From a young pop queen’s much-anticipated sophomore album to a final tongue-waggle from hard-rock’s master showmen to the debut of a $2-billion orb in Las Vegas, fall promises thrills for multiple generations of music fans.
Tyler Childers, “Rustin’ in the Rain” (Sept. 8)
Childers made news recently with the touching music video for his song “In Your Love,” which tells a romantic story about two gay coal miners in 1950s Appalachia; not long after that, the Kentucky-based roots musician found himself being talked about again when people on Twitter decided that Oliver Anthony had ripped Childers off to make his viral conservative-bait country hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Childers himself describes his new album as “a collection of songs I playfully pieced together as if I was pitching a group of songs to Elvis.” — Mikael Wood
Lauren Daigle, “Lauren Daigle” (Sept. 8)
Daigle is one of contemporary Christian music’s crossover triumphs, rising up the Billboard 200 from well outside the mainstream. Her forthcoming self-titled LP is her first for a major label (Atlantic Records) and a very purposeful shot at broader pop stardom — “Thank God I Do” and “Be Okay” are Adele-worthy piano ballads. Daigle will perform at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 10. — August Brown
After returning to L.A. following a near-fatal career setback, Chappell Roan came out, reinvented herself as a horny pop diva and became one of 2023’s rising stars.
Ashley McBryde, “The Devil I Know” (Sept. 8)
One of Nashville’s most reliable and sophisticated songwriters, McBryde did the quirky concept-album thing with last year’s Grammy-nominated “Lindeville,” which brought a fictional small town to life in detailed vignettes featuring guest singers such as Brandy Clark and TJ Osborne. Her follow-up LP is a more conventional affair, with tunes about drinking and loving — sample title: “Women Ain’t Whiskey” — set over bruising, rock-adjacent guitars. — M.W.
Olivia Rodrigo, “Guts” (Sept. 8)
Expectations couldn’t be higher for Rodrigo’s highly anticipated sophomore disc, which comes a little over two years after her Grammy-winning instant-smash debut, “Sour.” But the pair of advance singles she’s released so far — the rock-operatic “Vampire” and the droll, talky “Bad Idea Right?” — bode well for the rest of “Guts,” for which she reunited with her trusty co-writer and producer, Daniel Nigro. Also promising: knowing song titles like “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” “Love Is Embarrassing” and “All-American Bitch.” — M.W.
“Prine on Prine: Interviews and Encounters With John Prine” (Sept. 12)
Edited by longtime Nashville music journalist Holly Gleason, this moving and insightful book collects half a century’s worth of writing about Prine — including profiles by The Times’ Robert Hilburn and Randy Lewis as well as a piece from a cookbook in which Prine lays out his recipe for a wine-soaked pork roast — three years after the great American songwriter died at age 73. — M.W.
Brothers Osborne, “Brothers Osborne” (Sept. 15)
Two years after TJ Osborne came out as gay — still a professionally risky move in the world of mainstream country music — he and his brother John are set to release their fourth studio LP, a lively self-titled set they made with producer Mike Elizondo, who’s known for his work with an eclectic roster of acts including Dr. Dre, Fiona Apple and the hardcore band Turnstile. The result isn’t a total about-face for this crafty country duo, but it does add fresh sounds and textures to the Osbornes’ solidly built songs. They’ll bring some of them to the stage Oct. 22 at the Greek Theatre. — M.W.
Do you confuse Honey Balenciaga with Honey Djion? Carlos Basquiat with Jean-Michel Basquiat? Let The Times help, with this handy glossary for all things Queen B.
Mitski, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (Sept. 15)
Through a bit of a chart trick last year, the virtuoso miserabilist singer-songwriter had the bestselling album (not counting streams) in the country for a week. Not even a total desertion of all her social media accounts has prevented her from becoming a TikTok favorite for her plaintive, devastating ballads. But she’s grown into a richly ambitious writer and arranger who can buttress longing with strange and lovely art-rock. “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” promises more spare, wrenching songs like “Bug Like an Angel,” which puts a regal classic country melody up against a very modern flavor of loneliness. — A.B.
