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 ...