1. The same new Japandroids album I talked about last year.

2. A full-length from Victoria’s Hawk & Steel. No release date yet, but frontman Peter Gardner reports they’re recording fifteen songs in January.

3. Provincial, the debut solo full-length from Weakerthans vocalist John K. Samson, out January 24. (Pre-order here.) And in February Samson will release a book called Lyrics and Poems, 1997-2012.

4. Meanwhile, The Weakerthans are also forming plans for a new album.

5. Great Canadian artists coming to the Tractor: The Pack A.D. (with local favorites Hobosexual) January 21, Matthew Good February 10, hip-hop artist Buck 65 February 17, and John K. Samson April 1.

6. …And to the Crocodile: Elliott Brood February 28 and Plants & Animals March 22.

7. …And to Neumos: they host terrific Ontarian rapper Shad January 20.

8. Speaking of Plants & Animals, their third full-length The End of That hits stores February 28.

9. Sharing that release date is the long-awaited new LP from Toronto Americana group The Wooden Sky, titled Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun. They’ll hit the road to promote the release, stopping at the Bunk Bar in Portland April 9 and Lucky Bar in Victoria April 10.

10. Bahamas - the subject of the very first North of Northwest column - has just announced his second LP, Barchords, scheduled for a February 7 release.

11. A remastered and possibly expanded “box set” version of The Weeknd’s mixtape trilogy. Whether this will be a physical or commercial release (unlike the free, self-released original albums) remains to be seen.

12. A new album from singer-songwriter Julie Doiron. If she can ever stop giggling.