Corinne Bailey Rae, “Black Rainbows” (Sept. 15)
Rae first popped in 2006 with the gently soulful self-titled debut album that included the breakout hit “Put Your Records On.” “Black Rainbows,” her first album in seven years, promises to be more wide-ranging, foreshadowed by the piano-laden “Peach Velvet Sky” and the trashy punk kick of “New York Transit Queen.” — Kenan Draughorne
Playboi Carti, Crypto.com Arena, (Sept. 20)
The face of rage-rap and his roster of Opium artists — Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang — are on tour together for the first time. Expect a whole lot of yelling, a roiling sea of mosh pits and enough bass to deafen all of L.A. Live. — K.D.
Paul McCartney and Paul Muldoon, “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” podcast (Sept. 20)
Through the strange, troubling magic of artificial intelligence, the world will soon get a new Beatles track with contributions from all four (yes, all four) members of the band. But if you prefer a more analog insight into the Fab Four’s process, “A Life In Lyrics,” hosted with poet Muldoon, looks to be the rare megawatt celebrity podcast with actual insight into the craft of writing some of the world’s most beloved songs. McCartney is as charming and intimate a storyteller as it gets, and the Pulitzer-winning Muldoon is a welcome guide through Macca’s one-of-one genius. — A.B.
Chance the Rapper, Kia Forum (Sept. 21)
Ten years after his “Acid Rap” mixtape, released free of charge, made fans of everyone from Pitchfork to Barack Obama, Chicago’s Chance the Rapper will celebrate its anniversary at the Forum. His career hasn’t been the straight ascent to the top that many predicted; his official debut album, 2019’s “The Big Day,” was panned by fans disappointed with its love-happy subject matter. But with this show, the ones who stuck by him will get to revisit where it all started. — K.D.
Kylie Minogue, “Tension” (Sept. 22)
Minogue has been burning up dance floors around the world for decades, and this summer’s pulsing “Padam Padam” kicked off a new chapter with the familiar, club-happy sound that first put her on top. Ahead of her multi-month residency at the Venetian Las Vegas, the Australian dynamo will release her 16th studio album. — K.D.
Before year’s end, rising country star and unlikely celebrity-gossip focus Morgan Wade will release a new album, run an ultramarathon and undergo major surgery.
The Replacements, “Tim: Let It Bleed Edition” (Sept. 22)
A new mix of a classic record is rarely something to get excited about. But for anyone familiar with the Replacements’ 1985 major-label debut, it’s a genuine thrill to hear Ed Stasium’s crisp redo of the LP originally produced by Tommy Erdelyi (a.k.a. Tommy Ramone); suddenly, the band’s famously boozy interplay feels like an asset rather than a liability. Stasium’s makeover of “Tim” is the centerpiece of this 65-track box set, which also features a live recording and previously unreleased material, including stuff from a 1985 studio session overseen by Big Star’s Alex Chilton. — M.W.
Stephen Sanchez, “Angel Face” (Sept. 22)
His clear inspirations include Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley; his celebrity fans include Elton John, who brought him onstage at June’s Glastonbury festival, and Lionel Richie, who had him sing at his daughter Sofia’s recent wedding. Now, 20-year-old Sanchez is looking to extend the viral success of his throwback love song “Until I Found You” with his debut album, which he describes as a kind of musical biography of a fictional pop heartthrob from his breakout in the late 1950s through his murder in the mid 1960s. Catch him at the Wiltern on Nov. 2 and 3. — M.W.
Leon Russell wrote a handful of modern standards and worked with artists from Dylan to Clapton to Streisand to Elton. A new tribute LP heralds the Leonaissance.
Talking Heads, “Stop Making Sense” film (Sept. 22)
Nearly 40 years after director Jonathan Demme filmed three Talking Heads gigs at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in December 1983, the concert movie often described as the finest in history has been restored for an anniversary theatrical run, accompanied by a reissue of the movie’s hit soundtrack that features two previously unreleased songs. For those who’ve never seen “Stop Making Sense,” it’s hard to imagine a better opportunity to experience its immersive joy. — M.W.
