We’re here to imagine The Year That Will Be, but let’s open today with some words from an artist we lost in The Year That Was:

“The waiting is the hardest part.”

Petty was right, of course. That’s what they call a “noble truth.” Our anticipation of an event often consumes more of our psychic energy than does the event itself — so much so that the event itself might sometimes feel like an afterthought or an anticlimax. Not always! Sometimes, though, the waiting is also the biggest part, maybe even the best part.

Anticipation, then, is not an ephemeral thing; it is an essential aspect of the experience itself. If we treat it as such, we are more able to appreciate the totality of the experience. And guys, remember, we are gathered here to talk about music. Waiting? Anticipating? That’s no small part of what we talk about when we talk about music. It is perhaps the majority part. (Sure, there’s memory, too, but that’s a different conversation for a different day.) We should savor this anticipation. We should wait not impatiently, but attentively. We are looking forward, yes, but we are in this moment looking forward together. We are here to discuss and delight in this state of anticipation, and the community with whom we are gathered to share our anticipation, and the artists whose past work has moved us enough to inspire such anticipation.

But enough with the philosophy, let’s get to the part you guys care about most: methodology. The list below is compiled and sorted based on a host of factors, some weighted more heavily than others, all subjected to a probablistic formula that allows us to gauge our anticipation with near-scientific accuracy. Some of these albums have been announced. Some have merely been hinted-at or teased by their respective authors. Some are simply estimated guesses based on historical precedence. Some of them we’ve heard in part or in full, and our early opinions have affected their placement on this list. Some of them we can only imagine. Some of them might never arrive. Some of them might never arrive but are nonetheless, like, 100% available right now but only if you actually go to the artist’s house to listen with him on his stereo. But none are outright wishes. This ranking may appear arbitrary, and on some level, perhaps it is. Taste, of course, is subjective, and that applies tenfold when we are only anticipating the flavor. We can’t predict the future, but we can certainly argue about it. Is that not, in fact, what we often call “the present”?

Oh goodness, look at me going on. Digression over! I’ve kept you waiting long enough. Let’s get to the list, right here, right now. –Michael Nelson

101 Tune-Yards – I can feel you creep into my private life (4AD, 1/19)

100 Now, Now

99 Shopping – The Official Body (FatCat, 1/19)

98 The Go Team – Semicircle (Memphis Industries, 1/19)

97 Remember Sports (Father/Daughter, May)

96 Caroline Rose – Loner (New West, 2/23)

95 Dear Nora (Spring)

94 Ought – Room Inside The World (Merge, 2/16)

93 Kississippi – Sunset Blush (SideOneDummy, Q1)

92 Florence + The Machine

91 Yucky Duster

90 Lily Allen

89 My Morning Jacket

88 R+R=Now (Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah)

87 Culture Abuse (Epitaph, Q2)

86 Ty Segall – Freedom’s Goblin (Drag City, 1/26)

85 Closer – All This Will Be (Lauren/Middle Man/Conditions, 1/19)

84 Anna Von Hausswolff – Dead Magic (City Slang, 3/2)

83 Panda Bear – A Day With The Homies EP (Domino, 1/12)

82 Franz Ferdinand – Always Ascending (Domino, 2/9)

81 Rhye – Blood (Loma Vista, 2/2)

80 Turnstile – Time & Space (Roadrunner, 2/23)

79 Death Cab For Cutie

78 Saintseneca (ANTI-)

77 Belly – DOVE (5/4)

76 No Age – Snares Like A Haircut (Drag City, 1/26)

75 Mothers

74 Bruce Springsteen

73 Horrendous (Season Of Mist)

72 Speedy Ortiz

71 Palm – Rock Island (Carpark, 2/19)

70 U.S. Girls – A Poem Unlimited (4AD, 2/16)

69 Gorillaz

68 Hot Snakes (Sub Pop, Spring)

67 IAN SWEET

66 Superorganism – Superorganism (Domino)

65 MGMT – Little Dark Age (Columbia)

64 Wye Oak (Merge)

63 Porches – The House (Domino, 1/19)

62 Nine Inch Nails (EP)

61 Natalie Prass

60 Yo La Tengo (Matador)

59 Lucy Dacus – Historian (Matador, 3/2)

58 Justin Timberlake

57 At The Gates – TFDTNI (Century Media, Q2)

56 Jack White (Third Man)

55 Camila Cabello – Camila (Epic/SYCO, 1/12)

54 Nicki Minaj

53 Field Music – Open Here (Memphis Industries, 2/2)

52 Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks (Matador, 4/6)

51 The Breeders (4AD)

50 Jeff Rosenstock

49 Half Waif – Lavender (Cascine)

48 Drake (OVO)

47 Soccer Mommy (Fat Possum)

46 David Byrne – American Utopia (Nonesuch Records, 3/9)

45 Charli XCX (Atlantic)

44 serpentwithfeet (Secretly Canadian)

43 Screaming Females – All At Once (Don Giovanni, 2/23)

42 A Perfect Circle (BMG)

41 A$AP Rocky (RCA)

40 Hop Along

39 Superchunk – What A Time To Be Alive (Merge, 2/16)

38 The Good, The Bad, & The Queen

37 Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour (Mercury Nashville, Early 2018)

36 Oneohtrix Point Never

35 Johanna Warren – Gemini II (2/18)

34 Parquet Courts

33 Car Seat Headrest (Matador)

32 The Voidz (RCA/Cult)

31 ScHoolboy Q

30 SOPHIE – Whole New World

29 Iceage (Matador)

28 Sharon Van Etten

27 Chance The Rapper

26 Chvrches

25 Cardi B (Atlantic)

24 PUP (SideOneDummy/Royal Mountain)

23 Migos – Culture II (Quality Control/300, Q1)

22 Yob (Relapse)

21 Snail Mail (Matador)

20 Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife 3 (EarDrummers/Interscope, January)

19 Titus Andronicus (Merge)

18 Danny Brown

17 Blood Orange (Domino)

16 Mount Eerie

15 The 1975 – Music For Cars (Dirty Hit/Polydor)

14 Arctic Monkeys

13 Courtney Barnett

12 Chromatics – Dear Tommy (Italians Do It Better)

11 Father John Misty (Sub Pop, Spring)

10 Tool

9 Pusha T (GOOD Music)

8 The Wrens

7 Sky Ferreira – Masochism

6 Mitski (Dead Oceans)

5 Deafheaven

4 My Bloody Valentine (Summer)

3 Carly Rae Jepsen

2 Kanye West