SOUND BITES

When considering Album of the Year, I'm traditionally faced with a small dilemma. There are usually two or three albums I'm strongly considering for the award, while the rest are good records that are there to pad out the number of nominees. Eventually, it comes down to two and, at the last minute, I make the decision I'll have to live with for the rest of the internet's history. Last year, though, I didn't have that problem; Courtney Barnett was head and shoulders above the rest, and I gave a couple dozen others the chance to change my mind, but in the end that honour was undoubtedly hers. This year, I face a new kind of problem. When looking at the 20 CDs pictured here, I can't help but think that the field is much more wide open than in previous years; sure, if we go by my original review scores, there are only seven 9s as opposed to twelve 8s (and one 7), so it seems a little less daunting a decision. The thing is, I'm a human being with a mind that...

Is there a more appropriate image to sum up the year that's been than a tombstone? Literally and metaphorically, 2016 has been death; with the loss of another important artist seemingly every other day, plus the shaky state of our world in the societal, environmental and political senses, pessimists have had a field day this year. If there's a silver lining to be found, it's in the music; for such a glum, brutal year, 2016 has provided us with a lot of great songs. From iconic artists who gave us one last gift, to established acts injecting welcome new blood to their discographies, to fresh sounds by emerging artists living up to their potential, rock seems to be doing just fine in spite of the bleakness that surrounds our every breath. While the final shortlist of Song of the Year nominees won't be announced for another three weeks, I figured we could all use a minute or 162 to look back on some of the best tunes rock gave us this year. Here, compiled in a handy...

As a standalone album, the tenth by metal titans Metallica ticks all the boxes. Like the thrash-centric assault they built their empire on? Check. Like the groove-laden riffs that helped them conquer the world a quarter century ago? Check. Don't feel like it's really a Metallica album without a nagging issue or two? Check and check. The good news is, Metallica haven't sounded quite so engaged in what they're creating in some time. This is certainly an album crafted with the songs and the overall listening experience in mind. As for the songs, there's very little filler (although Murder One , an heartfelt tribute to fallen star Lemmy, reeks a bit of cheese despite best intentions); there's also a conscious effort to sneak away from the forced back-to-basics vibe of Death Magnetic , which resulted in some pretty good songs but, overall, struck me as at least a partial act of pandering. This time out, only about a quarter of the album thrashes, while the majori...

It's been an incredibly shitty year, with anxiety, fear, sorrow, mourning, dread and anger seemingly seeping out of every pore of our society. In a way, then, thank the music gods for the debut LP by Wakrat; another side project for Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford, this half hour of explosive, profane rage is as good a way as any to blow off steam in the wake of recent events. This isn't exactly highbrow stuff, although the rhythms are tight and, by times, complex; it's a primal scream of a record, one that seethes, snarls and spits out of anger and frustration. What better soundtrack for one of the most fucked up periods of modern history? November 11, 2016 • Earache Highlights Generation Fucked • La Liberté ou la Mort • Knucklehead

I was going to review this album back in January but, with David Bowie's passing just two days after the album's release, I was having a hard time working out just how to even talk about it considering how drastically and suddenly the context had changed. Given nearly a full year's worth of distance, I'm able to hear  ★ without being bummed out for the duration; there's a sense of accomplishment, even celebration, present here. Make no mistake, it's still somewhat painful to hear, but it's not as harrowing and saddening as it was in the winter. I now hear it as a calming final transmission, the sound of a man who, after a half century in the business and twenty-five albums, was able to find peace and leave this world a true gift; a typically experimental album among scores of experiments in Bowie's often spotty discography, one that could have been a footnote but instead asserts itself as vital listening. January 8, 2016 • ISO/RCA Highlights Blacksta...

This third LP from The Pretty Reckless seeks to expand the group's sonic palette, and it most definitely does; their middle-of-the-road hard rock is sprinkled with influences from deep within rock's rich history. As I listened through the dozen songs, I found so much of it familiar that I went back and scribbled down all of the bands Who You Selling For brought to mind (if you must know they were Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Motorhead, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Clutch, Kiss, Eurythmics, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pearl Jam, The Beatles, Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd and David Bowie); the end result is a record that sounds more like a '70s/'80s/'90s hits compilation than it does a singular artistic vision in 2016. It's not like they're butchering the classics, and it's not entirely bad to invoke nostalgia, but at a certain point I have to wonder if The Pretty Reckless intend on making a sound of their own? October 21, 2016 • Razor & Tie Highlights Oh M...

