SOUND BITES

As our look back on the year that was catches up to the present (and peeks ever so slightly into the future), it becomes clear that the vast majority of rock artists preferred to avoid the last two months of the year; though it's typically the stronghold time of year for pop superstar stocking stuffers, I still find it just a bit odd to see that two month gap emerge after mid-October with no nominated songs. In fact, that's almost as odd as two established bands deciding to release their albums one week before Christmas. Regardless, our last batch of nominees runs the gamut: here we find new artists to look out for, home grown Maritime talent hitting its stride, and no less than three bands with multiple Album of the Year nominations. Song of the Year nominees #41-50 are:

For as prolific as Jack White is renowned for being, his rate of output as of late has slowed a bit. Following a period of intense productivity that saw the release of a new record every year between 2006 and 2010 (split between The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather), White's two solo albums were the only high profile releases bearing his name from 2010 until the release of Dodge and Burn . Those solo albums established White as a formidable solo artist, to be sure, but the playful and exploratory nature of his bands' records was tempered somewhat. Hallelujah, then, for Dodge and Burn ; this, the third Dead Weather record (and first in five years, it should be noted), finds the group embracing all the weird urges that they've pursued to a certain extent previously, albeit without venturing too far off course. It's a well-rounded set of tunes, and the most consistent record they've created yet. It should come as no surprise that The Kills...