SOUND BITES

Usually, this is the time of year when the reflections on the twelve months that were are complete and this place becomes a ghost town for at least a couple weeks because there's nothing interesting being released until April. In fact, if you noticed during my chronologically ordered nominees rollout, you'll find that only 7/50 came out in the first quarter of the year (with five of those being in March, and none in January). Maybe the labels are panicking to get their properties out there before no one cares about albums anymore, maybe my music addiction's spiraled too far out of control. Whatever the case, the first three months of 2013 are logjammed with potentially and guaranteed awesome albums alike. So, we took a look back, and will remember 2012 fondly; now let's dive into 2013 and start devouring more tasty riffs! After the jump are my 15 most anticipated releases coming in the early part of 2013:

Which one will it be?

I didn't want to call this article the "worst", as that implies that the soulless, mindless drivel some bands have been trying to pass off as music is somehow better than the trio of bands singled out here; that's not the case. If I haven't talked about (insert random shitty synthpop and/or bro-rock band here) in 2012, it's because I simply don't care enough about them to sit through their songs, let alone write about them. This article is a chance to talk about three bands which have qualities I actually admire; it just so happened they, surprisingly or not so much, released albums I had at least moderate expectations for and found myself sad, shocked and/or disgusted at the lack of quality they brought in 2012.

When considering nominees for Year in Rock 2012's Song Of The Year, I tried not to think purely in terms of singles. With so many solid albums this year, and so few rock "hits" that catch my interest, I found myself perhaps more so than usual eschewing the obvious choices, and choosing songs that better represent their albums. In fact, almost half of them weren't released as singles (or hadn't been at the time of nomination). By selecting deep albums tracks over singles, I hoped to convey the message that the album is still a viable, maybe even important, way for artists to express themselves. And then I picked a single as Song Of The Year...

It's a testament to the volume of quality music that's still being produced in 2012 that a mere fifty songs didn't cover all that I wanted to give credit to. While the ten songs contained in this post aren't as mind blowing (to me, anyway) as those that got their own little spotlight, there are nonetheless some definite gems worthy of your attention. When it comes down to it, this post is proof that there were at least sixty artists who released tunes I dug this year, which tells me that either there's still plenty of life in rock music or that I am a total rock music whore. Could be both.

SOUNDGARDEN Non-State Actor From: King Animal Released: November 13 A sixteen year gap between albums makes King Animal virtually impossible to pick up where Soundgarden left off, and the biggest concern raised about the Seattle giants' comeback was whether or not their legacy would be sullied. And, while fans can rest easy knowing that isn't the case, it's also virtually impossible not to be let down ever so slightly with the album; while it's a welcome return, it does tend to veer a bit toward the safe side, particularly on the Chris Cornell penned tracks. That's to be expected thanks to a solo career that's been meandering at best and embarrassing at worst, but thankfully a slight underwhelming is the extent of Cornell's crimes on King Animal . The thing many people have forgotten or never knew about Soundgarden is the songwriting skill of its other members, and this album belongs to bassist Ben Shepherd; his fingerprints are all over this r...

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS Ice Age From: An Omen (EP) Released: November 13 An Omen is a very chill affair, one which hints at Trent Reznor's maniacal knack for noisemaking while stifling all his ghosts beneath the surface. It all makes for a listen that's somehow both more soothing and more unsettling. Take the staggeringly gorgeous Ice Age , a track which finds Mariqueen in top form and her sonic surroundings rising from a gentle ditty to a threatening storm of otherworldly discord. It passes without harm, but the listener can't help but wonder exactly what manner of beast this omen warns of. I suppose we'll find out in 2013, when their full-length debut album is unleashed. 

DEFTONES Tempest From: Koi No Yokan Released: November 13 A lot of folks were happy for Deftones when 2010's Diamond Eyes exceeded expectations after a couple of uneven albums saw their stock fall; it was good for the band to move in different directions, but everyone knew that the quality decrease from 2000's White Pony was palpable. With its hard rock edges and smooth pop sheen coming together to form a uniquely digestible metallic whole, Diamond Eyes was seen (though none dared say it) as a pleasantly surprising late-career highlight, a nice one to remember them by when they eventually faded away. Needless to say, I feel like a stone cold fool for thinking that, because Koi No Yokan isn't just better than Diamond Eyes , it's the most fearsome challenger to White Pony as the best record Deftones have ever made. There's more urgency, more passion, more... everything . And, when it comes to singles, even the iconic riff of My Own Summer is trumped...

