminal state where euphoria and melancholy collide in a sound that is raw yet polished.
December 8th
Car Seat Headrest - Faces from the Masquerade
Get Vinyl: Black
Car Seat Headrest’s three night residency in March 2022 at Brooklyn Steel in New York is captured on Faces From The Masquerade - a double album filled with revved up, playful, and precise jams from CSH’s extensive back catalog.
The Killers - Rebel Diamonds
Get Vinyl: Cream | Black
The Killers announced this week their second greatest hits album, with four songs from their debut Hot Fuss, followed by two Sam’s Town tracks, three entries from 2008’s Day & Age, two more from Battle Born, one Wonderful Wonderful song, three Imploding the Mirage songs, and two tracks from 2021’s Pressure Machine. Lastly the album closes with the band’s recent singles “Boy” and “Your Side of Town,” as well as a new song titled “Spirit.”
Sound off in the comments what you’re looking forward to. I may be posting something else for y’all soon; until then, ciao!
Nice, love the new format!
Listened to the new Beirut this morning and it’s great as always! I’m looking forward to the Danny Brown album too - just can’t get into Scaring the Hoes but I’m usually onboard