Coming just over a year after their Mercury Prize nominated debut LP, Take Control provides more of the scuzzy garage punk that got Slaves noticed in the first place. One of the more prominent people who discovered the duo is Beastie Boy Mike D, who signed on to produce this sophomore LP (and performs a short verse on Consume or Be Consumed ). Listening to the record, it's not much of a stretch to understand what he sees in them, as much of Slaves' aesthetic mirrors Beastie Boys' own punk numbers, albeit with a decidedly English slant; the result draws influence from Sex Pistols, The Clash and, yes, Beastie Boys, but doesn't take itself seriously enough to come off as too contrived or heavy handed. It may not be revolutionary in any significant way, but its looseness, swagger and sneering fury is somewhat refreshing in today's musical climate. September 30, 2016 • Virgin Highlights Spit It Out • Consume or Be Consumed • Same Again

The eighth album by Thrice (and first since a hiatus of nearly four years) finds them picking up more or less where they left off. The maturity and intensity of previous record Major/Minor  are here, complimented by another batch of strong songs carrying messages both political and personal. It tends to lean heavily on slow-to-mid tempos, which can be a little draining in places, but it's still an engaging listen; this holds even more true when they run loose and fast, as on Blood On the Sand and Whistleblower . The sum of the parts is an album that operates at a slow burn but marks a welcome return for one of hard rock's most underappreciated bands. May 27, 2016 • Vagrant Highlights Blood On the Sand • Wake Up • Black Honey

The four years between Band of Horses' fourth and fifth albums is by far the longest gap between records in the group's discography (their previous four were spaced out over just six years). The time away was helpful in distancing them from the coolly received but artistically rewarding Mirage Rock , and album number five finds them stretching out just a bit further. Amid the psychedelic flourishes and jagged alt-country riffs lie hints of modern studio trickery; that said, as welcome an addition to their discography as it is, the loud mastering is a detriment to their oft-nuanced style. Still, from a performance and songwriting perspective, Band of Horses prove they've got plenty of gas in the tank yet. June 10, 2016 • Interscope Highlights Solemn Oath • Casual Party • In a Drawer

What The Temperance Movement is doing isn't altogether special or unique; their brand of blues-rock revivalism is becoming increasingly prevalent in rock radio circles. That said, there's no denying the chops on display throughout their sophomore record. Phil Campbell is a quintessential frontman, his impassioned wails lifting most songs above the damnation of also-ran status. The supporting players are all able, the tunes are solid, and there are a few moments of pure rock bliss, most notably the soaring and emotional title track. Pile on some gritty guitars, a few sticky choruses, and you've got the textbook definition of an album that doesn't aspire to change the course of history but rather promises a no frills platter of satisfactory tunes and delivers upon it. January 15, 2016 • Fantasy Highlights Get Yourself Free • A Pleasant Peace I Feel • White Bear

One of the most respected and prolific indie bands of recent memory, Parquet Courts have provided listeners with a steady diet of new content since their inception about five years ago. Their fitth album hit shelves a mere four months after a 2015 EP that followed two albums in 2014... you get the idea. Human Performance feels a lot more fussed over then previous releases, and the record's experiments and detours don't venture too far from the core sound. This sound, drawing equally from '80s college rock and punk, makes for an intriguing basis for a record, and Human Performance matches this intrigue step for step with impassioned playing and intelligent lyrics. It shows that, when they take their time with a project and give it the attention it deserves, Parquet Courts can be worth all that hipster buzz. April 8, 2016 • Rough Trade Highlights Human Performance • Paraphrased • Berlin Got Blurry

After releasing a deluge of albums on Bandcamp (ten, plus a compilation and an EP between 2010 and 2014), Car Seat Headrest (ostensibly a solo project by Will Toledo) signed to heavyweight indie label Matador in 2015. Following the introductory compilation Teens of Style , Teens of Denial marks the official label debut for the band. Accordingly, it features fuller compositions and more instrumentation. Given his previous recorded output, it's not surprising to hear the wealth of ideas put forth on Teens of Denial ; stretching just past the 70-minute mark, the lo-fi DIY approach is augmented with tension, bombast and epic appeal (8 of 12 tracks go past the five minute mark, including one over ten). Overall, it's a supersized throwback to the '90s indie scene that was flourishing while Toledo was a toddler, a record full of fuzzed-out nostalgia, sharp wit and ragged glory. May 20, 2016 • Matador Highlights Fill in the Blank • Vincent • Cosmic Hero

