As the calendar year cycles to a close, the flood of new releases at No Rest HQ — and streaming through Internet tubes — threatens to burst my damn mind. Here’s the stuff that stuck.

First and foremost, Calgary’s Craig Storm is a man you need to know. Whether transmitting vintage bleeps and bloops via his mysterious solo project, Monroeville Music Centre, echo-laden psych-pop with The Gooeys, or rowche rumblings with The Wet Pinky Swear (formerly known as the Weird Shits), he’s been filling the airwaves with timeless tunes and eyeball-pleasin’ visual esthetics to match.

This summer’s Monroeville Music Centre cassette, Musique Concrète for Beginners (containing — amazingly — a working photo theremin), is sadly long sold out, but you can download its songs for free on the ol’ MySpace. Now, Storm has dropped the sequel, Generic Product, which is an even groovier outer space bopper also available as a CS-CD-free download from Amdiscs. In addition, all of Storm’s activities can be followed through his wickedly titled vanity label, Watchtower B.A.T.S.

Before heading to SXSW this March, Lethbridge, Alta. mammoth Myelin Sheaths continues its hit streak with the Dead Things cassette from Scotch Tapes. Punkier than its predecessor, the Get On Your Nerves LP, this 10-song pimple-blaster is rounded out with Angry Samoans and Supercharger covers. Myelin main-man Paul Lawton also contributes high-pitched vox to James Leroy’s Distinction, a collection of skewed, stupidly fun alt-pop. Recorded 2000 to 2004, out now.

Continuing on the garage rock tip, Vancouver’s hugely underrated Dead Ghosts dropped its debut LP proper on Florida’s Dying — it’s 13 songs and 32 minutes of shuffling, country-fried good times. Your grandma would love it if it weren’t so lo-fi.

Ottawa power-pop powerhouse The White Wires — fronted by former Calgarian and Going Gaga founder Ian Manhire — links up with the almighty Dirtnap Records for sophomore long-player WWII. Snappy, slick and catchy. Wires drummer Allie Hanlon also twists as Peach Kelli Pop with her own self-titled solo LP of Bambi-eyed hits.

Next, Montreal’s cassette label slow-cooker boils over with huge releases from all the heavy-hitters. They Live We Sleep has been killing it with tapes from Video Nasties, Derek Rogers and Tobin’s Spirit Guide, and recently slanged out a CFC c28, collecting four songs from The River EP on RVNG Intl. Stepping up his game yet again, CFCF’s Mike Silver diffuses next level dream-beat jungle jams.

My homeboy Frank Ouellette from Hobo Cult maintains his prolific pace with two fresh day-trippers. First is Belgium’s Innercity with the aptly titled New Dawn at Amnesia Beach. Soothing and serene with an eerie undercurrent, its far-off vocals drift like specters in a faded postcard from paradise.

Germany’s Autistic Argonaut, on the other hand, sounds far less idyllic throughout the c40 Magic Maggi Moments. Recorded live with no overdubs, these occult-like meditations simmer with celestial synths, samples and wordless exultations, before a mellow piano-filled Side 2 comedown. From the killer collage artwork to the outer-national sounds contained within, Hobo Cult is a towering tape giant. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Femminielli’s Language Universel in the New Year.

Ouellette recently stepped out with his hypno-synth solo project Hobo Cubes for the stunning Blaze Factor cassette on NNA, as well. Hard to top the label’s description of “drifting off to sleep at 4 a.m. while watching Unsolved Mysteries reruns,” so let’s leave it at that.

Finally, Fadeaway Tapes are the new kids on the block, but already have nine releases under their belts. The latest is the Aphid Palisades untitled cassette, a lulling, swirling sci-fi droner floating through the future past. The real winner of this November batch, however, is Sundrips’ Arrays, collecting four synth and guitar improvisations from the label-founding duo. Here, Sunn O)))-lite scorch and Krautrock shimmer amalgamates with subtle, pulsating electronics into tonal transcendence.