SOUND BITES

They say the music you grew up with will stick with you and hold a special place in your heart for the rest of your life. I wish I could say that's not true, that you can continue to explore and discover new things as long as you want. However, looking back I can only admit that's true to a certain extent. For this guy, at least, 1994 was pretty much the best year ever for rock music. And that might seem a bit crass and blasphemous at first blush. After all, 1994 was the year wherein alternative rock (or, what the majority shrugged off as "grunge") lost its arguable flag bearer. When Kurt Cobain was found dead on April 8, it was pretty much surmised that that was the end of the scene. While it certainly seemed like the beginning of the end at the time, the truth is rock in 1994 proved much too diverse and all-encompassing to fall in one fell swoop. If you look at the alternative music that made an impact in 1994, you start to realize just how scattered and far-rea...

Last January, I decided to have a little fun and try to predict not only who would release albums in 2013, but who probably wouldn't as well. For the most part I think I did alright, so why not try and let it roll for another year? Here now, using my completely and totally rational calculations, are the chances the following twenty-five bands (none of which have formally announced a new studio album release for the year as of yet) get a new record into our earholes in 2014:

So, with another calendar year drawing to a close, and a slow couple of months on the rock and roll front, it's finally time to look forward. The new year is just around the corner, and there are already some exciting releases lined up for the first three months of 2014. And, while the release schedule may not look as crowded as 2013 did in the preview I did last year, I'm guessing that's because we can expect a slew of big time records later in the year. Without further ado, here are six albums that we know are coming along with samples of what to expect from them (it's actually a fraction of what we know is coming, but I'm only posting what we have decent video for at this point):

Place your bets and read on to find out who took the throne this year!

Over the course of forty days, I've talked and talked about these songs leading up to the moment when one would be singled out to wear the crown as 2013's Song of the Year. The time for talk is over. If, by chance, you missed the write-ups on any of this year's nominees, they're all here . I've also added hyperlinks below for the ten shortlisted nominees. Other than that, let's get the show on the road! The Shortlist: Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know? Clutch: Crucial Velocity Foals: Inhaler Headstones: Far Away From Here Kings of Leon: Beautiful War Man Man: Head On Pearl Jam: Sirens Queens of the Stone Age: Kalopsia Vampire Weekend: Diane Young J. Roddy Walston & The Business: Heavy Bells AND THE WINNER OF YEAR IN ROCK 2013'S SONG OF THE YEAR AWARD IS...

Just like last year, allow me to qualify this by saying that this isn't designed to be the "worst" of 2013. No, this space is reserved for bands I actually like and respect who underwhelmed and/or disappointed and/or outraged with their activities this year, whether through uncontrollable circumstances or their own volition. Let's get this over with!

They can't all be shining examples. Collected below are ten songs/artists that I hesitated to nominate for the Year in Rock awards, but have redeeming qualities to them nonetheless. Some impressed me initially only to have interest wane quickly; others I expected better from. These are Year in Rock 2013's Honourable Mentions:

JAKE BUGG What Doesn't Kill You From: Shangri La Released: November 19 After a shockingly good debut that called to mind old standards like Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie, Jake Bugg ups the ante on album number two, broadening his sonic palette and packing more sound into the songs (perhaps a byproduct of Rick Rubin's production). There's nothing on the album that sticks out quite like lead single What Doesn't Kill You , with a rapid fire vocal and rock swagger that's more early Arctic Monkeys than early Bob Dylan. Jake Bugg had already turned a lot of heads in the industry, and with his sophomore record he's establishing himself as one of our most intriguing songwriters. Not bad for a guy still in the twilight of his teens.

ARCADE FIRE Reflektor From: Reflektor Released: October 29 I was all set to include Normal Person as the song nominee from Arcade Fire's fourth album, but then two things happened: 1. I kind of soured on the song's sense of piss-taking on rock ("Do you like rock and roll music? / 'Cause I'm not sure that I do" is said before the album's most glorious rock song unfolds). 2. The title track, which I was lukewarm on upon its release, grew on me. A lot. Does it overstay its welcome? Absolutely, but that's indicative of the album as a whole; here's hoping the rest of Reflektor grows on me too (although that second disc will be hard to go back to on a regular basis).

RED FANG Blood Like Cream From: Whales And Leeches Released: October 15 Red Fang's songwriting grew in leaps and bounds for their third album, and I really enjoy the songs on Whales And Leeches . In fact, it would have been a true contender for Album of the Year if not for its woeful mastering issues. I get that loudness is in, but this album is compressed to the point that the CD sounds no better than the YouTube stream embedded below. Blood Like Cream is an awesome song from a good album, but when it comes time to do the year's biggest disappointments and the year's best posts, Whales And Leeches will be falling into the former.

PEARL JAM Sirens From: Lightning Bolt Released: October 15 It's been a good year for "old" bands, with rock elder statesmen like Clutch, Headstones and Queens of the Stone Age releasing arguable career highlights. Pearl Jam doesn't top themselves with tenth album Lightning Bolt , but it is a noted improvement from their post- Yield output. Plus, it's refreshing to hear them try new things 22 years into their career. They're also no longer afraid of the big anthems that Ten's runaway success spooked them away from; Sirens is the most anthemic they've sounded in a very long time.

KINGS OF LEON Beautiful War From: Mechanical Bull Released: September 24 Having weathered storms both personal (Caleb Followill's alcoholism) and professional (the inevitable backlash that came with success), Kings Of Leon now seem poised to go soldier forth through neutral ground. The haters have quieted down, and the songs aren't overreaching in their ambition as they sometimes were on Come Around Sundown . Better yet, the songwriting benefits greatly from some sober reflection; just listen to the heartbreaking highlight Beautiful War and consider it wasn't even considered for inclusion on the album that spawned megahits Sex On Fire and Use Somebody . Kind of scary, no?

MATTHEW GOOD Hey Hell Heaven From: Arrows Of Desire Released: September 24 Having officially spent more time as a solo artist than with his original band, maybe it's time to forget about Matthew Good Band's successful romp through the late nineties and focus on Matt as the intelligent songwriter who progressed and branched out over the course of his first five albums. Maybe, but it's made a little difficult when his sixth album recalls his MGB work so fondly, and kicks ass so effectively.

J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS Heavy Bells From: Essential Tremors Released: September 10 Yesterday, I called Man Man's On Oni Pond one of the year's most pleasant surprises. J. Roddy Walston & The Business' sophomore album is the reason I said "one of"; Essential Tremors is probably my favourite kind of album, the one by a band you hadn't listened to before, so you went in with no expectations or preconceived notions and straight up got blown away by its awesomeness. From unfamiliar band to Album of the Year contender in less than 42 minutes.

MAN MAN Head On From: On Oni Pond Released: September 10 Whenever a band or artist renowned for its quirks veers a little mainstream, it's a bit of a dicey proposition; there's always a little jealousy on the part of fans when you open your sound up to a wider audience. Man Man still brings the weird, but the songwriting on their fifth album is razor sharp, yielding one of the year's most pleasant surprises. Its lead single, Head On , is the kind of song that should come with a disclaimer; once you click play, it's sticking around for a long time.

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

NINE INCH NAILS All Time Low From: Hesitation Marks Released: September 3 Trent Reznor will never return to the so-called "glory days" of the 90's, when his anger, anguish and addictions manifested in ultraviolent bursts of noise Broken and The Downward Spiral . Many scoff at the work he's done since, say, 1999's The Fragile as "soft" and/or "weak". It's also called "sober" and "content with life". We didn't need another Spiral; I'm sure Reznor doesn't intend on going back to those dark places anytime soon. What we got in 2013 was a focused, consistently listenable and oft adventurous NIN album with any amount of potential single choices. Whether it gets my personal Album of the Year reward remains to be seen, but I'll go ahead right now and crown Hesitation Marks pop album of the year. Yes, I'll classify it as such due to its general lack of guitars and overabundance of catchiness. And if ...

