SOUND BITES

MATT MAYS Take It On Faith From: Coyote Released: September 4 Matt Mays' fifth album sees him explore some of the adventurous spirit inside of him that yielded a gonzo soundtrack to a movie that never got made; Coyote has touches of synth-pop, sweat-drenched blues, psych-rock and folk balladry. It makes for an album that doesn't flow particularly well, but one must tip their hat to an artist as unafraid and unapologetic in his willingness to experiment as Mays. Plus, he knows what brought him to the show, and hasn't ignored it; his knack for crafting a radio-ready stomper is as sharp as ever on lead single Take It On Faith .   

MINUS THE BEAR Diamond Lightning From: Infinity Overhead Released: August 28 After turning some longtime fans off with the overly electronic offerings on 2010's Omni , Minus The Bear's fifth album sees the band return somewhat to their quirky rock past. I say “somewhat” because Infinity Overhead is not so much quirky as it is a refinement of their strengths, a maturing sense of songcraft and a focused pop-rock platter. The results may not win them admirers in droves or the unconditional forgiveness of scorned fans, but it does make them worthy of a listen, particularly when it all comes together as beautifully as it does on album standout Diamond Lightning .

DIVINE FITS Would That Not Be Nice? From: A Thing Called Divine Fits Released: August 28 As a “supergroup”, even of the indie variety, Divine Fits are a little off-kilter. With their debut being a bit of a scattershot affair that rarely combines the powers of its talented members to form a sum greater than its parts, there's nonetheless some killer tunes to be found. If you're familiar with Britt Daniel's work with Spoon, you know the man can really do no wrong; his strongest contribution to A Thing Called Divine Fits is no exception. Would That Not Be Nice has so much swagger that even the synth struts.

BLOC PARTY Coliseum From: Four Released: August 21 With the world expecting another step away from their angular rock roots, Bloc Party pulled a big time swerve in 2012 by not only going back to their roots, but going back even further. Four mostly ignores the jangly guitars that fell out of favour not long after their lauded debut Silent Alarm , opting to turn up the distortion and rock out. It's more subtle on some songs than others, but Coliseum is the whole amusement park in one quick ride; starting off as a swampy toe-tapper, it soon mutates into a menacing, paranoid chugger, a rollercoaster that stops using those pesky rails as a guideline at the one minute mark and drags you along helplessly through a minefield.

TESTAMENT Dark Roots Of Earth From: Dark Roots of Earth Released: July 31 All the talk about “The Big Four” of metal focuses on the failures and shortcomings of what many metalheads consider the last of the old guard; Metallica's downward spiral into self-parody, Megadeth's detours into lunacy, Slayer's constant rehash and Anthrax's personnel troubles. Not to say that these bands are all bad or anything; indeed, they're all still very successful bands with devoted fans. But, what of Testament, the band that was always just there? They made great records, but never caught the public's attention like The Big Four; maybe that's why they were never really taken all that seriously when it came down to who sucked and who was awesome. Now, with all four of those other bands distracted with their various issues, Testament just up and released another indisputable beast of an album in Dark Roots Of Earth . While the other four were seemingly fighting over ...

THE COMPANY BAND El Dorado From: Pros And Cons (EP) Released: July 31 While readying the next Clutch album (due for release in March), mainman Neil Fallon got together with his side-project mates in The Company Band and released their second EP Pros And Cons quietly this summer. While it doesn't exactly show a progression of sorts from their first album (side projects rarely do), it's still a good time; particularly tasty is closer El Dorado , a tune that plays like the son of AC/DC's Ride On , graduated from the school of rock and trading in his schoolboy uniform for a business suit.

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM Biloxi Parish From: Handwritten Released: July 24 In 2012, The Gaslight Anthem took a long-overdue leap to the big time; Handwritten is their first album on a major label, produced by rock powerhouse producer Brendan O'Brien. And its first single, the raucous and heartfelt “45” , was a fitting introduction to the masses. It packs in the workmanlike chops the band has become known for alongside what is arguably the biggest, earworm-worthy chorus they've ever penned. It's also a great way to start off Handwritten , an album that encapsulates their overall sound and then transcends it thanks to O'Brien's masterful production. The album's prime example is Biloxi Parish , a song that starts off unassuming enough, then piles on hook after hook after hook until you have no choice but to tap out to its force.

