2013 thus far has proven to be a renaissance year for music across all spectrums of genre. From the back-to-back summer releases of the omnipresent-rap-duo Jay Z and Kanye West, to the shocking return of 90’s alternative-rock-group My Bloody Valentine, whose highly anticipated follow-up to Loveless finally released after two decades, 2013 has been a year of variety — and there’s still plenty to look forward to in the final quarter of the year. Here’s a guide to fall albums and what listeners can anticipate moving forward.

Sleigh Bells (Oct. 8)—“Bitter Rivals”: 

Tattoos, leather jackets and confrontational rock n’ roll — Sleigh Bells are the cool ‘80s high school guy that never actually attended any classes, choosing instead to wait for his equally cool cheerleader girlfriend by the quad in his Pontiac Firebird while blaring Quiet Riot.

The Sleigh Bells are very in-your-face, loud and demanding of crowd enthusiasm. Lead vocalist Alexis Krauss is like a bizarre hybrid of that aforementioned ‘80s guy and his cheerleader girlfriend. She has swagger and tatted-up-resiliency while delivering her vocals in a preppy way that calls to rally.

The single “Bitter Rivals” has that crunchy-distortion and unintelligible guitar that drives every Sleigh Bells song. Loud samples and programmed hip-hop drums crowd the song equally as much, yet still leave room for Krauss’s tough girl lyrics, “I had to kill the new sheriff in town/she was gonna try to keep me,” then switching to a peppier, “you are my bitter rival/but I need you for survival.”

The band delivers a good show for anyone looking for a good beer- and sweat-drenched atmosphere. Krauss plays on either side of guitarists Derek Miller and Jason Boyer, who play with the exact same setup, including 12-foot walls of Marshall amps that all seem to be turned up to their maximum volumes.

You pretty much know what you’re going to get with every Sleigh Bells album, but they deserve a few listens. Plus, I’m sure Bitter Rivals sounds good playing from the speakers of that now 30-year-old Pontiac Firebird.

Cults (Oct. 15)—“Static”:

Cults are an upbeat boy-girl duo that plays happy-go-lucky indie-pop songs. A lot of the music from their self-titled debut album is reverb heavy and lo-fi, which has been the standard for indie groups of their kind during the past several years. The first album was pretty good; there was not a whole lot of variation between songs but it had some charm.

The single from Static —“I Can Hardly Make You Mine”— sticks to the same formula from the first album but is a little heavier with the guitar and trembling synthesizer. The vocals are still very upfront and poppy, though.

No other songs have been released for “Static” yet; hopefully the duo can orchestrate some brilliance and innovation with their sophomore effort.

Ducktails (Oct. 22)—“Wish Hotel” EP:

Matt Mondanile — the laid back jangle-rock guitarist for Real Estate and Ducktails — released one of the best albums earlier this year with “The Flower Lane.” Although Real Estate is set to release a new album early next year, Mondanile will continue to promote his solo effort with a five-song EP.

“Honey Tiger Eyes” is a continuation of the dressed-up and dreamy sound of pretty much everything on “The Flower Lane.” It has that signature echoing, phaser-induced guitar that fades in and out of many Real Estate and Ducktails songs. The synthesizer melody follows a D-C-C-B progression, creating a love song complemented by the reverberating lo-fi vocals of Mondanile. “In the garden, I looked at how I feel/You left a message under the orange tree, an invitation that excited me.”

Indeed, it’s handsome, dexterous and enchanting. More importantly though, it adds more anticipation for the new Real Estate — a step away from the psychedelic pop and a return of the beach bum indie-rock that Mondanile plays just as well.

Arcade Fire (Oct. 29)—“Reflektor”: 

After winning the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2011, Arcade Fire is making innovative efforts to promote “Reflektor.” On Sept. 9 the group unveiled an interactive, experimental music video sponsored in part by Google that requires the viewer to have Google Chrome, a webcam and a smart phone to work properly. The viewer waves the smartphone in front of the webcam, creating a dazzling show of pulsating lights and colors in the foreground while the video is happening in the back and also causing interesting delayed motions controlled by the user.

