SOUND BITES

So Silversun Pickups' third album, Neck of the Woods , is about six weeks away.  Today, we got our first taste of what's in store as they've posted up first single Bloody Mary on their official website alongside various album pre-order options (not the least intriguing of which is the $80 vinyl/CD/book/autographed photo package). Jumping the gun on that beautiful pre-order package would be all well and good, especially if the first single was as awesome as the previous two were.  Of course I'm talking about Lazy Eye (the song that set the ball rolling) and Panic Switch (which propelled them into the realm of hitmakers). Upon first impression of the track, I'm not sure if the haters slagging SSPU as Smashing Pumpkins ripoff artists has taken its toll, or if the band decided to throw a bigass curveball this time around.  Whatever the case, even though I wanted nothing more than to crank it up and fall in love, Bloody Mary leaves a little to be desired.  Whe

Swedish garage rockers The Hives haven't released a new album in five years, a silence they intend to break on June 5 with the release of Lex Hives .  As is customary when announcing a new album, we've got a taste of what's to come in the form of Go Right Ahead , which is streaming here .  Upon thirty seconds of precursory exploration, I was a little shocked and disgusted at just how blatantly the band have taken to lifting classic riffs.  It used to be sort of endearing hearing them twist and manipulate the Kinks' All Day and All of the Night 's main riff until it gave birth to three or four Hives songs.  But, when you pretty much directly cherry pick the riff from E.L.O.'s Don't Bring Me Down and stamp your name on it, especially five years removed from your last original material, it kind of makes me wonder.  As in, should these guys even be a band anymore?  How long before their shtick stops evoking nostalgia and starts evoking lawsuits?  Your move,

If you've already heard first single Old Blood , you already know that Cancer Bats aren't tinkering too much with their tried and true hardcore base; but you also know that there's more at work than just your standard chug-a-chug and screaming.  Well, today they've offered up another taste of fourth album Dead Set on Living in the form of new video Road Sick .  And, in stark contrast to the straightforward style of Old Blood , the Road Sick video finds the Bats playing dress-up, essentially becoming the Canadian Village People.  But more awesome. It looks as though the guys had a blast making this one, although it's unclear whether or not it's more fun than listening to this kick-ass track. Dead Set on Living comes out April 24 via Distort.

By now, you may be aware that Big Wreck are returning from an 11 year hiatus that saw mainman Ian Thornley try his hand at hitting the Nickelback demographic (to varying degrees of success/failure) with Albatross , the first platter which the Big Wreck name has adorned since 2001's bloated and ultimately forgettable The Pleasure and the Greed .  Of course, they're best known for their 1997 debut In Loving Memory Of... and, more specifically, its breakout hits That Song and The Oaf (My Luck is Wasted) .  That first album is not only one of the best to come out of a (part) Canadian band in the 90's, it also holds up remarkably well fifteen years after its original release. Of course, the cynics will say it's not really Big Wreck anymore since only two of the original members remain.  To them, I simply argue that those two original members are the two most important players in Thornley and co-guitarist Brian Doherty.  So, your point is pretty much moot. You might h

Copied and pasted from the Facebook post mentioned in my recent interview with Maritime Vinyl, I figured I should probably post those lists up here in one megapost.  So, without further ado, the first in (hopefully) a series of rewinds as we relive what was awesome two years ago.  You know, if I keep this going, eventually there will be legitimate nostalgia.  I miss nostalgia.  Sigh.

If you've ever read any of my opinion pieces over the years, you're no doubt well aware of my tendency to ramble on about a subject until it no longer makes sense and/or I'm talking about a completely different subject. That didn't stop Brad at Maritime Vinyl from asking me to partake in an interview for his blog.  We touch on my music collection, my love of Pearl Jam and the long lost art of the mixtape, among other things.  You can check out the interview right here . In addition to my incredibly long-winded responses to questions that didn't need them, you'll also find some pics taken from deep within the dark recesses of my music room (bonus tidbit that didn't come up in the interview for some reason: I call it the Jam Room, for obvious reasons). A huge thank you to Brad for giving me the opportunity to hold nothing back and go FMD (Full Music Dork).  And, apologies to anyone who never wanted to see me go FMD.

Having scored the #4 position on my personal Top Albums of 2011, Arctic Monkeys earned the year off frontman Alex Turner had been talking up in interviews late in the year.  The single cycle for Suck It And See was starting to wind down, with fourth single Black Treacle released in late January. Well, apparently, they decided to abort the usual three month run that most singles get, because this week they posted up a brand new song that has no apparent ties to Suck It And See at all. R U Mine? , despite its emo and/or Prince leaning title, is a bombastic riff-fest that leaves the smooth rock that dominated much of their last album in its rough and tumble wake.  It's a perfect appetizer for their tour with the Black Keys (which, incidentally, starts tonight), a rambunctious competitor for the Keys' dirty blues and soul. R U Mine? was released on iTunes today as a standalone single; whether or not it sees future release as part of something bigger is something only