FANG ISLAND Asunder From: Major Released: July 24 Like Andrew WK cheerleading a party at a library, Fang Island's Major bursts from the speakers with crackling bliss and life-affirming riffage without falling into self-parody or repetitive bro-rock singalongs. It's the kind of racket that's usually reserved for pessimistic, vitriolic and/or depressing diatribes, but it instead juxtaposes this cacophony with hope and fun. I've used the phrase to describe other records in the past, but Fang Island are the band that has indubitably earned the description “joyful noise”.

BARONESS Eula From: Yellow & Green Released: July 17 You have to feel bad for Baroness. After years of slugging it out under the radar in sweaty clubs while releasing some of the most satisfying hard rock/metal albums of the century, they'd just released their best. Yellow & Green is the payoff, the apex after a gruelling climb through the ranks, along the way perfecting their chemistry and songwriting chops. Ignore the metal purists who snubbed them for slowing down a few tempos and daring to incorporate an adventurous, experimental spirit to the album; Yellow & Green is what Baroness had been working so hard for all these years. Of course, just as they were about to reap some real rewards, their tour bus crashed in England, injuring three members badly and postponing their entire lives. Eula is and was the crown jewel on Yellow & Green ; it's a fuse burning ever so slowly toward imminent explosion. When it does, it's huge and cathartic. Its...

SERJ TANKIAN Harakiri From: Harakiri Released: July 10 Seven years removed from his last album with them, Serj Tankian is still known by most as “the guy from System of a Down”. Over these last seven years, he's tried to distance himself somewhat from SOAD and prove that he's a formidable songwriter and performer outside the manic metal attack of the band that made him famous. Results have been mixed until this year's Harakiri . On it, the songs that sound most like System are also perhaps the weakest; lead single Figure It Out was obviously penned with SOAD fans in mind, but its profanity-laden Ministry-esque delivery, while potent on its own, detracts from the rest of the album. The real highlight on Harakiri is its title track, a soaring gem that doesn't let its riffs get in the way of a well-written song. 

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS The Celestials From: Oceania Released: June 19 What rock star gets bullied more than Billy Corgan? Despite being the principal (and, on much of the classic material, only) songwriter for The Smashing Pumpkins, he's been berated time and time again for having the audacity to carry on using the band's name without the members that happened to be in the band while the Pumpkins exploded in popularity twenty odd years ago. Much of Corgan's output over the last ten years or so admittedly hasn't done him any favours with critics and fans but, when an album that's good enough to hang with Gish and Siamese Dream is released, don't devalue its impact by shrugging and saying “it's not Smashing Pumpkins”. The combination of Corgan's vision for his music and capable, contributing bandmates makes Oceania arguably more of a Smashing Pumpkins record than anything Corgan's released previously.

LINKIN PARK In My Remains From: Living Things Released: June 19 By scaling back the heavy handedness of A Thousand Suns and economizing their presentation, the 37-minute Living Things finds Linkin Park intensely focused on their strengths; big hooks, big melodies, and the uncanny dynamic between singers Chester Benington and Mike Shinoda. In My Remains is about as solid a choice as any to start with for anyone who's never heard this band, because it very neatly encapsulates everything this band does right.

WINTERSLEEP In Came The Flood From: Hello Hum Released: June 12 After a couple of albums to build momentum, Wintersleep broke through in 2007 with the utterly brilliant Welcome To The Night Sky , an album that everyone knew was going to be difficult to top. So, some slack was given for the less focused, less satisfying New Inheritors , an album that had all the hallmarks of a great Wintersleep album but just didn't stick for some reason. Now, two years later, Hello Hum showcases the band's seemingly effortless knack for writing stadium-ready anthems and hearkens back ever so slightly to the nervous energy that permeated their first three albums. In Came The Flood , with its nimble rhythms and soaring chorus, is one of the most feel-good songs about the rapture I've heard in recent years.

