Rough Trade Records is one of those organizations which has been able to reinvent itself over and over again throughout the years. These guys have been at the centre of independent music for 40 years. The original shop in London’s West End was set up in 1976 and would spawn it’s own label two years later (the label and the shops would split up legally, although they keep close ties). Rough Trade has been home to an array of influential British acts, to the point where it feels a bit ridiculous to turn them into a grocery list.

The massive Brick Lane shop, known as Rough Trade East, opened in 2007. They have tons of free in-store shows, books, and a dizzying number of releases. Nigel House has been selling records for more than three decades – he’s been kind enough to curate a list of 2016’s most anticipated albums.

The Music Forecast

Top picks for 2016 from behind the desk at Rough Trade

Sunflower Bean – Human Ceremony

“New York City’s Sunflower Bean release their full-length debut album, ‘Human Ceremony’ via Fat Possum Records and it’s a joyous pop nugget from start to finish. The 11 tracks are urgent, flowing and demand repeated listens. It emerges at the intersection of dreamy modern psychedelia and urgent fuzzed-out bliss. On ‘I Was Home’ and ‘Wall Watcher’ the riffs rage, whilst on ‘Creation Myth’ they sound like a sugar sweet 80’s Indie Pop band with delicate female vocals. Seriously, this is everything and more, we could have expected from the debut Sunflower Bean album. For fans of Early 90’s Creation Records, Tame Impala and Veronica Falls.”

Photo by Paul Hudson – CC BY 2.0

Unloved – Guilty of Love

“Spearheaded by David Holmes, in collaboration with film and TV composer Keefus Ciancia (True Detective), and songwriter-vocalist Jade Vincent (The Jade Vincent Experiment), Unloved are born of 60’s girl groups, influenced by the great George ‘Shadow’ Morton, Jack Nitzsche, the soundtracks of Morricone, Nino Rota and the electronic sounds of Raymond Scott.”

LUH (Lost Under Heaven)

“LUH have their debut album out in May. Rising from the ashes of the art pop conceptualists WU LYF members Ellery Roberts and Ebony Hoorn are creating another set of waves with their combination of music, art, photography, film and manifestos. They are the complete package.”

Max Jury

“A yet untitled album will be out in June. All Max Jury needs is the endorsement of someone like Adele (as she did with Tobias Jesso Jnr) and everyone will see what an exceptional songwriter he is. Following on in the classic Gram Parsons. Simon and Garfunkel, Harry Nilsson style, he will soon be selling out venues and shifting huge numbers of records.”

Angel Olsen

“Hopefully coming in the autumn, we are so excited to hear the new album from one of our shop favourites – her previous album Burn Your Fire For No Witness was one of Albums of The Year and we predict this one will take to another level. She occupies that folk / singer songwriter area in a way that no one else, except maybe Bonnie Prince Billy, can touch.”

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