Lana Del Rey, “Born to Die” (Interscope)
She came out of nowhere with “Video Games,” a lo-fi yet glamorous homemade video that divided the blogosphere and earned the previously unknown singer a modeling contract (with NEXT), a major-label deal (with Interscope) and a musical guest spot on “Saturday Night Live.” the video for “Born to Die,” which shows her seated on a throne and flanked by tigers, has already pulled in praise from Kanye West (on Twitter, of course) and Rolling Stone, whose critic wrote “Just like the song itself, it’s bleakly romantic and majestic in its scope.” (Out Tuesday, Jan. 31)
The Fray, “Scars & Stories” (Epic)
These Colorado rockers topped the album charts in 2009 with a self-titled effort. and “Heartbeat,” the first single out of the gate from “Scars & stories,” has already gone top 10 on the Adult top 40 charts. the album was recorded in Nashville with Brendan O’Brien, whose previous clients include Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and rage against the Machine, producing. Singer Isaac Slade told Colorado Daily they went with O’Brien because they wanted the record to “sound as close as possible to the live shows.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7).
Paul McCartney, “Kisses on the Bottom” (Hear Music/Concord)
Cheeky title, no? McCartney’s always had a soft spot for the standards of the pre-rock era, an ongoing interest that’s led to the writing of classics as timeless as the Beatles’ “When I’m 64″ and “Your Mother Should know.” Now, he’s turned his attentions to actual standards. and unlike Rod Stewart’s ill-suited yet lucrative stroll through the great American Songbook, this one would appear to be a natural. McCartney says it features “songs me and John based quite a few of our things on,” in addition to two originals written in the spirit of those standards. (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
Dierks Bentley, “Home” (Capitol Nashville)
The country star invited fans to watch the making of his latest album via webcam, cutting 15 songs in five days with appearances by Little big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Tim O’Brien and Sam Bush. the album marks the formerly Valley-based singer’s return to mainstream country after going bluegrass on “Up on the Ridge.” Bentley told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the new album “will sound really good with the windows cranked down” and suggested “the louder you play it, the better it sounds.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
Van Halen, “A Different Kind of Truth” (Interscope)
This is Van Halen’s first album with David Lee Roth on the mike since “1984,” which spawned such massive, memorable hits as “Jump” and “Panama.” Roth sang two songs on “Best of Volume I,” which hit the streets in 1996. the last Van Halen album going into this, “Van Halen III,” arrived in 1998, with lead vocals by Gary Cherone of Extreme. “A Different Kind of Truth” also marks the first album with Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie’s kid) on bass. Lead single “Tattoo” offers fans their first taste of the album on Tuesday, Jan. 10. (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
Of Montreal, “Paralytic Stalks” (Polyvinyl)
Kevin Barnes told Rolling Stone Of Montreal’s 11th album comes from “a darker place” than their previous effort. with that one, he said, “I was trying to make something that was more like Earth, Wind and fire or Sly and the Family Stone. something that was more funky and positive. but somehow that didn’t last, and I sort of fell back into this darker place. It wasn’t really something that I set out to do as far as, ‘I want to make a dark record.’ It was ‘I need to make a record’ … because it’s one thing I find extremely fulfilling.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
Ben Kweller, “Go Fly a Kite” (The Noise Company/ADA)
This is the former indie-teen sensation’s first release on his own label and he’s pretty thrilled about that new development. “There’s a lot of geeky stuff involved,” the star told Rolling Stone. “But as a diehard music junkie and record collector, these things get me excited.” Changing horses from the country-flavored sound of “Changing Horses,” he’s promised a very electric and energetic album dealing with some darker topics. this is Kweller’s fifth effort since launching a post-Radish solo career with “Freak out … It’s Ben Kweller.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
AIR, “Le Voyage Dans La Lune” (Astralwerks)
They actually made an all-new soundtrack to a 1902 silent film by Georges Méliés, “Le Voyage Dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon).” there was no electronica in 1902, so watching the restored film with AIR music playing should be quite a different experience. the film is only 16 minutes long, but AIR decided to keep working, fleshing out their score into a full-length album “inspired by” the film, complete with guest vocals by Au Revoir Simone and Victoria Legrand of Beach House. (Out Tuesday, Feb. 7)
Amos Lee, “As the Crow Flies” (Blue Note)
This EP features six songs Lee recorded at Tucson’s Wavelab Studio with Joey Burns of Calexico in sessions that produced 2011′s “Mission Bell,” his first chart-topping album. Burns and Calexico drummer John Convertino also play on this companion piece to that acclaimed recording. in an interview with Lee’s hometown radio station, WXPN, the Philadelphia singer-songwriter said of working with Calexico, “The musicality that those guys bring is just amazing. They’re great at creating atmosphere.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 14)
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal)
OK, so “Roman in Moscow,” the first song she leaked from the new year’s most anticipated hip-hop album, doesn’t sound like it has any hope of blowing up like “Super Bass,” the hit that finished ninth on Nielsen SoundScan’s list of 2011′s top digital songs. but the colorful rapper told MTV News the song is just a “teaser” for the album. “When I say it’s a teaser,” Minaj said, “it’s like a trailer to the movie, it’s like setting the stage and I just wanted to touch the surface. It’s the wackest thing on ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.’ ” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 14)
