Why spend this most-forlorn yet briefest of months ignoring Valentine’s Day and watching objectively-better-looking-than-thou actors cavorting around the red carpet when there is so much good music to enjoy from the safety of your couch? A note: please disregard any inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the numerically oriented format of this article. Counting is hard, guys. Cut me some slack.

 

Five Upcoming Releases You Should Hear This Month

 

2/7 Kilo Kish—k+

 

Last September, former-textile-designer-turned-experimental-rapper Kilo Kish caused a stir with a two-minute sample of breathy synths and expertly mumbled almost-singing off the Cronos-produced “Creepwave,” which has recently been released in full. The track showcases the hip-hop rebel’s tonally sparing cadence and teasing references to Instagram-induced trendiness with pulsing yet spacious beats and delicate background melodies. Kish gets Wesleyan brownie points for an anxiety-laden cameo by fellow Brooklynites Flatbush Zombies, who will grace the hallowed halls of Psi U’s great room next weekend.

k+ will jump on the multimedia bandwagon with an accompanying visual installation going down on Friday, Feb. 1 in Manhattan. The album, which drops next Thursday, Feb. 7, promises an all-star cast of rap game newcomers like A$AP Ferg and higher-profile names, including Childish Gambino, Earl Sweatshirt, and SBTRKT.

 

2/12 Azealia Banks—Broke with Expensive Taste

 

At this stage in the game, I probably wouldn’t be surprised if my endearingly out-of-touch parental units dropped an Azealia Banks reference at the dinner table (Mom, if you’re reading this, don’t worry; you’re totally “with it.”). The punchy word-warper’s much anticipated official debut album has already skyrocketed to there-will-be-a-lot-of-Facebook-statuses-about-this fame with Banks’ self-released Fantasea and a slew of diss-offs with other rising hip-hop darlings, Iggy Azalea and Angel Haze among them. The album is expected to include “ALOT of REALLY excitin ish,” unprecedented use of everyone’s favorite c-word (after “chillwave”), and more attitude than I gave Beyoncé’s haters after last week’s lip-synching debacle.

 

2/19 Beach Fossils – Clash the Truth

 

Lo-fi princes Beach Fossils are back with a higher energy cut off their upcoming album Clash the Truth. “Careless,” while allowing itself a little more excitement than the meandering dream pop the outfit is known for, predicts a style that falls somewhere between the whimsy of their eponymous debut and the wistfulness of their sophomore EP. Whichever direction Beach Fossils choose to go, Foss should be prettily soundtracked by sunny guitars sighing from hill-goers’ laptop speakers come spring.

 

2/19 Iceage – You’re Nothing

 

With the release of “Ecstasy,” a pounding track off of their upcoming sophomore endeavor, these Danish wunderkinder continue to reassure fans that punk is alive and well. Insistent drums dissolve into thick vocals interspersed with anguished feedback that emulates the “pressure” lead singer Elias Butler laments in a track as cathartic as it is exasperating. As the songwriters mature, more complex lyrics should hopefully emerge on You’re Nothing; Butler has mentioned a greater degree of vulnerability in the album’s language. Barring a sophomore slump, You’re Nothing promises a continuation of the group’s uninhibited exhilaration with the sense of abstract awareness that has distinguished these youngsters as potential progenitors of yet another post-punk revival. Whether you caught them last week at Eclectic or have decided to “immerse yourself in Scandinavian culture” for a semester in Copenhagen, Iceage is unquestionably a more enjoyable means of doing so than brushing up on your knowledge of the Nordic welfare system.

 

2/26 Atoms for Peace – Amok

 

Thom Yorke. Flea. #supergroups. Just mark  your calendar, already.

Four Other Notable Releases in Four Words

 

2/5 Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II

 

Ahmir Thompson likes this.

 

2/19 L’il Wayne – Tha Carter V

 

Weezy: free or retired?

 

2/19 Major Lazer – Free the Universe

 

Features every artist alive.

 

2/19 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away

 

“Ghost-baby in the incubator.”

 

Three Albums that May or May Not Exist

 

My Bloody Valentine—(As Yet Untitled)

 

The indie music blerg-osphere is atwitter with anticipation of a possible new album from these shoegazers that is rumored to drop, well, today.

 

J Cole—Born Sinner

 

This self-praising rapper announced last month that he would be depriving us of another admittedly sexy yet strangely bland and slightly offensive album originally scheduled for release on Jan. 28. That snake.

 

D’Angelo—James River

 

Questlove recently upgraded his evaluation of what better be the soulster’s third masterpiece from “97 percent finished” to “99 percent done.” After a few sneaky comeback performances confirmed that the musical prodigy is back and better than ever, fans of his sultry, engrossing vocal prowess are withering away with each month James River hides in the studio. Come on, D. NEO-SOUL IS DYING WITHOUT YOU.

 

Two Mixtapes You Should Already be Listening To

 

Le1f—Fly Zone

 

Our newest token musical Wes alum’s slightly less experimental yet just as compelling second mixtape is fresh outta Greedhead and available for free download.

 

Kitty—D.A.I.S.Y. Rage EP

 

Kitty may have lost her Pryde, but she’s still got her moxie. Plaintive rapping and glittering flourishes on “Ay Shawty” announce that Her Highness of Hyperactivity shows no sign of relaxing anytime soon.

 

One Documentary That Will Almost Definitely Make Me Cry

 

It’s finally happening. Queen B, classy, gracious, radiant, and ostensibly the most talented singer who’s ever lived, will release an autobiographical documentary entitled “Life is But a Dream” on Feb. 16, thereby boosting the morale of the entire nation and filling this Wesleyan student’s heart with the strength to go on, to persist, to find the courage to both give and receive, to search for love in the smallest and least expected of places, and to soldier through midterms without hoarding Usdan desserts in napkins.

“How do I stay soulful?” the goddess muses in the HBO special’s already inspirational trailer. Just keep doing you, Beyoncé. That’s more than we could ever ask for.