SOUND BITES

It feels like forever since there's been a new Tragically Hip record to look forward to. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that it's been about three and a half years since We Are The Same , an excruciatingly long wait for a band that had released an album every two years (give or take a few months) from 1989 to 2006. But then, part of it may be because We Are The Same was such an unremarkable album. A good album, yes, but unremarkable. It didn't try to break new ground or revisit past glories, content to mellow out and float on by, going largely unnoticed. Now, some twenty years removed from their commercial zenith and seemingly drifting out of the mass conscience, the question begs to be asked: do The Hip still matter? It's a hard question to answer, especially for a fan who's inclined to always give The Hip the benefit of the doubt. The only way to shed light on this is to check out their twelfth album Now For Plan A , which is streaming after the j

This post was going to start with a stream of Green Day's new album, but: a) The NME exclusive stream is limited to the Brits. b) You have to "like" their Facebook page to gain access elsewhere. c) Doing so in Canada opens up a link to Rdio. d) Rdio is a subscription based service that gives limited free trial time and asks for credit information. e) We've already heard 1/3 of it, and the other 2/3 isn't worth all that effort. So, that still leaves us with some good content, all of which is readily available.

With so much music to listen to, I should just shut up and get to it, no? Stream Gallows here, courtesy NME. Being a hardcore band brings with it enough closed-minded pressure; being a hardcore band that got successful and then switched singers is a whole 'nother thing. Gallows' self-titled album is the first with new mic-man Wade McNeil who, if you're up on your early 21st century Canadiana, is an ex-member of Alexisonfire. He lacks Frank Turner's snotty British drawl, but makes up for it with Canuck lumberjack brawl. Gallows doesn't build on the concepts of Grey Britain , nor does it have the same level of intensity and danger. Instead, Gallows burn everything you've come to expect to the ground and then heave jugs of gasoline. Stream Dinosaur Jr.'s I Bet On Sky here, courtesy NPR. I still marvel at Dinosaur Jr.'s 2005 comeback Beyond , because you could tell that money and stature had nothing to do with it; it was the product of a

Remember when sampling was a damn near viable art form? Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique set the standard for sampling on an album; new laws quashed the possibility from another album like it ever happening again. Three fearless DJs who believe in more than pressing play took three years to track down all of Paul's Boutique 's samples, and recreate the album. At two hours, it's a hell of a trip, and a massive tribute to dearly departed MCA and probably rap's greatest album of all time. 30/08/12: Solid Steel Caught In The Middle of a 3-Way Mix by Strongroomalive on Mixcloud

Ahead of its September 11 release, Billy Talent have offered up their fourth album Dead Silence for streaming. So, let's have a listen, shall we?