Ohana festival, Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, Calif. (Sept. 29-Oct. 1)
The marquee attraction is the Foo Fighters’ first hometown(-ish) performance since the release in June of its latest album, “But Here We Are,” which movingly addresses the 2022 death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins. Yet Ohana has plenty else to draw showgoers south to Dana Point, including fellow headliners the Killers and Eddie Vedder (the latter of whom founded the festival in 2016) along with the Chicks, Father John Misty, the Pretenders, the War on Drugs and — fresh from their gig opening for Taylor Swift at SoFi Stadium — the happily riff-dispensing sisters of L.A.’s Haim. — M.W.
U2, Sphere, Las Vegas (Sept. 29 to Dec. 16)
You’ve no doubt seen video clips from outside the venue on social media: an enormous orb covered in LEDs that can be programmed to flash digital images in stunning clarity. But what exactly goes on inside the $2-billion Sphere — which its owner, Madison Square Garden Entertainment, says is the world’s largest spherical structure — remains largely unknown ahead of its opening engagement: a 25-concert residency by U2 in which the veteran Irish band plans to play the entirety of its 1991 album “Achtung Baby.” One non-tech-oriented note: U2’s drummer, Larry Mullen Jr., will sit out the shows following a recent surgery, marking the first time he’s said to have missed a gig since the late ’70s. — M.W.
The 1975, Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 2)
The last time this wily British pop-rock band played L.A., frontman Matty Healy was known for his bottomless pop-cultural knowledge and for his willfully provocative stage antics; now, he’s also known as Taylor Swift’s (alleged) ex-boyfriend. Still on the road behind last year’s “Being Funny in a Foreign Language,” the 1975 says it’s overhauled the elaborate and theatrical live show it brought to the Kia Forum in November. — M.W.
Pink, SoFi Stadium (Oct. 5)
Come for her 2023 dance-pop album “Trustfall” and enduring No. 1 hits like “So What” and “Raise Your Glass”; stay for the high-flying acrobatics as she catapults through the air to your favorite song. — K.D.
Sufjan Stevens, “Javelin” (Oct. 6)
Stevens’ “Illinois,” a heartrending indie-folk album with a song about a serial-killer clown, was a long shot to get a stage adaptation nearly 20 years after its release. But Stevens has proved to be one of his generation’s most admired and versatile singer-songwriters. He’s ranged far from his early musical leanings — May’s “Reflections” was a moody collection of duo-piano pieces he wrote for the Houston Ballet. But the upcoming “Javelin” finds him back in singer-songwriter mode, with a Neil Young cover and instrumental assists from the National’s Bryce Dessner. — A.B.
Power Trip festival, Empire Polo Club, Indio, Calif. (Oct. 6-8)
In 2016, the classic-rock blowout Desert Trip, featuring six bands over three nights across back-to-back weekends at the Empire Polo Club, became the highest grossing festival in American history. Naturally, promoter Goldenvoice wanted another go-around with that format. But the supply of boomer rock legends is dwindling, so instead, there’s Power Trip, a metal-centric incarnation that will corral Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest (replacing an ailing Ozzy Osbourne), Iron Maiden and Tool over one fall weekend. — A.B.
Muna, Greek Theatre (Oct. 11-12)
You might have recently seen bus-stop ads throughout Silver Lake declaring L.A. rock trio Muna as “The Greatest Band in the World.” As the saying goes, it’s not bragging if you can back it up, and Muna won over hearts and minds on its viral hit “Silk Chiffon,” an arena-rock anthem about gay crushes. Come judge Muna’s claim during a two-night run at the Greek. — A.B.
Troye Sivan, “Something to Give Each Other” (Oct. 13)
What the Grateful Dead are to LSD and Pusha T is for cocaine, Troye Sivan may end up being for amyl nitrite. The queer Australian pop singer, fresh off a well-received acting stint on “The Idol,” dropped his poppers-ode “Rush” just in time for the last hurrahs of Pride. That horny, ravey fugue is the centerpiece of “Something to Give Each Other,” which promises riffs on the ecstasy of hard partying and falling in love. — A.B.
