We know why you didn’t ask Santa for music this year; it’s because none of the truly rad stuff has come out yet. We’ve put together just a sampling of some of early ‘09’s most drool-worthy releases. Try not to blow all of Grandma’s xmas money on booze and sandwiches this year; you’ll want to have a little left over for the record store.

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A.C. Newman, Get Guilty
Release date: January 20
Five years is a long time to wait for a new album. Granted, A.C. (Carl) Newman has put out two LPs with the New Pornographers since his last solo disc, The Slow Wonder. This summer, Newman hinted that his next solo record would sound “more rock than the last one,” but early reviews (the disc leaked in full in December) suggest that Newman’s keeping to his strengths: power-pop hooks and cannon-blast vocal harmonies. Indie-pop pals Nicole Atkins and Mates of State show up as an added bonus.

Listen to "There Are Maybe Ten or 12" from Get Guilty.

Get music by A.C. Newman at iTunes.

Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Release date: January 27
Debut single “Ulysses” has already warned us the rocking Scots are back with the same dance-rock fury that took fire on their 2004 self-titled debut and 2005’s You Could Have it So Much Better. What you probably haven’t heard, though, are the disco experiments the band has been tinkering on for the rest of Tonight. Producer Dan Carey (Hot Chip, Lily Allen) has helped them fuse their straight-up guitar rock with glitzy Moroder-style synths that are ready for the floor. Donna Summer would be proud.

Get music by Franz Ferdinand at iTunes.

50 Cent, Before I Self Destruct
Release date: February 3
As if his new MTV Donald Trump-esque persona hasn’t convinced you, 50 Cent is – despite his rep for taking bullets and, erm, candy shopping – strictly business. It was well-publicized that Fiddy’s fourth LP since 2007’s Curtis had been yanked from its previously set Dec. 16 release date, and the rapper explained that the change in plans was merely a bit of strategy on his part. As he told MTV News, he’s going to take the extra time to keep pushing new singles until the album’s debut. Before his manifest destiny of radio rap dominance comes to its fruition, take a look at the video for lead single “Get Up.”

Get music by 50 Cent at iTunes.

Lily Allen, It’s Not Me, It’s You
Release date: February 10
In the last year, Lily Allen’s gone through release-date delays, title changes and has posted more new tracks to her MySpace than blogs about public intoxication. Allen herself has called the new record “bigger” and “more ethereal” – but from what we’ve heard so far (which is a fair bit; preview five of the tracks, here) she thankfully hasn’t outgrown her sass-mouth, yet.

Get music by Lily Allen at iTunes.

Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
Release date: March 3
Neko Case doesn’t like love songs, but she’s written an album’s worth anyway. That’s what the alt-country belter recently revealed about her upcoming LP Middle Cyclone – her latest since 2007’s Fox Confessor. “I’d said a lot that I don’t write love songs – I just don’t like to do it,” Case told Paste. “But I ended up writing lots of love songs. If you say you don’t want to do something, you’re going to contradict yourself later. It always happens. They’re still not traditional love songs, but they’re love songs nonetheless.” The bulk of the album was recorded off the floor at Case’s Vermont farm. To make things interesting, she furnished her barn/recording studio with some eight pianos and a few of the best names in her little black book (M. Ward, Sarah Harmer, The New Pornographers, Calexico, The Sadies and more). You can get a sneak peek at the recording process and a few of the new songs here.

Get music by Neko Case at iTunes.

Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted
Release date: March 17
Can Kelly Clarkson weather My December? The formerly most-successful former Idol winner’s second album failed to bring the same pop perfection – never mind chart success – as 2004’s Breakaway. Don’t put down that hairbrush microphone, though, kids; all signs point to a return to classic Clarkson. According to reports, she’s been looking to bands like Garbage for inspiration and production on the album wrapped in October. The first single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” reunites her with “Since U Been Gone” masterminds Max Martin and Dr. Luke. Amazon.com is the first to stream a (way too brief) snippet of the song, which goes to radio January 19. In the meantime fans can sign up for updates via her website.

Get music by Kelly Clarkson at iTunes.

The Decemberists, Hazards of Love
Release date: March 24
Considering the Decemberists’ usual flair for drama, it’s no shocker that front man Colin Meloy first envisioned their fifth album as a musical and had started work on the project with Spring Awakening’s director, Michael Mayer. As the songs came together, though, Meloy decided a Broadway play was no longer a possibility. However, a dense, dark, Black Mountain-by-way-of-British-folk-guitar-rock album was. Meloy told Paste magazine that the album still revolves around “one continuous story,” and according to Rolling Stone, the band plans to perform the album in full during their spring concerts. Perhaps you can pick out the first couple chapters from the following nine-minute indie epic, “Hazards of Love Part 1 and 2.”

Get music by The Decemberists at iTunes.

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