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: