Twenty essential albums for autumn/winter

APHEX TWIN – SYRO

Release date: September 22

The Cornwall blimp-aficionado hasn’t released anything in eleven years: but we know SYRO is his “most accessible” record, we know one of his kids came up with the title, and we know it’s gonna be big. In the meantime, revisit this Druqks track and realise that it still trumps most of this year’s releases.

BANKS – GODDESS

Release date: September 8

Los Angeles’ nighttime R&B singers recent singles “Brain” and “Beggin For Thread” have a nuanced strength-of-purpose trumping last year’s ambient London EP. You know what they say about the quiet ones.

CARIBOU – OUR LOVE

Release date: October 6

Stupidly-good taster track "Can't Do Without You" builds from a loop of the title into a super-euphoric synth high. Dan Snaith’s fifth album as Caribou promises much more getting misty-eyed at the rave.

CHARLI XCX – SUCKER

Release date: October 20

Current single “Break the Rules” looks (and sounds) straight like the London-based artist is The Donnas’ little sister – seems her second full-length will be stickier, sweeter and spunkier than the gloom-pop of True Romance.

DAN BODAN – SOFT

Release date: October 27

The Berlin-based singer/songwriter sings about love with pinprick precision over cottonwool beats on his debut album on DFA. An intimate record to shroud from the biting autumn breeze.

DEPTFORD GOTH – SONGS

Release date: November 3

South London’s soft-as-cashmere crooner breaks through the fuzz with the wide-screen ballads of his second album, following the torchy Life After Defo.

FLYING LOTUS – YOU’RE DEAD!

Release date: October 6

FlyLo’s Until the Quiet Comes follow-up is apparently “a shamanic pilgrimage into the psychedelic unknown of the infinite afterlife” – a trip aided by Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock and more. Try not to tear your eyeballs out at the psych-out body horror of the animated teaser.

FRANK OCEAN – TBA

Release date: TBA

The OFWGKTA associate kicked his Tumblr back into action to speak out about Ferguson (and debut a cerulean ‘do). While his summer festival perfoamces mainly focussed on Channel Orange cuts, “Pyramids” director Nabil said, of Ocean’s third release, “that shit is fire".

IAMAMIWHOAMI – BLUE

Release date: November 10

Sweden’s audio-visual synthpop maven plunges into new depths for her November release, following the swooning synths of “Fountain”. Naturally, she’ll be releasing videos for every track in tandem with the water-themed release.

ICEAGE – TBA

Release date: TBA

In country roiler “The Lord’s Favorite”, the moody Copenhagen band switched up from potboiling punk to slurry alt-country. Elias Bender Rønnenfelt sounds no less turbulent amidst the mandolins, and we’re ready for a whole record of it.

JESSIE WARE – TOUGH LOVE

Release date: October 6

The London songwriter’s tracks this year have lingered finely over the ins and outs of love – with an attention to space that makes perfect sense with Romy Madely-Croft on the list of collaborators – flagging that the Devotion follow-up could be pretty sublime.

KENDRICK LAMAR – TBA

Release date: TBA

K.Dot’s eyeing a winter release for the sequel to good kid, m.A.A.d city, he told Complex this summer. We know he’s working with TDE’s in-house producers Tae Beast and Sounwave as well as Dr. Dre, but barely anything else has been revealed about his third studio set.

KINDNESS – OTHERNESS

Release date: October 13

Adam Bainbridge’s second record is a family affair, featuring Kelela, M.anifest, and Dev Hynes. (We like to imagine them all wearing matching denim in the studio.) A sweet jazzy taster "World Restart" already premiered, but we hear the Robyn collaboration “Who Do You Love?” is totally unstoppable.

MADONNA – TBA

Release date: TBA

The self-delcared #unapologeticbitch has been teasing collaborations with MNEK, Ariel Rechtshaid and Diplo on her 13th studio album throughout 2014. October and November are packed with pop releases from One Direction, Taylor Swift and possibly Adele – and the queen of reinvention could well be sharpening her elbows as we speak.

NICKI MINAJ – THE PINKPRINT

Release date: TBA

Despite her solid singles and remixes, rap’s untoppled queen has never quite had a consistent full-length. After unleashing the navel-gazing “Pills N Potions” as well as “Anaconda” this year, it could be third time the charm for “The Blueprint for female rappers.”

PEAKING LIGHTS – COSMIC LOGIC

Release date: October 6

The self-termed “Fucked Modern Pop” duo follow 2012’s great Lucifer with more warped body music. Get touched in unexpected places with “Breakdown” below.

PERFUME GENIUS – TOO BRIGHT

Release date: September 22

Seattle songwriter Mike Hadreas loosened up and let his rage out in Too Bright’s trimphant lead single “Queen”, where he snarled like Kim Deal alongside space-age Laurie Anderson synths. His third release promises a new power.

PHARMAKON – BESTIAL BURDEN

Release date: September 13

Inspired by clawing back from the brink of bodily trauma, NYC noise artist Pharmakon channels physical uncertainty into a cathartic, discordant and triumphant second release on Sacred Bones.

RIHANNA – TBA

Release date: TBA

Much as she kills the #frow, Robyn Fenty’s only put out features since 2012’s Unapologetic. She’s soundtracking DreamWorks’ family animation Home next March, but what’s gonna happen to all the DJ Mustard and The-Dream beats in the meantime?

#R8 pic.twitter.com/fEDxaBvQ9L

— Rihanna (@rihanna) June 30, 2014

ZOLA JESUS – TAIGA

Release date: October 6

Seattle’s classically trained epic-pop purveyor lets the light in on her fourth LP, following last year’s orchestral Versions in collaboration with JG Thirwell. She retreated to the forests in Washington state to record the grandly forceful lead single “Dangerous Days”, and ten other tracks.