SUPERCHUNK Me & You & Jackie Mittoo From: I Hate Music Released: August 27 That it took a 90's alt-rock revival to get people talking about Superchunk is a borderline travesty; much worse bands had massive success in the 90's while Superchunk released a slew of great singles and albums that went largely unnoticed outside of the fringe culture. Still, better late than never, and it certainly doesn't hurt that Superchunk's last couple albums have matched (hell, maybe even surpassed) the quality of their "heyday" output.

As much fun as it is watching a band grow and evolve over the years and through their assorted projects, sometimes it's nice to see them take a step back, shrug their shoulders and try walking in someone else's shoes for four minutes. Whether it's a faithful reconstruction or a sonically shapeshifted alternate vision, it's always fun to hear what an artist can do with a song that's not theirs. Here are ten artists whose interpretations of familiar songs got the biggest smiles from me in 2013:

THE WILD FEATHERS The Ceiling From: The Wild Feathers Released: August 13 With the flux of major labels hoarding anything with a remotely Mumford quality about them, a lot of disingenuous folk-tinged alt bands are beginning to dot the landscape. Refreshingly, The Wild Feathers' debut album owes more to seventies lite rock than folk. The album as a whole lacks teeth, but does have fine moments that point to the potential for the band to go to amazing places. As far as singles go, The Ceiling is already there.

BLOC PARTY Ratchet From: The Nextwave Sessions (EP) Released: August 12 Considering the inter-band problems leading up to its release, it's a minor miracle that Bloc Party's fourth album (2012's Four ) ever got recorded (go ahead and look into that). That said, it's not entirely surprising that they're on another hiatus. I'd never rule out a reformation at any time, but if The Nextwave Sessions and its pulsating single Ratchet end up being one last thing to remember them by, Bloc Party left us with a formidable body of work.

SURFER BLOOD Demon Dance From: Pythons Released: June 11 Domestic violence is an ugly thing; after being arrested for domestic battery last year, Surfer Blood frontman John Paul Pitts at least had a jumping off point for writing Surfer Blood's sophomore album. There is remorse, shame and regret all over this record, an appropriate musical response to an unforgivable situation where (cough cough) others have carried on like nothing's wrong. Like it or not, this has become part of Pitts' legacy if he leaves one; he might as well own up to it, and on Pythons he seems to be doing just that.

THE MOTORLEAGUE Failsafes From: Acknowledge, Acknowledge Released: June 11 Here at the blog, I try to keep things as universal as possible; as such, I don't usually mention "local" bands (not even my own ... oops) unless they've done truly impressive. It's not that I'm not proud of my region, I just never wanted this to be a region specific blog. Anyway, I'm a New Brunswicker, and I do feel quite a bit of pride that a band from Moncton released a really good record this year, and then topped it off with an awesome video for that album's best track.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE Kalopsia From: ...Like Clockwork Released: June 4 What song from Queens Of The Stone Age's sixth album I call my favourite has changed countless times since the album's release, which can only mean one thing: this is a really good album. When it came to choosing what song to highlight as a Song of the Year nominee, I decided to go with the one that I feel best represents the album as a whole. Sinister, surprising, explosive, cathartic; those words and so many more describe Kalopsia and ...Like Clockwork .

PORTUGAL. THE MAN Creep In A T-Shirt From: Evil Friends Released: June 4 Long admired for their uniqueness and prolificness (to date they've released seven albums in seven years), PTM is finally starting to gain a little traction; Evil Friends , their second album for Atlantic, has seen moderate radio success. Given that Danger Mouse (best known for helping The Black Keys go nuclear) had a hand in its creation doesn't hurt, of course, but let's give credit to the band's penchant for crafting an album with so much appeal without compromising the band's core sound. Just listen to all the lunacy going on during highlight (and yet non-single) Creep In A T-Shirt , then try to get it out of your head for the rest of the day. Good luck with that.

CITY AND COLOUR Thirst From: The Hurry And The Harm Released: June 4 As the former side project (and now main gig) of Dallas Green, City And Colour was always sort of intended to act as the antithesis of Alexisonfire, a pensive and sensitive chaser to AOF's raw, furious attack. Now that Alexisonfire is no more, there are more rock elements creeping into City And Colour; see the fuzzed-out groove of lead single Thirst . Giving its tender core a little more muscle works to its advantage, and I hope Dallas continues to explore these sounds on future recordings.

