New Albums to Watch for in December 2017

December starts this Friday, which means the year in new music is almost over. With only a few more big releases set to come out this year, it’s time to take a look at what new albums the final weeks of 2017 have in store for us.

Though the output in December is significantly more scant than in previous months, there are still some highly anticipated albums set to come out. On Friday alone, U2, Neil Young and Van Morrison are all putting out new albums. Eminem’s new album will be coming out just in time for the holidays as well. December will also see the first new albums from hardcore bands Glassjaw and Story of the Year in 15 and seven years, respectively.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves new music. That’s why we’re taking a look at some of the most anticipated albums coming out in December 2017. Here are eight titles we think will be worth watch for in the coming month.

1.       U2, ‘Songs Of Experience’: After the mediocre and controversial release of 2014’s ‘Songs Of Innocence,’ U2 are looking to follow it up with ‘Songs Of Experience’ this Friday. The new album is meant to compliment ‘Innocence,’ this time reflecting on what they have learned from being a band for more than three decades. In one last promotional push, the band will be releasing a radio show spanning music from throughout their career on Amazon Music that will run until Friday’s release. (12/1)

2.       Neil Young & Promise of the Real, ‘The Visitor’: Neil Young has once again teamed up with Promise of the Real for a new album, ‘The Visitor,’ his third with the band in three years. Young unsurprisingly gets political with this album, singing about things like standing up for what you believe in (“Children of Destiny”) and how America doesn’t need anyone to change it (“Already Great”). (12/1)

3.       Van Morrison, ‘Versatile’: Van Morrison makes his foray this December into jazz with his upcoming album ‘Versatile,’ his second album in three months. The album features covers of nine vocal jazz standards, as well as seven original songs (12/1)

4.       Glassjaw, ‘Material Control’: It’s been more than six years since Long Island hardcore band Glassjaw released new material and 15 since they last released a full-length album. That changes this Friday when the band releases ‘Material Control.’ The band released the album’s melodic first single, “Shira,” last week. (12/1)

5.       Story Of The Year, ‘Wolves’: It has been seven years since hardcore band Story Of The Year released their last album, ‘The Constant.’ Now the band is making up for lost time with a new album, titled ‘Wolves,’ out in December. The singles I’ve heard so far feel like a more mature version of the band’s sound, bringing new, more melodic influences to their tried and true sound. Those that preordered the album on Pledge Music will receive the album a week earlier on December 1. (12/8)

6.       N.E.R.D., ‘No_One Ever Really Dies’: N.E.R.D. has regrouped to release their first album together in seven years, ‘No_One Ever Really Dies.’ The album is set to feature collaborations with Rihanna, Outkast’s Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Gucci Mane and Wale. First single “Lemon” (feat. Rihanna), has done modestly well on the charts so far. (12/15)

7.       Eminem, ‘Revival’: Eminem will be releasing his highly anticipated ninth album, ‘Revival,’ this month. The follow-up to 2013’s Grammy-winning ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2,’ ‘Revival’ has big shoes to fill. Promotion for the album has also been creating a lot of hype, with fake ads for a fake drug teasing it for the last two months.The first single from the album, “Walk On Water,” hits hard both lyrically and emotionally, which, to me, seems like a good sign for the rest of the album. (12/15)

8.       Linkin Park, ‘One More Light Live’: Over the summer, Linkin Park embarked on a world tour behind their new album, ‘One More Light.’ It was also this summer that frontman Chester Bennington took his own life. As a tribute to him, the band is releasing one last album, recorded live during this summer’s tour. These are Bennington’s final recordings and are meant to give a glimpse into what he had called the “best tour [they] had ever done.” (12/15)

As the year is winding down, there are still a handful of highly anticipated new releases coming out in December, just in time for the holiday season. These are just some of the new titles that we think will be worth spending your hard-earned money on. Keep an eye out for these and let us know which ones your excited for in the month to come.

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Whether you’re looking for something new or trying to rediscover the classics, Vinyl Bay 777 has you covered. Long Island’s top new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.