Jamila Woods, “Water Made Us,” (Oct. 13)
After celebrating groundbreaking Black and brown artists such as Betty Davis, Frida Kahlo and Zora Neale Huston on 2019’s “Legacy! Legacy!,” “Water Made Us” is a more tender offering of self-reflective songs themed around love. Lead single “Tiny Garden” sets the tone for a vulnerable album perfectly suited for fall weather. — K.D.
Sly Stone, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” memoir, (Oct. 17)
Eccentric geniuses rarely make it out of the music industry unscathed, but Stone had a rougher go of it than most. His brilliant career — at the vanguard of funk, soul and rock with a generous, wild spirituality — was derailed by drug abuse, which eventually spiraled into homelessness (Stone recently lived in a van in the Crenshaw neighborhood). But this long-awaited memoir, the first book release on Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s new publishing imprint, should hopefully spark a resurgence of interest into one of rock ’n’ roll’s true revolutionaries. — A.B.
Devo, “Art Devo,” (Oct. 20)
The proto-punk weirdos from Akron, Ohio, have been around for 50 years — that’s 12 more than LeBron James, the city’s second-best export. To celebrate, the new wave vets have packaged their early career material — a slate of mostly unreleased cuts pre-dating 1978’s immaculate debut LP, “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” — into this very handsome and substantial three-LP box set. It captures a young band on the fringes of a fringe genre that just couldn’t help but write indelible hooks and riffs from the get-go. — A.B.
Boygenius, Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 31)
How many bejeweled skeleton suits will fans be wearing at Boygenius’ Halloween show at the Hollywood Bowl? An exact guess wins yet another night paralyzed on the floor listening to “Emily I’m Sorry.” The trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus has become the unlikeliest of major-label arena acts — three brutally insightful singer-songwriters who seem like they’re having the time of their lives as a supergroup. — A.B.
Doja Cat, Crypto.com Arena, (Nov. 2)
In the last months, Doja Cat has been speaking out about her career with an almost reckless candor, lambasting her fans who call themselves “Kittenz” and saying her multi-platinum albums “Planet Her” and “Hot Pink” were artless cash grabs. But despite the backlash that followed her remarks, she had little trouble selling out Crypto.com months in advance. — K.D.
KISS, Hollywood Bowl (Nov. 3)
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have sworn that KISS’ current world tour comprises the influential glam-rock band’s “absolute final shows” — a promise believable by anyone other than fans, who’ve been buying tickets for farewell concerts since 2000. The End of the Road tour, as the group is calling this jaunt, will hit the Bowl about a month before it reaches New York’s Madison Square Garden, where members say they’ll finally hang it up “10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started.” — M.W.
Tkay Maidza, “Sweet Justice” (Nov. 3)
Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Australia, Maidza has done everything from electric, four-on-the-floor dance raps (“24K”) to a synthy cover of the Pixies’ classic (“Where Is My Mind?”). Her forthcoming album’s lead single, “Silent Assassin,” brings gritty production from Flume to back her antagonistic boasts and sets the tone for her next chapter. — K.D.
Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, Dodger Stadium (Nov. 11-12)
Tyler, the Creator’s homegrown festival earned A-list status years ago, but ever since Frank Ocean-fevered fans unceremoniously booed Drake offstage at the end of 2019’s event, the buzz has never been higher: Tickets for this year’s edition sold out before the lineup was even announced. Lucky fans who snagged passes will get to see headliners Tyler, SZA and “The Hillbillies” (Kendrick Lamar and his cousin, Baby Keem), plus Ice Spice, Dominic Fike, Kali Uchis, Lil Yachty and many more. — K.D.
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday 2” (Nov. 17)
Back in November 2010, Minaj crashed hip-hop’s boy’s club when she released her debut album, “Pink Friday,” less than a month after stealing the show on Kanye West’s “Monster.” Thirteen years later, she’s releasing a follow-up of sorts, “Pink Friday 2,” her first album since 2018’s “Queen.” On recent singles “Red Ruby Da Sleaze” and “Super Freaky Girl” (which debuted atop the Hot 100 in 2022), she’s rapping in top form; expect more of the same when she closes the year of Barbie with a bang. — K.D.
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