If you were wondering why our previous installment of 'Most Anticipated Album Releases of 2012' didn't feature any local acts... there was a reason for that. We have debated, deliberated and pulled many strands of hair in wishing that more could be included in the list. However, the following native heroes made the cut... in no particular order:

Welcome to our new weekly news feature where we round up the latest news in the world of album release dates. We'll be pounding through dozens of news pieces from the last few weeks, so let's get moving! Unless otherwise mentioned, all release dates apply to Australia only.

In This Issue: Of Montreal, Sleigh Bells, Ladyhawke, Dirty Three, The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Paul McCartney, Silverstein, Black Dice, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Emelie Sandé, Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Honouring 50 Years of Amnesty International), Peter Broderick, The Blank Fight, Lana Del Ray and more...

Ready yourself, the return of Ladyhawke is imminent...
Ladyhawke proudly announced the details of two extremely intimate gigs happening this month on the East Coast.

Wednesday 23rd November – Phoenix Bar, Sydney

Wednesday 7th December – The Tote, Melbourne

Check one, two… Festival of the Sun is back to finetune your summer, with 3,000 mates, a surfside location and a rocking homegrown line-up.

Day 1 - Wednesday 5 January

The masses of Brisbane turned out to the Riverstage despite the rain to see killer performances from Public Enemy, The National, Hot Hot Heat, Sleigh Bells and more. Andrew Wade brings us the photos from Day One...

Before I say anything else, I want to say, if you do nothing else in 2012, make sure the one thing you do do is head to Southbound... It's fanreakintastic.