The effects aren’t necessarily interesting; there are flash-based web games that do the same thing. It’s the bridging of interactivity with the music video medium that makes it so captivating — something that doesn’t happen often but could become a positive trend for music.

Ironically, the song preaches listeners to become less connected to technology, “we’re so connected, but are we even friends?” In the last half of the video, the words “BREAK FREE” appear in bold letters if the user clicks anywhere on the screen. “Reflector” is an upbeat and catchy song, even featuring a guest spot on vocals by David Bowie. The album is produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, which is revealed in the single’s tone. Arcade Fire is definitely making an effort for another Album of the Year award.

Walter TV (Oct. 31)—Blessed:

Walter TV is a side project of the always-entertaining jangle-rocker Mac Demarco.

Those familiar with the 23-year-old, gap-toothed Canadian should know about his rambunctious and nutty stage performance that would usually leave audiences feeling uncomfortable if he wasn’t such a cool guy. Demarco says whatever is on his mind even if it lacks coherency. Even if it takes several seconds to garner an awkward response, he flails his body around while grunting into the microphone in between songs. He once got naked on stage and put a drumstick in a censorable area.

Essentially, he’s that typical party-every-night house show musician but he’s good at it. While most young musicians of his success would jump at the opportunity to play with Fender guitars and Boss pedals, Demarco keeps it simple by playing with a beat-up guitar that looks like it was bought at a Toys R Us and with guitar effects that sound like they have been soaked in water (or probably beer) several times. The result is a dense, chorus-heavy sound that is uniquely his.

That sound is reflected in Walter TV’s recently released single, “Puka Shell Necklace.” The song mocks the outdated summer accessory and sounds very similar to Strawberry Jam-era Animal Collective. The dense chorus effects favored by Demarco drown it out; the mid-tempo drums ring out with the pounding of the floor tom and complemented by maracas; the high-pitched vocals are muddled and almost undistinguishable.

It is uncertain if Walter TV is going to be a serious project or an experimental cult group. If it’s anything like Demarco’s album “2” though, it should be pretty good, although is sounds like he is going in a different direction with this project.

Kurt Vile and Sore Eros (Nov. 4)—“Jamaica Plain” EP: 

It seems there isn’t much wrong Kurt Vile can do and there isn’t a song he cannot write. The psychedelic-folk singer-songwriter announced plans to release a three-song EP collaborated with Sore Eros.

The songs were recorded back in the early 2000s before his success, which is good news for fans that are into his tenser, more lo-fi material. His release earlier this year— “Wakin on a Hazy Day” —was met with critical acclaim further pushing the idea that he’s the present face of indie-rock; after all, his hometown of Philadelphia did declare Aug. 28 Kurt Vile Day.

M.I.A. (Nov. 5)—Matangi: 

M.I.A. is one of the most talented pop stars while also being one of the most controversial — a quality that many pop artists of her stature seem to have. If you watched the 2012 Super Bowl, you should remember the middle finger she flung towards the camera during a halftime performance with Madonna.

M.I.A. had some choice words for the Federal Trade Commission and the NFL after receiving a ridiculous fine of $1.5 million earlier this year:

“The NFL thing is completely ridiculous,” she said in a YouTube response to the lawsuit filed by the league. “Now they’re scapegoating me into figuring out the goal posts on what is offensive in America. Is my finger offensive, or is it an underage black girl with her legs wide open more offensive to the family audience?”

“They want me on my knees, to say sorry so they can slap me on my wrist, and basically say it’s okay for me to promote being sexually exploited as a female, but then to display female empowerment through being punk rock,” she continued.

Lawsuits aside, M.I.A. continues to create really good music.

The single — “Come Walk With Me” — is very promising for what could be coming on the new album, “Matangi” (named after the singer’s first name). It has the attitude and peppiness that’s expected from M.I.A. and is almost entirely driven by samples, which creates a lot of spontaneity in the song.

This album isn’t supposed to be released until Nov. 5 but the erratic performer has threatened to leak the album early after having a dispute with her record label, Interscope.

“If Interscope takes longer I can always leak this next week and make a new one by the time they are ready,” she tweeted in August.

Stay tuned; Matangi might be here sooner than anticipated.