SOUND BITES

(Sorry for the tiny album art, it's all I could find.) With the release date for their sophomore album Death & Taxes looming, Nova Scotian rock juggernaut The Stanfields have eased any trepidation about them losing their edge with lead single Invisible Hands . While the subject matter takes a more serious turn than much of their debut, Invisible Hands retains the ragged melodies that make The Stanfields such a joy to listen to.  So it makes for a mature, natural progression for the band. Death & Taxes is out September 18.  Peruse all of the enticing pre-order options here .

I mentioned this earlier on, when The Company Band announced the release of their second EP Pros And Cons , but lamented the fact that we had yet to hear any kind of sample. Today I rejoiced, as the good folks over at Antiquiet got their paws on an exclusive premiere of Pros And Cons ' lead track, House Of Capricorn .  For those who've yet to hear, The Company Band is comprised of Clutch's Neil Fallon and a gaggle of veritable stoner rock all-stars from the likes of Fu Manchu and CKY. But, why am I wasting your time and mine by babbling?  The track is kick ass, and deserves to be played loud: Pros And Cons is out July 31 via Weathermaker Music.

Daniel Britt (of Spoon) and Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade & Handsome Furs) have spent their entire careers perfecting their respective brands of off-kilter pop/rock, so when it was announced that they'd be joining forces you can imagine this writer's excitement. As we gear up for the August 28 release of full-length A Thing Called The Divine Fits , they've started rolling out tracks.  Start with the Boeckner-led, synth-infused My Love Is Real :

My anticipation for Baroness' new album is well documented at this point.  I've already marveled at the pounding Take My Bones Away, and stood in slack-jawed amazement at the accessibility of March To The Sea. The third taste of Yellow & Green (or, more specifically, the third taste of Yellow ; no previews from Green have been released yet) arrived today in the form of closer Eula .  And it is an absolute masterpiece.  Of course.  I'm starting to think that every other band who's releasing an album this year should seriously consider throwing in the towel. According to reports, Yellow (from which all three genre-defying tracks we've heard so far are from) is the heavy half, while Green is more artistic.  It's too late to pander to me, guys; I'm already 100% invested.  See you July 17 (unless there's an album stream beforehand, in which case God bless your awesome souls).

For fans of Matt Mays, it's been a long four years since the release of his fourth album (and last with his former band El Torpedo) Terminal Romance .  That album delivered on Mays' early promise, a slick and streamlined channeling of Neil Young filtered through the brokenhearted dark pop of the 90s.  It was a huge momentum builder, but the disbanding of El Torpedo combined with the scant output of the last four years pretty much... well, torpedoed that momentum. Mercifully, the wait for a new Matt Mays studio album is nearing its end.  The album has a title ( Coyote ), and a first single that picks up where Terminal Romance left off.  Have a listen to Take It On Faith: A release date for Coyote has yet to be announced, but one can assume we'll have our hands on it somewhere in the neighbourhood of September/October.  In the meantime, you can also assume he'll be road testing some of those new songs as he plays a handful of dates this summer (includin...

A week ahead of its official release, Linkin Park is streaming their fifth album Living Things via iTunes .  Upon first listen, the one thing that becomes immediately clear is the album's streamlined approach; its 12 tracks clock in at a paltry 37 minutes.  Lead single Burn It Down , at a shade under four minutes, is the closest you're going to get to a magnum opus on this platter. As the album plays on, it also becomes apparent that the blatant pop leanings of that single doesn't exactly make it the harbinger of Linkin Park gone full-blown pop that some thought it could be (myself included).  However, it isn't quite the "return to the roots" that's it's being marketed as either.

Last weekend, we celebrated the birthday of a certain under-appreciated rock masterpiece and looked back fondly of the days of artistic risks and non-compliance. Perhaps even more so than Faith No More, Radiohead built their career on bold moves and refusal to pander to closed-minded fans.  And, just as Faith No More kickstarted an era of difficulty with Angel Dust , Radiohead fired the salvo that defined the rest of their risky career with OK Computer .