SOUND BITES

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Just about a decade ago, Deftones were about at the end of the line. Saturday Night Wrist , their fifth record, was released to an increasingly indifferent fan base which was starting to be treated in kind by the band (in a recent interview with Spin, Chino Moreno called Saturday Night Wrist boring). It wouldn't have been all that surprising if that was that, and Deftones sadly faded into obscurity. Of course, we know now that this wasn't the case. Prompted by the tragic accident that ultimately claimed the life of bassist Chi Cheng, Deftones found a renewed sense of purpose, marking 2010's Diamond Eyes a bittersweet return to form. That Deftones trumped that record just two years later wasn't expected, but Koi No Yokan was so explosive and expansive that it didn't just blow away every Deftones record since White Pony , it was flat out my favourite record of the year. Its striking balance of beauty and brutality, an oft-attempted facet of the band's

Like many fans, I have a complicated relationship with Weezer. As the less angsty, kind of nerdy answer to the deluge of sullen, mostly disingenuous alt-rock groups of the mid-'90s, Weezer mounted a distinct counterattack, concentrated more on fun tunes and charm than brooding and self loathing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I may be one of the decade's staunchest supporters, but Weezer were the breath of fresh air that offered respite when all that angst and darkness became suffocating. Which made it all the more disappointing when the '00s came around and Weezer became the textbook definition of "diminishing returns". Their second self-titled record (or "Green") was a valiant effort, but it was followed by the grumpy bro-rock of Maladroit , the wispy, meditative Make Believe , the scattered and disjointed "red" album, and the sad, desperate attempt at mainstream relevance that was Raditude . Needless to say, not a