Sleigh Bells, “Reign of Terror” (Mom + Pop Music/N.E.E.T Recordings)
The world’s most infectious noise-pop duo would appear to have picked up where “Treats,” their first album, left off in 2010 if the first song leaked is any indication. “Born to Lose” revisits all the tricks that worked so well the last time out, a speaker-shredding noise-rock onslaught topped by female vocals that, as Pitchfork says, are “alternately cooed and shouted.” and the man behind that speaker-shredding wall of noise, guitarist/producer Derek E. Miller, promised Rolling Stone, “Emotionally, it’s a really heavy record,” first (Out Tuesday, Feb. 14)
Esperanza Spalding, “Radio Music Society” (Heads Up)
Most music fans first heard of Spalding when she picked up Best new Artist at the Grammys last year. and judging from her latest effort’s album cover, she intends to cash in on the heightened profile. the jazz bassist told Billboard to expect a “more upbeat and more sort of energetic” collection, although the songs were conceived at the same time as her previous release, “Chamber Music Society.” as Spalding told Billboard, “Originally I planned to release a double record, but that didn’t work. the two (approaches) really couldn’t be reconciled.” (Out Tuesday, Feb. 28)
T.I., “Trouble Man” (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
The title refers both to Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” album and T.I.’s own personal troubles. “I’m embracing it,” the star told Billboard after serving 10 months in prison on a probation violation. “This is the first project where I’m talking about things that I’ve experienced before that I’m not necessarily experiencing now,” he told Billboard, ” ’cause I’m not doing a whole lot of partying. I do a little bit but not alot … nothing like when I was in that life.” Two promotional singles, “We Don’t get Down like Y’All” and “I’m Flexin’,” have already hit the Hot 100. (Expected in February)
Andrew Bird, “Break It Yourself” (Mom + Pop Music)
The indie-folk icon most likely to whistle is back with an album he produced himself in an Illinois barn. It’s Bird’s first album since he hit the charts at no. 12 in 2009 with “Noble Beast,” his highest-charting album yet. the Guardian gave “Noble Beast” its highest rating, writing that “Bird creates an alternative vision of the universe as seductive as it is strange.” “Break It Yourself” hits the streets a month before Bird makes his way to the Valley for a concert at Mesa Arts Center. (Out Tuesday, March 6)
Magnetic Fields, “Love at the Bottom of the Sea” (Merge)
A 15-song return to “their signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds” is what they’re promising, with no song lasting longer than three minutes. Stephin Merritt says, “Instead of using a synthesizer as a melodic instrument, much of the time I used it as a compositional destructive mechanism, something eating away at the apparent order of my perfectionist arrangements.” and the titles look promising, “God Wants Us to Wait,” “The Horrible Party,” “I Don’t like your Tone” and “All She Cares about is Mariachi” chief among them. (Out Tuesday, March 6)
Adam Lambert, “Trespassing” (19 Recordings/RCA)
His second album since making the most of a second-place run on “American Idol” finds the singer in good company, collaborating with the likes of Dr. Luke, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers of Chic, Nikka Costa and Bruno Mars. he calls it “an exciting journey through the past two years of my life. It’s been a transformative period and I really wanted to make music from what I’ve experienced. All these songs honestly explore the ups and downs of my reality.” first single “Better than I know Myself” will be released to mainstream radio on Thursday, Jan. 12. (Out Tuesday, March 20)
Macy Gray, “Covered” (429)
The title refers to the fact that the R&B singer’s new album is made up of covers, from Radiohead to Metallica, Arcade fire, Kanye West, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fiona Apple, My Chemical Romance and Eurythmics, whose hit “Here comes the Rain Again” is the album’s first single. She’s been doing a few of these songs at shows for years now. this time last year, Gray told Billboard she was hoping to release two albums — one rock and one jazz — in 2011, but this would seem to be a different project altogether. (Out Tuesday, March 27)
The Shins, “Port of Morrow” (Aural Apothecary)
This is their second new album since Natalie Portman swore the Shins could “change your life” in “Garden State” and their first since guitar-playing singer James Mercer went off with Danger Mouse to try some different sounds with Broken Bells. and one could argue that it’s more a Mercer solo album than a proper Shins release, with Mercer writing all the songs and handling nearly every instrument himself. the album was produced by Greg Kurstin, who’s previously worked with Lily Allen and the Bird and the Bee. (Expected in March)
Spiritualized, “Sweet Heart Sweet Light” (Fat Possum)
Their seventh album is their first since 2008′s excellent “Songs in A&E.” Jason Pierce, who spent a full year mixing this one in his home, was quoted at Consequence of Sound saying, “I wanted to do something that encompassed all I love in rock ‘n’ roll music. It’s got everything from Brötzmann and Berry right through to Dennis and Brian Wilson. I’m obsessed with music and the way you put it together and I don’t believe there are any rules.” CoS posted a live recording of the lead-off track, “Hey Jane,” and it’s a throbbing, noisy psychedelic rocker that definitely lives up to their standards. (Expected in March)
Rufus Wainwright, “Out of the Game” (Decca)
Wilco, Sean Lennon, the Dap-King and his sister, Martha Wainwright, all guest on the singer’s return to the poppier side of life, recorded in new York with mark Ronson (of Amy Winehouse fame) producing. “The main objective — not for the entire (album), necessarily, but for portions of it — is to be danceable,” the star told Rolling Stone. “I just want to make something that you love, driving around in your car listening or losing your mind to on a dance floor. something to serenade us through these very, very troubling times.” (Out Tuesday, May 
Most anticipated albums of early 2012, from Nicki Minaj to GBV
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