SOUND BITES

Joshua Homme has never been one to shy away from risk. The very formation of Queens of the Stone Age from the ashes of highly influential stoner rock group Kyuss was a risk in that Kyuss had built a devoted fan base through the mid '90s that wasn't expecting tunes as sticky and effortlessly cool as Regular John and If Only . Over the course of the first three QOTSA records, Homme and many of his good friends collectively steered the group's sound in several directions, which gave the records the feel of really, really good mixtapes. This doesn't get more apparent than on QOTSA's star-making Songs for the Deaf , the desert trip thrill ride released fifteen years ago that remains one of the century's most influential rock records. After the massive success of Songs for the Deaf , Homme set to stretch into uncharted territory and subvert expectations with the sinister, volatile Lullabies to Paralyze . Undeterred by the bewilderment of some fans to that record...

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...

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 .

A couple of weeks back, I mentioned ten awesome and/or important albums that have the distinct privilege of being released during the months of July and August, a virtual musical dead zone where labels keep the good stuff locked in their cupboards for the fall shopping season and have stopped adequately promoting the marquee releases that came out in spring. We covered a good chunk of the 90's during Part 1. Today, let's have a look at 1997-2012, and ten more albums that beat the odds and captured that elusive Summer Greatness.

With the release of their sixth album ...Like Clockwork set for release in June, you had to know we were about due for a proper taste of what to expect from the first new Queens Of The Stone Age music in six years soon. Well, as it turns out, the Easter Bunny has seen fit to come through for us; last night, they debuted My God Is The Sun from the upcoming release during their set at Lollapalooza Brazil. But, enough out of me; let's crank this sucker up: My God Is The Sun has everything you could hope for from a new QOTSA song; a strong hook, pummeling riffage and some beefy drums (courtesy of former Mars Volta stickman Jon Theodore, making his live debut with the band, and on record by perennial badass Dave Grohl). As an added bonus you get a hazy, expertly executed breakdown that slows the ride to a crawl before sprinting to the finish. ...Like Clockwork is out sometime in June on Matador.

Reminds Me Of: Other Queens releases to date, except cranked to 11 and spawned in the same greasy fryer as old-school Motorhead, Priest, etc. High On: * The Queens' transition from pure stoner rock to loud, obnoxious, skilled riffage and deadly rhythm section * Dave Grohl... he absolutely pounds the hell out of the drums, giving the album even more of an arena sound * Josh Homme's songwriting: less repetative, more insightful * The pure diversity of the album, from metalized punk ("Millionaire") to bouncy thrash rawk ("No One Knows") to ambitious grunge ("Sky Is Fallin") to playful, obscenity-laced garage metal ("Six Shooter") to Chili Peppers meet The Doors on crack ("Hangin Tree") to tripped-out blues ("God Is In The Radio") to 60's romance shlock ("Another Love Song")... you get the idea, I'm sure. * The album's concept: A journey through a number of radio stations during a drive from...