TITUS ANDRONICUS Still Life With Hot Deuce And Silver Platter From: Local Business Released: October 23 When you're faced with the task of following up a critically lauded concept album drawing loose parallels between the band and the Civil War (complete with a long list of guests playing historic characters), you might as well not even try to match its epic scope. Titus Andronicus were smart to scale it all back with Local Business , an album that capitalizes on the band's scrappiness and intelligence while resisting any urges to do anything bigger than they have before. Although a couple of its tracks flirt with the ten-minute mark, there's nothing on Local Business that feels overblown, forced or contrived; it's the sound of a band playing to their strengths and not relying on grandiosity to carry them. Just listen to Still Life With Hot Deuce On Silver Platter (easily this year's Best Song Title winner); like The Clash in tweed with elbow patches,...

THE SWORD Apocryphon From: Apocryphon Released: October 23 You can always depend on The Sword for tasty riffs and lyrics that sound like they were lifted from the flavour text of a Magic The Gathering card. On Apocryphon , they come back to earth (previous album Warp Riders was full on sci-fi rock) with such force that there's a new crater somewhere in Texas. It's expected that most bands have worked out any growing pains and have found a comfortable place by their fourth album, and The Sword prove no exception, sometimes to a fault; some of Apocryphon 's songs don't hit with as much urgency as past gems or, in some cases, strike as a little too close to past gems. But the album closing title track's synth intro jars any sleepyheads back to life, then shakes the shit out of them for five minutes to make sure they stay awake through one of the year's most badass grooves.

STONE SOUR Taciturn From: House Of Gold & Bones Part 1 Released: October 23 It's ironic that Taciturn is my favourite song from the first half of Stone Sour's double album opus; after all, my biggest concern with Audio Secrecy was its over dependance on balladry. House Of Gold & Bones Part 1 , for the most part, rocks much harder than Stone Sour's last couple of albums; some of its songs approach Slipknot levels of heavy. With Part 2 due in spring, it's too early to tell if House Of Gold & Bones will become my favourite Stone Sour album, but the consistency in quality of the first half is very encouraging. Which brings me to Tactiturn ; an outright ballad that should have drawn my exasperation finds another gear at the four-minute mark, its wheels leave tarmac and the song soars. Go figure: I scoff at ballads, they give me their heaviest album, I like the ballad best. I'm so fickle sometimes.

PIG DESTROYER The Diplomat From: Book Burner Released: October 23 Where many metal bands can't resist the temptation to slow their tempos down, record a few more radio singles or (God forbid) try an acoustic number as they get older, Pig Destroyer just might be a metal anomaly because they seem to only get heavier . The grindcore giants' fifth album Book Burner came after a brutally long five year wait, and hit the scene like a nuke wrapped in barbed wire. The Diplomat showcases a smorgasbord of riffs and headbanger-approved velocity... and it's Enter Sandman compared to the majority of Book Burner , such is its grievous intent and cathartic carnage.

...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD Catatonic From: Lost Songs Released: October 23 ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead sometimes don't take it easy on their fans. Those of us who have stuck through them over the years have had to endure lots of ups and downs, and the music took a noted downturn in quality as the band grew more and more dissatisfied with their record label. Lost Songs marks the third album released on their own label, and it forgoes the tentative steps away from overblown prog-infused noise rock that marked The Century Of Self , and also puts the more explicitly melodic tendencies that actually somewhat worked to their advantage on Tao Of The Dead . Instead, Lost Songs brings the noise pillar to post, urgently and consistently. It's lazy to compare it to their now decade-old critically revered masterpiece Source Tags And Codes , and that's also unfair to Lost Songs. The album very well may be Trail Of Dead's first album ...