KYLESA Unspoken From: Ultraviolet Released: May 28 Kylesa's fifth album, Spiral Shadow , was one of 2010's most pleasant surprises; metallic and murky yet melodic and majestic, it got high praise from this writer. The follow-up continues down the same path, with a heavy focus on groove. Without the element of surprise, Ultraviolet doesn't hit me as hard as Spiral Shadow did; however, it's probably the better album with better songs, such as the monstrous groove they lock into on album highlight Unspoken .

THE NATIONAL Demons From: Trouble Will Find Me Released: May 21 Now, years removed from the blog buzz that threatened to paint The National as a larger than life transcendent experience rather than just a very good band, excitement has been tempered and the band's work can be taken on its own merits. Trouble Will Find Me sees The National doing what they do best; packing in songs that may seem harmless and unassuming until they hit under just the right conditions. Then and only then, they can tear down and build a soul; a truly shining example like Demons is the musical equivalent of the night sky; we may take it for granted most of the time, but in the right circumstances it's majestic and awe-inspiring.

TRIBES Dancehall From: Wish To Scream Released: May 20 Sometimes, I wish it were still the 90's; to have my youth back would be awesome, and it'd be great if the music I grew up with still dominated the airwaves (not to mention MuchMusic and MTV still playing videos). But then, I consider Tribes. You see, Tribes' sophomore album Wish To Scream still hasn't seen an official release in North America; however, thanks to the age we live in, I get to hear the world's music at my slightest whim. A whim led me to this song, easily one of the best you won't hear on your local radio station unless you're from the UK. P.S. If you're from the UK, please buy me a plane ticket; I need to check up on my ancestors and buy records from your finest shops.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Diane Young From: Modern Vampires Of The City Released: May 14 It's hard to pass proper judgment on an album like Vampire Weekend's so close to its release date; the promotional cycle for Modern Vampires Of The City was hard and fast, a barrage of lyric videos, webcasts, and other assorted performances and previews. Upon release, I opined that it couldn't possibly live up to the hype no matter how good it was. Now, six months removed from its marketing campaign, MVOTC can be taken on its own merits. And I'm happy to report that, six months removed from its marketing campaign, MVOTC lives up to the hype.

HEADSTONES Far Away From Here From: Love & Fury Released: May 14 Regrouping after an extended break is always a risky proposition, as there's the chance time has passed you by or, worse, that your fans have forgotten you. Headstones got around that by involving their fans directly through a Pledge Music campaign. With an overwhelming level of support, they were compelled to craft the hardest, fastest, most satisfying record of their career. And, while it's a fool's errand to hope for a return to their gold and platinum heyday with today's music economy, Love & Fury did give Headstones their first ever top ten charting album.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN One Of Us Is The Killer From: One Of Us Is The Killer Released: May 14 The main criticism of Dillinger Escape Plan's fifth album is its lack of surprises; indeed, there doesn't seem to be anything happening here that they haven't attempted before. But, that's hardly reason to dismiss it; if a more finely tuned attack and improved songwriting is bad for a band, I must have missed the memo. Calm down, hardcores, there's plenty of screaming on this album. There's also the album's title track, a slithering slow jam with a chorus that stabs and tears with expert precision, proof that DEP's greatest weapon isn't their talent but what they choose to do with it.

VOLBEAT Lola Montez From: Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies Released: April 9 Volbeat aren't likely to top many year-end lists, nor are they likely to be hailed for their originality. But, at least they're honest with their intentions; they want to tell stories, rock hard, and have fun. The success they've seen in recent years is well earned, a suitable reward for a band who honed their skills and sharpened their craft instead of pretending to be something they're not. Rock and roll needs visionaries to progress, true but they also need bands like Volbeat: respectful of rock's history and true to themselves.

STONE SOUR House Of Gold & Bones From: House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 Released: April 9 The last of the rationed double albums from the fall of 2012 to make good on their own completion, Stone Sour's House Of Gold & Bones showed more complexity, chops and songwriting muscle than most folks will readily admit. As a double album, it does have its share of filler, but as a concept it's well executed and consistently rewarding. And the title track brings it all to a thrashing, glorious climax.

