Each and every month here on entertainment.ie/music we cast our eye over the list of upcoming albums and shine a spotlight on some of the releases which we think might be of interest to you. This month sees the return of one of Ireland's finest (and loudest) live acts, the latest effort from one of New York's most enduring bands, as well as the return to music of one of the biggest pop acts of the last decade.
Stereophonics - Graffiti On The Train - 4th March
Graffiti On The Train is the first Stereophonics album since 2009's Keep Calm and Carry On and also their first on their newly formed Styles Records label. This album - their eighth - also marks a departure in how the Welsh band approach their music, having recorded it outside of the constraints and restrictions of a major label. The resultant effort, according to Kelly Jones, is an album which is a lot freer and more representative of the band that they want to be, not the band that they were.
David Bowie - The Next Day - 12th March
David Bowie's twenty-fourth album - and first in ten years - has been hailed by critics as "bold, beautiful and baffling" and "the greatest comeback album in rock n' roll history". Expectations will be naturally be quite high for an artist of Bowie's magnitude, especially after such a long layoff, but if the two singles we've heard from the album so far ('Where Are We Now?' and 'The Stars (Are Out Tonight)' are anything to go by, Bowie fans will certainly have something to look forward to in mid-March.
And So I Watch You From Afar - All Hail Bright Futures - 19th March
The third album from And So I Watch You From Afar is - in this writer's opinion at least - one of the most anticipated Irish releases of the year. The bands first two records signalled them as being one of the most creative and sonically overwhelming (in a good way!) bands of their era and new material from them is something of a special occasion. Can. Not Wait.
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience - 15th March
Having spent the majority of the last few years acting, being a restaurateur and owning and operating the newly relaunched MySpace, it's easy to forget that Justin Timberlake was also one of the biggest pop acts of the last decade. In fact, he's been out of the public eye for such a long time that The 20/20 Experience is being referred to as a 'comeback album', which is somewhat odd considering the guy is only 32 years old. The first couple of cuts we've heard from the record have been decent but it remains to be seen if he'll hit the heights of his 'Cry Me A River' heyday.
The Strokes - Comedown Machine - March 25th
Some might be surprised that we're getting a fifth album from The Strokes. The New York band have had a fractious history and any one of the bands storied problems over the years (in-fighting, drug problems etc) might have been enough to signal the death knell for many bands. The Strokes, though, endure and will release Comedown Machine towards the end of March.