CONVERGE Sadness Comes Home From: All We Love We Leave Behind Released: October 9 When it comes to sheer force and brutality, there isn't much out there that competes with Converge's All We Love We Leave Behind (the main competition in that department will be covered in two days). Roping you in with a lazy, doomy lick, Sadness Comes Home soon explodes into a cacophony of fleet-fingered riffing and unhinged howling. That it's one of this relentlessly violent album's most accessible moments should tell you everything you need to know.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA Key Entity Extraction I: Domino The Destitute From: The Afterman: Ascension Released: October 9 When it comes to concept albums, it's hard to come close to Coheed And Cambria. After all, they didn't stop at just one album; Their Armory Wars Saga, which began on their very first album and supposedly ended with 2010's Year Of The Black Rainbow , continued in the form of side-story Afterman this year. Of course, just another album wouldn't do, so instead we got the first half of the story with the second half to follow in February. The good news for fans of the band is that they've somewhat reached back to their prog roots on this album; look no further than the eight-minute juggernaut Domino The Destitute for proof. The rest of the album doesn't exactly compare to that level of greatness, but it's pretty solid all the way through, which has me excited to see how this tale ends. It sucks we have to wait for it but, as has been ...

THE TRAGICALLY HIP At Transformation From: Now For Plan A Released: October 2 With over twenty-five years in the business under their belts and their legacy cemented, it would be all too easy for The Tragically Hip to ride off into the sunset or, worse, become the band that rehashes the past, resisting any urge to create and collecting cheques while doing a show at the local casino every couple of years and playing the same set every night for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, The Hip aren't about to stop contributing just yet. Now For Plan A is yet another evolution for the band, incorporating new elements to their sound and tweaking their art/bar band aesthetic for a new generation of fans. It is not the sound of a band growing weary, nor a band being comfortable. Now For Plan A may not go down as an overly essential Hip album but, by showcasing a band that continues to challenge themselves and refuses to sink into the creative quicksand that traps bands half th...

MUMFORD & SONS Hopeless Wanderer From: Babel Released: September 25 If it feels like Mumford & Sons reached critical mass before the promotional cycle for their debut album was over, it's because they very much did. Expectations for a follow-up were high, and it was unclear whether or not the band could maintain the roll they were on. Babel saw a few haters emerge (especially the ones who claim because members have higher education they're poseurs and have no business playing folk music), but for the most part they're still rolling. The album doesn't quite match the fiery intensity or aching sadness of Sigh No More , but makes up for it in execution. The album's standout is Hopeless Wanderer , a beautiful and blistering tune that burrows into your head and won't leave willingly. APOLOGY: The video I had previously embedded was removed. Here's a live version from last year's Glastonbury:

GREEN DAY Let Yourself Go From: ¡Uno! Released: September 25 Who knew 2012 would be such a tumultous year for Green Day? What started as a relatively harmless gimmick (release three distinctly different albums) turned into a Grade A shit show. A promotional gauntlet leading up to the release of the first album in the trilogy culminated in scores of fans pleading overexposure and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong admitting overdrinking (his entry into rehab stemmed from a gloriously unhinged rant at a web-broadcasted concert event). And yet, under all the layers of attention, the albums are best taken at face value. The problem is, taken at face value what should have been accepted as a bold and ambitious event was shrugged off as more than a little underwhelming. Perhaps it's the scattershot consistency of the tracks; for every song that earns a place alongside some of the band's best work, there's a song that's woefully similar to a song they've already do...

THE STANFIELDS Death & Taxes From: Death & Taxes Released: September 18 Given a couple years of relentless touring, it was a safe bet that The Stanfields would exhibit improved chops on their sophomore album. On Death & Taxes , they have chops in spades; everything is tighter, louder and more muscular. It's a raw album, and one that has dark energy flowing through it. There's nothing like the happy-go-lucky (and, occasionally, hilarious) moments on their debut, but that's not a bad thing. No one wants to be known as a novelty band, and The Stanfields have proven that when it comes to their craft they should be taken seriously. Added bonus: the interactive video for the title track (found at pleaseclickagree.com) is very cool and very frightening.