COLD WAR KIDS Miracle Mile From: Dear Miss Lonelyhearts Released: April 2 A couple of years ago around this time, I predicted the transformation of Cold War Kids into Maroon 5; thankfully, that didn't happen. However, what has started to develop is a disturbing pattern; a moderately well performing lead single, then nobody pays any mind for two years. It seems like Cold War Kids have painted themselves into a bit of a corner, too mainstream for the indie critics' acceptance and too off the wall for the public's adoration. Oh well, I enjoy Miracle Mile , even with all that piano. See you in 2015!

Today, the blog hit 15000 views. That completely breaks my head. THANK YOU! #proudpapa — Sound Bites (@soundbitesrocks) November 13, 2013 We'll get back to Year in Rock 2013 tomorrow, but I felt the need to commemorate what I feel is an insane accomplishment for this tiny, poorly maintained blog (especially since I missed visit #10000 in the stampede for the Arctic Monkeys stream back in September). I don't even know what to say; when I started this thing just over 2 years ago,I couldn't fathom ever accumulating 5000 views, let alone triple that. Somehow, someway, people have found this place and (I can hope and/or assume) have come back despite the guy running it not having all that much of interest to say. Regardless, I do hope you've enjoyed what you've seen, and I have equal hope that you'll continue to do so in the months/years ahead. This has always been a really fun way for me to spend my spare time, and that someone presumably appreciates what I...

THE BLACK ANGELS Don't Play With Guns From: Indigo Meadow Released: April 2 To say The Black Angels' first three albums can be classified under "stoner music" is kind of like saying salt is kind of an okay seasoning. The haze hasn't dissipated on album number four, but it's lifted ever so slightly, letting in a few rays of sunshine. It's still psychedelic, but at least they're aren't any Vietnam war references this time out; in fact, as lead single Don't Play With Guns illustrates, they've developed a bit of a penchant for uncovering the cosmetics of the "hippie" period and finding the timelessness in it.

WAVVES Demon To Lean On From: Afraid Of Heights Released: March 26 If you believe in the cyclical nature of music, you'll recognize the 90's rock revival we're currently in the throes of. Aside from all manner of 90's alt groups coming out of the woodwork for reunions, not to mention the few who never left continuing to produce high quality albums, we've even got relatively new groups trying their hand at the game. Case in point: Wavves; the noisy lo-fi puink snarl of earlier releases evaporates on major label debut Afraid Of Heights to the point it becomes an exercise in nostalgia listening to these songs for the first time. Doesn't make the Wezzvana crunch of Demon To Lean On any less inviting, though.

CLUTCH Crucial Velocity From: Earth Rocker Released: March 19 After two decades of carving their own path to success, Clutch have finally reached a pretty comfortable place in their careers. One could be forgiven for assuming that they might rest on their laurels a bit, and maybe even phone it in a bit on their tenth album. Instead, they sound hungry as ever; Earth Rocker rocks hard, fast and often, a high-octane thrill ride that unquestionably ranks up there with Blast Tyrant and their self titled album as career highlights.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Hate The Taste From: Specter At The Feast Released: March 19 After over a decade of existence and seven solid albums, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club haven't set the world on fire by any stretch. What they have managed to do is become one of the most dependable rock bands to come along in the last fifteen years. They've grown without completely mutilating their core sound, and have never turned in a bad album. If we're being completely honest, they've yet to turn in a masterpiece either, but Specter At The Feast brings them as close as they've ever come to one.

ATOMS FOR PEACE Default From: AMOK Released: February 26 Practically an extension of Thom Yorke's solo album The Eraser , the debut album by Atoms For Peace is nonetheless an intriguing listen with lots to offer to Yorke's (and Radiohead's) fans. In fact, many fans (myself included) would rank AMOK higher than Radiohead's 2011 album The King Of Limbs , although that's much more an insult to Radiohead than it is a compliment to Atoms For Peace.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Jubilee Street From: Push The Sky Away Released: February 19 As long and illustrious as Nick Cave's career had been up to 2013, not many could have predicted the quality of Push The Sky Away , his fifteenth studio album. It may not rock all that hard, but its lush orchestration and Cave's ever-endearing way with words give the album substantial emotional weight, especially on album highlight Jubilee Street and its sordid portrayal of the seedy side of town. If you enjoy the video, make sure to seek out his performance of the track at this past year's Glastonbury festival for full effect.