WHITE LUNG Take The Mirror From: Sorry Released: May 29 While making my usual web-rounds one day this spring, I came across a stream from a band I'd never heard called White Lung. The entire album was over in under 20 minutes, but it was as satisfying a listen as most albums twice, thrice or four times its length. With its refreshing combination of unbridled punk fury and indie aesthetic, Sorry is the kind of album that isn't over too quickly; it's over just in time for you to listen to it again.

JAPANDROIDS The House That Heaven Built From: Celebration Rock Released: May 29 Like any band trumped up by the blogosphere, Japandroids were suddenly cast into the spotlight (although one far dimmer than that of the mainstream). And, like any band trumped up by the blogosphere, Japandroids were going to face heavy doses of scrutiny upon the release of their sophomore album. However, unlike most bands trumped up by the blogosphere, Japandroids didn't aim higher or go bigger. They crafted an album of, well, celebration rock. The album soars and roars, the power duo of Brian King and David Prowse creating a joyful racket, none more massive than The House That Heaven Built . Enjoy them now; after all, like any band trumped by the blogosphere, they'll be cast aside by the likes of Pitchfork by the time their next album drops.

THE CULT Honey From A Knife From: Choice Of Weapon Released: May 22 When you think of embattled bands from long ago that survived everything the world threw at them, you don't immediately think of The Cult. In a way, I suppose, that could have something to do with the fact that they didn't exactly survive so much as stubbornly refuse to stop. Most who remember them would claim they'd gone on a long losing streak after 1988's Sonic Temple , with a string of disappointing albums and half-assed comeback attempts (personally, I believe their 1994 self-titled release still holds some merit). 2007's Born Into This landed with all the excitement of the 40 year old who shows up uninvited at a high school party. Five years removed, here they come again with Choice Of Weapon . But this time, it feels different; no longer trying to fit in with the style of the times, The Cult have gone back to their strengths. After two decades or so of testing genres (from the hip...

THE CRIBS Come On, Be A No-One From: In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull Released: May 15 After recording and touring 2009's Ignore The Ignorant with Johnny Marr, In The Belly Of the Brazen Bull finds The Cribs scaled back to a three-piece and strapping TNT to the refined tone and sound of that previous album. Dripping with a thick sauce of '90s nostalgia and mostly devoid of the more angular and dance-oriented slant of their early work, the album packs lots of thrills for fans of crunchy power pop. Look no further than Come On, Be A No-One , a gloriously noisy pop song the likes of which Rivers Cuomo would sell a nut or two to be able to write these days.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS Mean Spirits From: Neck Of The Woods Released: May 8 When a band is shovelled enough cynicism, they're bound to react. After years of Smashing Pumpkins comparisons via pissy journalists or over-analyzing listeners, Silversun Pickups crawled out of that unwanted shadow with third album Neck Of The Woods . Incorporating gothic electronics into their sound (think less Smashing Pumpkins' Adore and more New Order) slowed the Pumpkins comparisons (except for those comparing this record to Adore ), but it also made for a more startling listen, with less payoff. A glaring exception is Mean Spirits , a driving monster-rocker that is as bold with its fuzzed-out base layer as it is with its acoustic tinged frosting. It's an ice cold beer floating in a lake of muddy water.

JACK WHITE Sixteen Saltines From: Blunderbuss Released: April 24 Few artists have ever, or will ever, have their solo debut as hotly anticipated or as closely inspected as Jack White. Fans of The White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather alike had to be wondering just where he would go; what sort of musical statement was worthy, after all this time, of brandishing his own name? As it turns out, Blunderbuss wasn't so much a statement as it was a love letter, to all of Mr. White's influences. Soul, the blues, old-time country, garage rock, all are given their due on Blunderbuss . And yet, as wide a range of sounds inhabit the album, it flows remarkably well. Its novelty may have worn off somewhat, but it's definitely one of the year's most interesting and engaging listens.

