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Forwarded only a short time ago for review, Alex wrote in his accompanying letter apologies of a sort for sound quality etc.. as he was only on a meagre budget, but he needn't have worried. This is an excellent experimental recording that shows an attention to detail that few bands & artists seem interested enough to take the time with their end product. This is also the 4th CD Alex has put together, so he's had a little experience at doing this as well.

Recorded basically on a 4 track with a couple of other pieces of equipment, Alex has assembled some very interesting tracks here, with quite a number reminding me of the intensity of Nine Inch Nails' releases, though with not quite the aggression.

There are some tracks that really stand out, from the cut & paste of Baia Rada Messiah" & the implied menace of "What I'm In", through to more fully formed songs like "I'm Insecure", my personal favourite "I Found A Way" & "I'm Individual". Far from being a poor quality second cousin demo, this is definitely the foundations of an interesting musical path.

For more information, write to 32 Stetson Rd, Norwell, MA 02061, USA or IsolationRecords@aol.com

DANIEL PRENDIVILLE - TANTRUM EGO

Although no information was forwarded with this album apart from a scant bio, it appears that Daniel is a solo artist, who has talents in both regular rock stylings as well as a flair for some electronic sounds. The album is divided into 2 halves, the first called Guitari Inepti, the second section Veni/Midi/Vici, though I'm not sure just what that might mean.

Whatever the case, it's the first half of the album that grabbed me the most, with some of the tracks reminding me a little of some of Neil Young's earlier music, the highlight of this section being "Do The Washing Up", though "Amnesia International" is also pretty interesting, this track being the pick of the vocal performances for me.

The second half of the album takes on a more electronic feel, with the pick being "Nobody We Know", while the closing tack "Bad News Day" is a somewhat intriguing selection of answering machine messages. Whether faked or not, they make an interesting end to the album. The only fault I had to find with the album was that the production was a little on the quiet side for a CD, though the quality was there.

For more information, write to Reincheque Recordings, reincheque@hotmail.com

ESSE & THE BRAVE NEW SOUNDS - DESTINY'S CHILD

An interesting debut album from a Canadian artist called Susannah Powell, who has put this release out under the fictitious name of Esse & The Brave New Sounds. There's a great feel altogether throughout the length of this album, perhaps seeming as though you're listening to a live performance.

The songs are well written & performed, with a sort of nightclub feel throughout, largely from the production style, plus the rather sultry vocals as well. Pick track for my liking is "Devastating", which has a certain vibe to it that's inexplicable but enticing.

Some of the other picks here include "Suicide Lover" & closing number "Another Fine Day", which is an extended version of the original here, plus the title track is very good as well. If you like your music with a little feeling in the performance as well as having a 'live' feel to it, then this album will definitely interest you.

For more information, write to esse@essemusic.com

GONZO'S MOONWOMB - SUGGESTED SERVING

The second surprising release this band have sent for review & this is equally challenging as a listening session, the band certainly pushing the envelope in all sorts of direction with styles touched including experimental jazz, pop, electronica & a sort of psychedelic affair, again the band refusing to be pigeonholed into any particular genre.

My pick is the very interesting effects driven track "The Outsider", which has a great organ driven sound going throughout, put through some sort of filtering process to achieve a sort of Kraftwerk influenced sound that will have electronic fans champing at the bit.

On the other hand, "Onan The Librarian" & "Faust (aka Student Protest Anthem)" by turns take a look at sounds not unlike the early Devo songs & a more aggressive sound than some of the others here. With 7 tracks in all, this is definitely a band on the cutting edge of their style but just whether their style suits you is something you'll need to determine yourself.

For more information, write to 56 Kirby St, Reservoir, VIC, 3073, Australia or dan@ozramp.net.au

HEADS UP - ADRENALIN DAY

A band I first came across on the Big New Sounds compilation a while back, who happened to perform my favourite track from that particular album, have gotten around to sending out a 4 track ep to check out & I have to say that they still sound as good as on that compile.

The track they submitted to that compilation was "Alright Now", which is still an excellent number, though they demonstrate a more remarkable talent on the other 3 songs here, the band's style reminding just a little of a cross between the early moments of Supergrass' Caught By The Fuzz, Nirvana's debut album & even a tad of Sex Pistols.

An intriguing number is closing track "Los Angeles", which seems so familiar in sound, having a great chorus, while "Down" is also rather interesting. Pick for me though is the title track here, which will no doubt grab any listener with an ounce of taste for rock. It's surprising that the band haven't had more exposure seeing as they've been together for 3 years, so maybe this is the one that'll do it for them.

For more information, write to HeadsUp@anet.com.au

HIGH SOCIETY - ENGINE ROOM

A pretty interesting 3 track single from Sydney band High Society. I'm not too clear on many details here as the band only provided a sketchy bio mentioning a totally different ep, but the songs here echo a raw energy that reminds me just a tad of UK outfit Reef, though a somewhat more primal energy pervades the end result here.

