Poor 2005. Still almost three months to go and already people are referring to it in retrospective terms, preferring to look ahead towards the bright and shiny future of 2006. And to be fair, there’s not much left in the way of new releases to look forward to – at least not on my list. There’s the Wilco live set (which you can preorder and get a bonus live track to download) and the Slowdive reissues, all out the week of November 15th, but besides those, I’d say the new Cardigans is about it for albums still to come that could concievably make a run at a year-end list berth (See? There I go with the retrospectiveness again). There’s supposed to be a new Rainer Maria record out before the close of 2005, but as each day passes with no new news, I grow more skeptical.

But let’s take a look at what the first quarter of 2006 should hold in store. I’ll start with this one because, well, I’ve got the most links and info for it… and Chan is pretty. Pitchfork has details on Cat Power’s new album, The Greatest. Matador one-ups them with the album art, the correct release date (January 24th, not the 26th), a promise of a full-band world tour to commence in early ’06 (with crying and on-stage meltdowns to follow) and an MP3 of the title track.

MP3: Cat Power – “The Greatest”

I’ve never been the biggest Cat Power fan – Moon Pix is all I have, and it gets spun rarely – but if “The Greatest” is any indication of what the rest of the album is like, I may have to pick it up. That song is lovely.

Taking a look at everything else chronologically – Nellie McKay’s Pretty Little Head is out so late in the year on December 27 that it may as well be an ’06 release and will feature duets with Cyndi Lauper and k.d. lang. Nellie will also be appearing on Broadway in March of 2006 in a production of Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera.

The third album from The Strokes starts the year off on January 3. Bits of First Impressions Of Earth have already leaked and NME has heard the whole thing. The band is also casting “LESBIANS, 20s-30’s, “Victoria Secret” model-type lesbians, prefer Caucasian” for their new video. Anything for art, right?

Personally, my most-anticipated album of the first part of ’06 is Trespassers William’s Having. A long time in the making, it was mixed by Dave Fridmann and mastered by Greg Calbi, will finally be out January 24. I’m unhealthily excited about this record. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, Different Stars is probably one of my favourite albums of the last five years.

Belle & Sebastian’s The Goalkeeper’s Revenge should be out in January – You Ain’t No Picasso has a live mp3 of one of the new tracks we should expect to appear on the new record, “Another Sunny Day”. Toe-tapping good stuff, it sounds like classic Belle & Sebastian.

Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis has her debut solo effort (though credited to Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins) Rabbit Fur Coat due out in January as well. Not surprisingly, it will be chock-full of guest stars.

No longer just an instigator, Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller is now also The Believer, which is the title of his second solo album coming out on February 28.

Ted Leo’s follow-up to Shake The Sheets WAS supposed to coming out sometime in February, but with the whole Lookout fiasco, it could be longer while he gets the label sitch sorted out. Ted promised on his website back in August that he’d address the Lookout situation soon, but still hasn’t. What he DOES advise, however, is that you go watch Teen Girl Squad’s 10th issue-versary.

Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is out March 7. I covered that a couple of weeks ago.

Also due out in February or March, the new one from The Flaming Lips. According to Billboard, this record is a return to the guitar rock of Clouds Taste Metallic or Satellite Heart. Promises, promises.

Of course, as I say every year, the stuff I’m most looking forward to is the stuff I’ve no idea exists right now. The above are mostly known quantities and I’m reasonably assured that they’ll put out good records (except the Strokes – I posted that bit just to talk about lesbians). If you look at my favourite records of 2005 (which you will in a couple months), many are bands that I’d never heard of or heard on January 1, 2005. Old favourites are always good, but there’s no competing with the rush of a new discovery. I’m done with 2005. Bring on the ’06.

np – The Tears / Here Come The Tears