April seems to be a great month for fans of all genres of music. Many A-list artists have an April release date for their newest albums and most have, so far, received generally favorable reviews from critics already. The long running rock band The Flaming Lips, the controversial hip-hop artist Tyler, The Creator, popular indie bands like Cold War Kids and Phoenix, and hugely successful country performers like The Band Perry and Brad Paisley all plan to have an album out this April, not to mention other popular artists like Kid Cudi, will.i.am, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The Flaming Lips, who have been together since 1983, are releasing their thirteenth studio album “The Terror” on April 1. The album already has an impressive score of 78 on Metacritic and as of now has not received any negative views. Not all of The Flaming Lips’s albums may have been commercially successful, but for the past thirty years they have consistently put out enjoyable music that fans of rock can surely appreciate.
Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator plans to release his third solo album “Wolf” on April 2. The intensely popular but controversial rapper has had his fair share antics in the real world, but, as his crass Twitter will show, he is the epitome of not caring what people think. His music is a clear case of “love it or hate it” as his unique sound may not cater to a large variety of listeners, but his die hard followers would defend him at all cost. With an impressive 70 out of 100 currently on Metacritic, it is safe to say that the 22 year old Tyler, The Creator has grown as a producer over his short tenure as an artist.
“Dear Miss Lonelyhearts” is indie band Cold War Kids’s fourth studio album, and it is has a planned release date of April 2. Critics have given the new album mostly positive reviews, with some saying it is an improvement on their last album, “Mine is Yours,” released in 2011. Another indie band, Phoenix, will release their fifth studio album, “Bankrupt!” on April 19, but it will be hard to follow the success of their last album, “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.” “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” ended 2009 being the 5th best album of the year according to TIME, and the 3rd best album of the year according to Rolling Stone. As of now, “Bankrupt!” has been well received, but it seems nigh impossible for the French band to reach the success their last album gave them.