A good deal of the energy delivered here is courtesy of vocalist Levi Kennedy, whose voice has a great edgy quality that a lot of bands seem to be missing these days & I reckon their live performances would be pretty energetic as well, the sounds here easily duplicated onstage I would say.

The opener "What I Want" rings of a time when The Jesus & Mary Chain's fuzz guitar ruled the indie world, though the band are more about the true rock ethic than any arty sound effects. Likewise "Out To The Streets", which is my pick here, plus closing track "Underground", add a slower rock element to the current speed of punk, perhaps even bringing to mind the performance of The Jam's more energetic moments. High Society are certainly providing something a lot of bands aren't at the moment & that's enjoyment in their own sounds.

For more information, write to 297 Stanmore Rd, Petersham, NSXW, 2049, Australia or highsociety007@hotmail.com

HYDRO - GENE POOL

A truly wonderful 6 track ep from Sydney based 3 piece Hydro, who have obviously spent a lot of time & effort putting this ep together & who also present their release with all the necessary details, well laid out, concise & to the point.

The band cite reference points from Captain Beefheart through Led Zeppelin & The Rolling Stones, to Soundgarden, which is the most obvious influence on the band's sound & there's a great atmosphere because of this & a lot of attention to detail has gone into the production & mastering on this as well.

A few tracks here are outstanding, with "Electro" one of the standout tracks, not only because of the superb production, but also the general band performance, with vocalist Jeremy Edwards giving it everything here, bassist Alex Ferrandino adding a nice subtle touch, both backed ably by the percussion of George Brugmans.

With "Electro" so good, it was a surprise to see that both "Ode To Tears" & closing epic "Lifelines" equal the already impressive tones of that track. All up, you'd be hard pressed to find a better debut release from a band who show themselves here to be preparing to move into bigger things very quickly indeed. Labels had better be getting their chequebooks at the ready.

For more information, write to 7/46 Bishops Ave, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia or hydroband@hotmail.com

LISA ARANA - NOT THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

An interesting 14 song album from guitar based artist, Lisa Arana certainly has a talent for both vocal performance & guitar based music. To put it into perspective for those of you who haven't heard Lisa's music, imagine a female version of Ben Harper & you'd be getting close to the mark.

There are some great blues moments & none better than my favourite song on the album "Seven Cats", which for want of a better description, is a sort of 'electrified acoustic' style with an excellent vocal turn out on this track in particular, equalled only by "The Sky", which is more of a folk style song & another highlight.

There are some other excellent moments such as "Wild Growing Vine" & "Chair At The Table" which were both fascinating, as well as the slightly more eclectic "Big Dolores". If you like your music acoustic based or with a hint of blues, then you'll love this.

For more information, write to PO Box 1186, Ontario, CA 91762, USA or congedo@gte.net

NEON VENUS - THE BIRTH OF NEON VENUS

An interesting 4 piece fronted by a vocalist called Lissette Napoleoni, producing music that reminds me quite a bit of an extension of the innovative things Grace Jones was doing during the 80s & Lissette's vocal style brings home certain reminders of that era, infused with the band's own sounds.

Those reminders are evident on a good few numbers including ~Those Days Are Gone", which is my personal favourite, plus "Rain", "Strange" & "Don't Bring Me Down", though I'd have to note opener "Aliens", which has a great groove & probably the equal of the vocal performance of "Those Days Are Gone".

Something else the band have gotten into is doing their own promotion & planning their own tour, using things like the Internet & their own initiative, running out of their own label, which is good to see a band working for themselves rather than relying on that ever elusive major label contract. Check them out & see some innovation in action.

For more information, write to 503 9th St, Santa Monica, CA 90402, USA or neonvenus@earthlink.net

PETER TRIPP - THE WILD SIDE OF THE STREET

An Arizona based artist whose guitar based music will sound vaguely familiar to fans of Joe Satriani & Steve Vai, Phil Tripp has constructed an album of music that'll appeal to a variety of fans, whether they be interested in harder edged rock outings or classical guitar movements.

There are some excellent tracks here, with Peter's style moving some way towards a Kraftwerk inspired Hendrix, if you can imagine the paring, with lots of raw guitar riffs making their way out of the speakers accompanied by some nice keyboard & other instrumental work, a lot of work obviously going into the actual recording of this album.

Some of the album's highlights for me were "The Gamut", "Tampiqua Sunset", "Enter", "Sanctuary" & my personal favourite "Blue City", which is somewhat removed from most of the others here. If you're into instrumental albums & like a bit of rock too, you'll enjoy this album a lot.

For more information, write to Desert Dream Records, PO Box 19446, Fountain Hills, AZ 85269-9466, USA

SIMPLE NEPTUNE - BARBQUE

A pretty cool album from Detroit based 4 piece Simple Neptune, whose music runs the gamut of Pearl Jam sort of crossed with Bush & perhaps taking on the lighter moments of Soundgarden's later releases. The band have a very good backing band to stand behind their vocalist, who in turn has a very good voice, especially for the types of songs here.