LOCAL H Sad History From: Hallelujah! I'm A Bum Released: September 18 Remembered by many as the self-deprecating, humourous slackers who unleashed the semi-hits Eddie Vedder and High Fiving MF back in '96, Local H has been all but forgotten by most of the folks who giggled and/or moshed to their tunes back in their post-grunge heyday. This is especially true outside of the U.S.; unfortunately, their latest album was never really in a position to change that. A sprawling double album of songs that reflect the band's hometown of Chicago and the American political climate of 2012, Hallelujah! I'm A Bum isn't an album with enduring relevance on its mind. Its tone and subject matter will no doubt come as a surprise to those who haven't been paying attention for a while. This is especially true of the sombre, frustrated Sad History , a tune that demands your attention, literally.

DOWN Misfortune Teller From: Down IV Part I – The Purple EP Released: September 18 If it still doesn't feel like Down is a top priority for its members, that's because it isn't; Philip Anselmo alone has his own label and some six hundred projects in the works as we speak (okay, it's not really six hundred, but the dude is incredibly busy). In fact, it's a miracle that only five years has passed since their third album, the crushingly awesome Over The Under . What's more amazing is the fact that, rather than throw us one little bone and vanish for years on end again, there's a commitment to releasing four EP's over the coming months/years. And, most impressive of all is that, even with all of the other commitments this band has, they recorded something as cohesive and effortlessly badass as Misfortune Teller .

BAND OF HORSES Knock Knock From: Mirage Rock Released: September 18 It's all too easy for hipsters to turn their backs on indie buzz bands; after all, their entire system revolves around trumping up a band to the point of said band garnering widespread attention, then bailing on them for the next big thing and scoffing about all that widespread attention. So when Band of Horses signed with a major label and branched out as musicians, they were hung out to dry. Never mind that they showed ambition and willingness to throw a few new ingredients into the stew; people were no longer in a position to shout “first!” Now on their fourth album (and second on a major), Band of Horses have paddled out from the shallow waters the blogosphere pushed them into when they became recognizable and found themselves in the breakers. Most bands would become exasperated and let the tide wash them up on shores of apathy, but on Mirage Rock we find a band has not only learned to swim but al...

ALT-J Fitzpleasure From: An Awesome Wave Released: September 18 As odd and occasionally pretentious as Alt-J's debut album can be, there's something to be said for its stubborn accessibility. Take standout track Fitzpleasure ; it takes elements of folk, rock and damn-near dubstep, smashes them together and dares you not to nod your head. An Awesome Wave is full of weird and wonderful moments like this; as they hash out some of their more indulgent moments and hone their songwriting chops, they should be a band to watch out for... which is saying something considering they just won the 2012 Mercury Prize for the UK's best album.

BILLY TALENT Surprise Surprise From: Dead Silence Released: September 11 Billy Talent's debut album was as exciting as it was successful, but it was also an album very much of its time; the years haven't elevated it to classic status for most but hardcore fans, and the band has struggled with diminishing returns at home (while seeing their popularity rise overseas, particularly in Germany). It reached the artistic tipping point with their third album, one that was painfully mediocre given the phenomenal quality of its first two songs ( Devil On My Shoulder and Rusted From The Rain ). Dead Silence sustains the quality longer, and makes strides in finding a balance between artistic merit and commercial viability. Their subject matter hasn't changed dramatically from their recent albums, but the sound has branched out; this is a band that's not scared to try a few new things, even at the risk of embarrassment. Fortunately, the risks are largely rewarded, esp...

BOB MOULD Star Machine From: Silver Age Released: September 4 Some thirty years removed from his most revered material in Husker Du, Bob Mould's love of loud rock was rekindled largely due to writing his autobiography and an appearance on Foo Fighters' excellent Wasting Light album (that's him singing the bridge on Rosemary ). His tenth solo album Silver Age wastes no light at all; its leadoff track is the fiery Star Machine , a song that sees Mould pulled out of whatever funk the years have cast upon him and rocking with the power and the purpose of men half his age.