TORCHE Reverse Inverted From: Harmonicraft Released: April 24 Still skittering along the underground, Torche dropped Harmonicraft this year with those who had the scoop on them well prepared for a pummelling. That Torche managed to release one of the year's most pummelling albums isn't all that surprising for those of us why loved their last full-length, 2008's Meanderthal . The surprise is in its sugary surroundings; even as the tunes gurgle and roar, there's a thick sugar coating that helps it all go down a little easier. And, when they do scale back the sweetness and replace it with an extra jolt of grime (as they do on standout Reverse Inverted ), its effect is all the more devastating.

ORGAN THIEVES Phoebe From: Somewhere Between Slaves And Free Men Released: April 24 With a set of songs in tow that straddle the gap between radio anthems and barroom ragers with the greatest of ease, Organ Thieves created one of the year's most exciting debuts with Somewhere Between Slaves And Free Men . With its dark subject matter and drunken swagger, you'd be forgiven for assuming that it's a depressing album. But, try telling yourself that when you're singing along to Phoebe 's soaring chorus. It may be a hard luck tale, but it can't help but make you feel just a little hopeful.

CANCER BATS Bricks & Mortar From: Dead Set On Living Released: April 17 When it comes to making a new album, some bands like to reach for the stars. Some paint expansive soundscapes, some attempt to transcend the album itself with lofty concepts and grand messages. Cancer Bats aren't concerned with any of that; they simply bring their lunchpails to work, bleeding and sweating until the job is done. With Dead Set On Living , their probationary period is officially over, as they exert command over their riffs and screams like seasoned foremen.

Stream Deftones' Koi No Yokan here, courtesy Antiquiet. Having been a fan of Deftones since the riff for My Own Summer made me tap out in '97, and a longtime believer in their 2000 opus White Pony , you can take my next sentence to heart and know that I am completely serious when I say this. Koi No Yokan is Deftones' masterpiece. So many emotions arise when you listen to this album. And, make no mistake, this is an album . In a generation where it seems you either get a couple of hot singles and a pile of filler or a bloated, heavy-handed narrative that's cohesive to a fault, Koi No Yokan reminds us that it's still possible to use the format as a means of expressive flow. These 11 songs run the gamut, from the driving powerhouse Swerve City to the soaring Romantic Dreams to the soul-baring Tempest to the ethereal Rosemary . It's an album that doesn't have peaks and valleys, only varied levels of success; every song has a purpose, a valuable con...

DEAD SARA Weatherman From: Dead Sara Released: April 10 I made a pretty big deal out of Dead Sara early this year, commenting that they were poised to own the year; that it didn't happen is enough to make me reconsider any shred of trust I may have inadvertently placed in the public. Regardless, their time will come; there is simply too much raw talent on display, especially during their live shows. As long as they can avoid the temptation to Paramore it up, they'll have a rabid supporter in me. If they do Paramore it up, don't be surprised if I shut this place down for good.

THE MARS VOLTA Aegis From: Noctourniquet Released: March 27 By now, when there's a new Mars Volta record coming out, you know to expect the unexpected. With Noctourniquet , the Volta steps further away from their free-flowing freakjazzrock days, incorporating a more modern sheen and putting some of their electronic influences a little closer to the forefront. It's most evident on the album's lead track The Whip Hand , a dizzyingly alien left hook that knocked even some of the more seasoned fans on our asses. Aegis is a better representation of the album; it's not as difficult and self-serving as their early work, nor is it a reflection of the Billboard charts. It's deceptively accessible, the audio equivalent of a PG-13 thriller. It's not overtly aggressive or offensive, but there are most definitely some ghosts and/or evil spirits offscreen.

Stream Soundgarden's first album in 16 years here courtesy iTunes. In an increasingly impatient society that's rife with leaks when it comes to high profile albums, that Soundgarden's hotly anticipated return effort King Animal escaped the leak is nothing short of a miracle. Today, patience has been rewarded via an official stream one week ahead of the album's release. So, the burning question is how does it all sound? Well, that's not for me to say right now; outside of posting that link, I'm making no effort to listen to King Animal until I've got a CD in my hand and headphones on my dome next week. I figure I've waited this long while only hearing two (really good) songs in full, why not put myself through another seven days of anticipation and reap a sweet payoff when I'm hearing most of it for the first time and flipping through liner notes? King Animal is out November 13 on Universal.