The album opens with 2 fairly high octane tracks, the first being the title track, sporting a set of riffs that fans of any of the bands mentioned will become instantly familiar with the sounds, second in "Honor Roll" becoming perhaps more aggressive than the opener, moving into a more relaxed mood on "Dirk & Dale".

It's the more vibed up rock that grabs me off the album, on tracks like "Fenced In" & "Last Man Out", plus the closing pair of songs "Fish Light", which is perhaps my favourite track, plus "SSSB". The band do some strange things following the 'official' end of the album, before heading finally on track 97 with a very well performed more punkish outlook on an unlisted number. Coupled with great artwork & an equally impressive presentation, this album scores top marks & one I'd highly recommend.

For more information, write to 26568 Hampden, Madison Heights, MI 48071, USA or sn2099@aol.com

STEVE MCNAUGHTON - HARDLYSOFTLYROCK

I first came across Steve's music a while back on one of the Big Backyard sample discs a while back & now Steve has brought his debut album out, entitled Hardlysoftlyrock, which is a fairly accurate description of the album as it happens.

Steve hails from NSW & has teamed up with some great musicians including John Swanee, who teams up with Steve on "I Did What I Did", one of the album's highlights, though equally impressive is "Homecoming", which sees an artist called Jenny Lang providing accompanying vocals too.

Pick for me is "Didn't Mean It", another great highlight, which is a good standard style rock track that's as good an example of Steve's music as any other here, though closing number "Find Your Soul" is certainly an interesting track as well. If you're interested in creative songwriting & enjoy musician's putting everything into their performance, Steve's your man.

For more information, write to 91 Holt Rd, Taren Point, NSW, 2229, Australia or steve@southtech.com.au

TAGYERIT - TUBEMAN

Way back in 1996, I reviewed Tagyerit's debut album Heavy Construction & while it's been quite some time since then, it's great to see that the band are still hard at it & have forwarded their latest album Tubeman, which continues their tradition of cool, slightly quirky pop.

There are some great moments here, with some very good grooves on tracks like closing track "Embarassed (All True)", which is probably my favourite track, sporting an excellent vocal performance as well as some very unusual pacing in the lead guitar.

Other highlights include "Dreading", the fabulous "One Crow Morning", opener "Music Makers", which follows on from where the band left off on Heavy Construction, plus "Outlaw Radio Guy". Once again the band have compiled a great bunch of tunes & it's now up to those of you looking for interesting new releases to get yourselves into this one.

For more information, write to PO Box 0823, Amherst, MA 01004-0823, USA or rich@tagyerit.com

THUMLOCK - LUNAR MOUNTAIN SUNRISE

A Wollongong based band who go to prove that it's not only Tumbleweed who have some great music going on & this band follow in their footsteps, even boasting former Tumbleweed bass player Jay Curley in their lineup at one point, though they are now back to their original 4 piece membership.

We're treated to some great stuff along the length of this 6 track ep, the band already having one prior ep as nearly as I can tell from their bio called Dripping Silver Heat, which sold reasonably well around Australia, the band apparently also about to get into recording of a 10" vinyl release towards the end of 1999, possibly by the time you read this.

The title track is the one that really grabbed me, closing out the track listing at an epic time of more than 7 minutes, featuring some great fuzz-guitar & a wicked bassline, as well as a pretty cool vocal style that recalls some of the old Black Sabbath material, the band themselves confessing that band as an influence.

While all the tracks are impressive, standouts for me were "Starquake", "Dusky Afternoon" & "Summercloud". Definitely an interesting release & I can see a great potential for them when they make their next recording. Fans of bands like those already mentioned & perhaps UK band Reef, Cream or even Deep Purple will be well placed to appreciate where this band are at.

For more information, write to High Beam Music, PO Box 322, Thirroul, NSW, 2515, Australia or info@highbeammusic.com

UPSTAIRS - (SELF TITLED)

A Florida based 4 piece who reminded me of a number of bands, but the best reference for anyone would be a cross between Australian bands Clouds & Frente!, who both had a great sense of pop songwriting. Upstairs certainly have that & work hard to provide a great delivery.

My favourite is closing number "Shellie", which brings all the elements of the band's sounds & styles together in the one song, though I'd have to say that the somewhat more introspective sound of "Monologue" is also very impressive, with real moodiness moving into the song's sounds.

The 5 track ep also features another 3 excellent tracks, "Yours Tonight", "Pieces" & "If Only I Could", the latter being about the most pop oriented here. They've also been fortunate to have some chart success too, showing that there are more than a few fans out there who agree with the band's sound, check their sound out for yourself because there's definitely something brewing here.

For more information, write to 2500 Harrison Ave B, Orlando, FL 32804, USA or upstairs@upstairsmusic.com