FOALS Inhaler From: Holy Fire Released: February 12 They may have made inroads in North America with the energetic pop of My Number , but it was lead single Inhaler that brought Foals to my radar; interesting, melodic and groovy with a bit of a mean streak, Inhaler has a little something for everybody and weaves it all together to create perhaps a bigger sounding song than it had any business being.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA Dark Side Of Me From: The Afterman: Descension Released: February 5 A little over a year ago, a posted an article on the audacity of some artists to split their double albums in two and charge double price to the consumer. Coheed and Cambria took it a step further, releasing their Afterman album in two parts and then releasing it together with a third disc consisting of live tracks as a nice kick in the balls to fans who'd already shelled out twice. The saddest part is, Afterman 's penultimate track is so good they also milked two Year in Rock nominations out of me.

THE BRONX Youth Wasted From: The Bronx (IV) Released: February 5 Having more success for your mariachi side project than your main band doesn't seem to have deterred The Bronx from doing what they do best. While the tunefulness they honed over the course of two mariachi albums finds its way onto their fourth album, there's still plenty of edge to be had. Plus, you can't fault the humour and/or confrontational nature of a hard rock band using male strippers in the video for its lead single.

PURE LOVE Bury My Bones From: Anthems Released: February 4 After plenty of promotion and delays, early 2013 saw the UK release of Frank Carter's post-Gallows band's debut release. Straying from the snarling punk fury of Gallows, Anthems is an aptly named record; stadium-ready rock with tunefulness and heart, Pure Love is a project that shows maturity and growth for Carter. As for the bellyaching fans who just want to hear him scream? Feel free to grow up with him.

TOMAHAWK White Hats / Black Hats From: Oddfellows Released: January 29 Dialing back on experimentation somewhat yielded what amounts to Mike Patton's most straightforward rock album since... well, Tomahawk's debut album. And, even if Oddfellows doesn't quite live up to that debut, it's refreshingly accessible while maintaining some of the skewed sonic sensibilities that make Patton one of music's most intriguing figures.

BIFFY CLYRO Victory Over The Sun From: Opposites Released: January 28 The main criticism for Biffy Clyro in recent years is their increasing reliance on radio friendly stadium rockers, but that's an overreaction on critics' part; radio friendly stadium rockers are what Biffy Clyro is good at, as evidenced by the material on double album Opposites (released as a butchered 14-track single disc in North America). Yes, it's streamlined, but the tunes are solid; besides, when you're packing European stadiums like Biffy Clyro do, you need big tunes like these.

FIDLAR Cheap Beer From: FIDLAR Released: January 22 Brash, loud, raw, fun; if these four words don't tell you all you need to know about FIDLAR, I challenge you to come up with better descriptors. Maybe they'll grow into an important band as they mature, but right now FIDLAR are the embodiment of living fast. Their debut full-length is stoned, drunk and lazy, but it's also a nice change from the super-serious majority of bands coming up in the current generation.

It's a pretty good week to be a Pearl Jam fan. With the release of their tenth album Lightning Bolt barely in the rear view mirror, here we are celebrating two decades of Vs . which, if you'll allow me a moment of impartiality, is my favourite record of all time. I think history has somewhat undermined the importance of this record; the tagline for Vs . reads something along the lines of "sold a million copies in one week to set a record that stood for years", painting a picture of grand success. While not entirely false, it's also not really an accurate portrayal of Vs . About a month ago when I talked about Nirvana's In Utero , I stressed how important it was for the survival of the band that it be kind of contrary to what fans and label alike may expect. Like In Utero (though admittedly not quite as harsh), Vs . rails against the fairweather fans and greedy label execs looking for a Ten II . Its manifesto is clear from the drop; Go and Animal aren...