I MOTHER EARTH We Got The Love From: We Got The Love (single) Released: March 21 A labour of love if there ever was one, I Mother Earth recorded and released We Got The Love this spring for fans who had been desperately craving new music from IME for the better part of a decade since the well-received but poorly sold Quicksilver Meat Dream . The idea was basic; here's a song, throw a couple bucks if you like it, and we'll go from there. No string of business meetings, no label pressures, no plan at all. And yet, its simple brilliance connected; a fan-helmed grassroots campaign got the tune its much deserved spins at radio, making We Got The Love I Mother Earth's biggest hit since the Edwin days. On their own terms, and with the fans top of mind. Take that, mainstream hit machine!

EVERY TIME I DIE Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space From: Ex-Lives Released: March 6 A clear cut single on an album full of explosively schizophrenic, frighteningly violent rawk, Revival Mode might not be radio ready, but its songcraft and delivery definitely make it stick out. Especially on Ex-Lives ; I can't stress enough how far removed Revival Mode is from the rest of the album. Which is why, even though I love that song, I couldn't post it as a fair representation of Ex-Lives . So, enjoy Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space . Then, check out Revival Mode , because it's got a beastly groove.

CEREMONY Adult From: Zoo Released: March 6 My motto may as well be, “bring me your discarded punk bands, and I shall give them a home”. It seems every year there's at least one band that releases a record i completely dig, only to find out that all of their fans hate them because they're not hardcore enough anymore. Ceremony released a hell of a record this year in Zoo , and it got pissed on by their “true” fans on account of it having actual songs on it rather than minute-long bursts of blistering punk with no sense of songwriting or execution. Don't get me wrong, I liked unhinged and loud as much as the next fellow; but if a band writes a primal howler as satisfying as Adult , why dismiss it for being a little slower and more organized?  

BIG WRECK Control From: Albatross Released: March 6 If absence makes the heart grow fonder, imagine what the combination of absence and stubbornly underwhelming side projects does. When Ian Thornley's post-Big Wreck outfit dumbed it all down, I shook my head in disbelief and mourned his former band (even if their second album was a bloated and joyless mess); I coudn't fathom that the same guy who blew my mind with The Oaf in 1997 was trying to get in with the Nickelbackian jock-rock crowd. Even if Thornley never stooped quite that low, it was a letdown to see such a talented musician stifle his own abilities. Well, it seems as though he'd finally seen the error of his ways by 2012; Big Wreck lives again. Albatross may not be a seamless return to form (although, after a dozen years or so between albums, what does one expect?), but when it shines, it shines incredibly bright. Check out the Knopflerian flourishes that colour the last two and half minutes of Cont...

ARCTIC MONKEYS R U Mine? From: R U Mine? (single) Released: February 27 In a year seemingly dominated by grand, multi-album statement records, leave it to Arctic Monkeys; they could have bled last year's very good yet commercially underperforming Suck It And See for another single, maybe even two. Instead, they went back to the studio and cranked out a new 7” for Record Store Day. What makes R U Mine? so remarkable isn't that it's a non-album track; it's that, even as a standalone single, it trumps just about every other song in the Arctic Monkeys' already impressive catalogue. If its muscular groove is any kind of clue to what we can expect on their fifth album (by rights, due sometime in 2013), I'll have a hard time containing my excitement.

MARK LANEGAN BAND Bleeding Muddy Water From: Blues Funeral Released: February 6 Known by most as the former frontman for Screaming Trees and frequent collaborator (most notably with Queens Of The Stone Age), Mark Lanegan has released enough quality material under his own name to warrant attention. In fact, he's released seven solo records over the course of his long career; the darkly sublime Blues Funeral was his first solo release in almost eight years. On it, Lanegan's addiction struggles of he past are the devil given its due by way of hypnotizing, dirgy epics, none more bombastic than the glorious gloom of Bleeding Muddy Water .