Music I'm looking forward to - 2008 Edition

So, it looks like there's a pile of new music coming out in the first half of 2008 that I'm already super-excited about, including two concerts in May that should be a lot of fun (and I do realize that I'm using "fun" to describe The Cure).

March 18 : DeVotchKa - "A Mad and Faithful Telling" - I blew my 2007 Oscar pool at work by voting for "Til The End of Time" from Little Miss Sunshine. I don't care if it didn't get nominated, it was the best song from a movie that year. My friend Kevin saw DeVotchKa live at a beer festival in Colorado, gave me some of their stuff and I've been hooked ever since. The new album release kinda snuck up on me, but based on the first single, "Transliterator," it should be good. Oh, who am I kidding, it should be good merely based on the fact that it's a DeVotchKa album.

And, tickets just went on sale for their May 16 show at the 930 Club, which may be the best concert deal of the year - $17.00 including surcharges.

March 25: Counting Crows - "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings" - Jamee was always a bigger fan of Counting Crows than I was, and I've kind of written them off in the past few years. But, I'm fond of the free tracks that they released from the new album, so I'm hoping for good things. Itunes is doing a preorder that includes four bonus tracks for $11.99, which, if you don't have to have the physical CD and jewelcase, isn't a bad deal at all.

April 7: James - "Hey Ma" - This wasn't supposed to happen. James broke up years ago. They were a great band. I suppose they still are. I'm sure they still are. I saw them at the Boathouse in Norfolk during the Laid tour and it remains one of the best shows I've ever seen. And there's rumours of an international tour later this year. Which brings me to my only problem with the new James album, "Hey Ma." There's currently no US release planned, just like their last two studio albums. So that means import prices. But it's James, so it's worth it.

May 6?: The Cure - Currently Untitled - I gave up on the cure around the release of Wild Mood Swings, and didn't get back into them until the released the B-Sides collection taht I always wanted in high school and college because I couldn't afford the singles from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. I've been keeping up with them ever since, and though I was a bit disappointed with their last album, the deluxe reissues have been awesome. Jamee got me tickets to see them for Christmas, and the tour appears to be a greatest hits thing based on the setlists from Europe. They've also been playing three hour sets, which if that continues in the states, would be just perfect (You thought I was going to write "just like heaven" didn't you? Well, I didn't. OK, technically, I did.)

Who Knows?: The Pogues - Just Look Them Straight in the Eyes and Say 'Pogue Mahone'" - I don't even know if that's even the title. Five CDs of unreleased and uncollected Pogues stuff. Originally due out in March, now delayed to who knows when. It'll be worth the wait. And to tide things over, we're seeing them at the 930 Club next Sunday. Which, again, should be great.