With the release of New Skin , every member of The Strokes has now officially released a side project; after appearing as a guest and co-writing for a slew of artists, CRX marks guitarist Nick Valensi's first proper foray into side project territory. Hints of The Strokes are to be expected here, but New Skin pulls further in both the glossy pop and hard rock directions of his other band. The blend of power pop hooks with muscular punk-infused rock (the latter given a boost of credibility courtesy producer Josh Homme) makes for a varied, quick and easy listen; it offers satisfaction whether you're looking for a singalong or a mosh pit. In the current musical landscape, it's also somewhat refreshing, an undeniably modern aesthetic as filtered through the raucous classics. If you're not scared of getting a little glitter in your hard nosed rock n' roll, New Skin deserves a half hour of your time. October 28, 2016 • Columbia Highlights Ways To Fake It • Broken Bon...

Anyone can surprise release an album online, but it takes a special kind of trust and coordination to sneak a physical release into stores. How Avenged Sevenfold managed the feat in our spoiler-hungry times boggles the mind, but their seventh record ended up in stores without warning a week ago. It's their first for Capitol Records after an ugly split with Warner Bros., the legal fallout of which is still unresolved. Undeterred, Avenged Sevenfold come out swinging on The Stage , their longest and most complex record to date. It's a sharp about face from the simplified approach of previous album Hail to the King , as that record's hero worship has been replaced with more standard A7X fare: so as to say, epic, prog-leaning metal, albeit with their penchant for melody still more or less intact. At nearly 74 minutes, it's certainly somewhat bloated and self-indulgent (especially on the almost 16 minute closer Exist ), but all of the band's established hallmarks are he...

Next year marks thirty years since Testament's recorded debut, the heavily lauded The Legacy . The metal environment they entered back in 1987 was exploding in popularity, and they arrived as their contemporaries were making the most important and enduring music of their genre. They've been no slouches either, but they've been comparably overshadowed over the decades by the "Big 4", bands who've stayed popular but not always stable. Through it all, a couple of slight missteps aside, Testament has simply gone about the business of making the best records they can; eleventh album Brotherhood of the Snake is no exception. While it's can't boast the same consistency of their last two (2008's The Formation of Damnation and 2012's Dark Roots of Earth , both very solid records) and the scope has been scaled back somewhat, there's still plenty to enjoy here. In an era where metal bands are fighting more and more desperately to maintain relevanc...

Back from a six year gap (almost as much time as had passed between the group's original disbandment in 1997 and frontman Page Hamilton's return with new supporting players in 2004), Helmet's eighth album aims to recapture the hearts and minds of an increasingly indifferent and dwindling fan base. That said, the journey to obscurity isn't wholly unearned; with a revolving door of band members (to date, the tally is Page Hamilton as the only original member alongside six bassists, five rhythm guitarists and four drummers) and a pair of forgettable records (2006's Monochrome and 2010's Seeing Eye Dog ), it's getting harder and harder to remember Helmet as the vital, visceral vanguards they were during their original '90s run. It pains me to report that Dead to the World is more or less aptly titled, as it offers very little of value. It's not even that it rarely sounds like the records of their heyday, it's that when it attempts to it's a pa...

It's been almost a decade since the world was graced with a new Weakerthans record, so John K. Samson's second solo record (third if you count a 1993 cassette) carries a certain stigma; the one that makes me think, "well, I guess this will have to do". Of course, this is completely unfair, as this record doesn't aspire to compare to those records in any way, despite two of Samson's Weakerthans band mates appearing here; it's a much more subdued affair, even more so than Samson's previous solo platter (2012's Provincial ). The sparse arrangements allow for Samson's lyrics to shine, though, and this has always been his primary strength; his stories, fictional or otherwise, brim with intelligence and imagination. So, even though I'll keep patiently waiting for the fifth Weakerthans album that may never arrive, Winter Wheat serves as a reminder that Samson is right up there with Gord Downie as one of our nation's most formidable poets. ...