Having pleasantly surprised with their promising sophomore effort (2011's Murder The Mountains ), I was very interested in hearing what Oregonian sludgers Red Fang would do with their next album;  Whales And Leeches greatly expands on the sonics of Murder The Mountains.  The songs go to more interesting places, the hooks are sharper, and the production is suitably meaty.  Touring with class acts like Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan clearly did Red Fang good. Here, they've whittled their clubs down to spears, creating a diverse and enterprising album that's nearly as exciting as the prospect of where they choose to venture next. October 15, 2013 • Relapse Highlights Doen • Blood Like Cream • Dawn Rising

It wouldn't have surprised anyone, myself included, if Pearl Jam had gone through the motions for the rest of their career; between three perfectly fine studio albums that nonetheless lacked in sense of adventure and staying power and the nostalgia trip that came with the band's twentieth anniversary, Pearl Jam haven't given all that much in the way of surprises in the last decade and change. Lightning Bolt , their tenth album, is full of them. The four years since Backspacer have provided ample time for the band to deliver this album, and though it hasn't been easy for fans to wait so long it's certainly beneficial to the record as a final product. Most satisfying is the adventurousness, which returns in spades; nearly every one of the dozen tracks sees them trying something they haven't before. It's pointless to list all of the detours they take on Lightning Bolt ; suffice to say, there are plenty of moments to make even the most seasoned fan say ...

To celebrate the release of their sixth album Mechanical Bull this week, Kings Of Leon dropped by The Late Show With David Letterman last night to rip through album track Don't Matter . Then, they stuck around to do another 45 minutes or so for the audience. Balancing new tracks and past hits, it was a fine performance, which can be watched below along with the televised performance of Don't Matter : Mechanical Bull is out now.

So, yeah, that happened. I'm well aware that I've gone ten days without posting in this space, and I'm sure a few of you are concerned I've dropped off the face of the earth and/or been abducted by oil barons and/or checked in to a methadone clinic. I can sure you I'm still here, my car's almost out of gas and my dirty habits are well under control. There are no good excuses for negligence; you have my apologies for being so quiet recently. However, many of you will understand if I felt compelled to get lost in the rich fantasy world provided by Grand Theft Auto V . Indeed, this silly little video game has really gotten in the way of my blogging side gig (but more importantly, my real job has gotten in the way of GTA V ). I'm sure I'm not the only one, and can only imagine how many employees have torn off their name tags in favour of the (fake money) high paying life of crime offered one so inclined in San Andreas. Nonetheless, you have my apol...

When it comes to following up a hit record, few bands have ever been burdened with the pressure and scrutiny Nirvana were in the wake of the culture-altering success of Nevermind . Transcending the mere nature of selling a ton of records, Nevermind was hailed as a quintessential part of every teen's existence as it rocketed the band to not just stars, but rather official spokespersons of an entire generation. It's a heavy responsibility to be tagged as the go-to for millions of disaffected adolescents, and it's one that ultimately crushed the band (and, more specifically, its troubled frontman) under the weight of expectation. In Utero , the group's swansong, was a kicking and screaming resistance to the bright lights and microscopes alike; faced with the prospect of a massive and insatiable legion of fans (many of them bandwagoners with department store flannel) and a label hungry for lightning to strike twice, Nirvana made a record designed for maximum letdown for...

Click here to stream Arctic Monkeys' AM (watch out, it's an iTunes stream). A week ahead of its release, Arctic Monkeys are streaming their fifth album AM . The album takes its cue from last year's Song of the Year R U Mine? , which is included here in re-recorded form. That song's sultry energy drips all over AM 's dozen tracks, resulting in a fully realized, head-bobbing groovefest. It puts the boots to the manic, frenzied attack that endeared them to many in their blinding hype phase, focused on late night folklore and rump shaking beats. When they do slow it down, as on the glorious 70's pop throwbacks No. 1 Party Anthem and Mad Sounds , you can practically feel the smoke machine's fog hitting your ankles. It's a bit early to pass final judgment (especially considering I haven't actually listened to the whole thing yet), but AM impresses early on, and sure seems to cement Arctic Monkeys' status with this music lover as one of rock...