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I had a real feeling that I'd come across this band before & it wasn't until a few songs into this album that I checked out the press release accompanying this release that it all came together. Bilby is the project of former Bidston Moss & Kinderland members & the feel is definitely there & it's excellent heritage from which to form a band.

The sound is definitely a more stripped back feel than that of Bidston Moss (though I can't say I'm all that familiar with Kinderland to make any real comparison). The opener "Valium" is wonderful, the vocals outstanding & while it seems like the pace is picking up, it's a sort of aural illusion.

So many great tracks here, I can't really take favourites here, with "Little Lost", "Puddles" & "Empathy" just a select few of the great songs here. Given the right exposure, there's almost certainly a future ahead for these guys. Catch onto the wave before it hits the beach, you won't be disappointed.

For more information, write to PO Box 108, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia or mungmoss@hotmail.com

DAINAMI - THE PROCESS

With numerous comparisons to many bands, Dainami (who didn't indicate where they're from in the accompanying letter), certainly have definite similarities between themselves & Tool in particular, as well as to a certain extent, Deftones, though it's a bit of a stretch to the other comparisons as far as I was concerned.

In general, the sounds here reflect a real interest in guitar driven rock & layered song construction such as that of Tool & A Perfect Circle. While no tracklisting was included, a couple of tracks really stood out at me, with the 6th track, I think called "Whispering" one of my faves, though it was eclipse by the complex epic closing number which appeared to be called "The Colour Of Love". The band's sound has definite appeal to a wide range of listeners, so check their sound out.

For more information, write to Dainamimusic@verizonmail.com

FIAB PRESENTS - WHAT'S GREEN & RED?

The second - if I remember rightly, compilation of some great bands from in & around the Banyule area of Victoria, the album here put together to showcase acts out of that area to the rest of Australia & around the world. Like the last compilation, there are some very cool numbers here from some quite diverse bands.

Spilling the eccentricity quotient over is the very interesting "Breathe Of Fungus" from Harbinger, a song which nearly defies description, but deserves some attention because of the unique style. Steering more firmly towards traditional rock sounds is the high quality tune "Jump Off Season" from Sideshow, which is another standout here.

Likewise, there are some other big highlights, such as a slower edged rock outing called "Tempest" from Kynen", as well as the excellent closeout tune "Clone" from Rezin, which reminds me quite a bit of some of the early Nirvana tracks. Definitely a great way to discover some great new music.

For more information, write to Mark.Hobbs@banyule.vic.gov.au or fiabmail@yahoo.com.au

GOLD TOOTH DISPLAY - BLINDFOLD

Other than this band come out of the US, & are a 5 piece, I know nothing about this band except the music that's planted across this very good album of great rock that covers a fairly wide variety of styles from top to bottom & which includes at least one excellent crowd favourite.

That track is an excellent live recording of an old Ram Jam classic called "Black Betty", which gets the crowd moving, but there's better to come further on through the tracklisting. While the opener "Ghost Town" is interesting enough, sitting firmly in the middle of the album are 3 in a row that really have the band cooking, from the more pop oriented "Pleasure", the band crank it up a notch or 2 with "Blindfold" & "Lickety Split". Check these guys out, there's plenty more where this came from I'm sure.

For more information, write to bill@goldtoothdisplay.com

LORD LITTER - JUST BLAME EDDIE

From what I can gather here, Lord Litter is an act out of Germany, whose sound revolves largely around guitar accompaniment & grabs some great sounds across the album, which sits right on the 12 track mark. There seems very little in the way of percussion on any of the songs here, but that doesn't detract from what is an interesting project.

Those into the guitar backing kind of song will love many of the tracks here, with some of the more notable standouts being a Nashville version of "Don't Send Your Blues My Way", as well as both the title track & another called "The Green Fleet", while closer "Talking To Your Dog" is probably my pick.

For more information, write to Dittmar, Pariser Str 63, 10719, Berlin, Germany or LordLitter@LordLitter.de

MEATBEE - QUIET ROOM / MARVIN

A 2 track single that I think is the debut for this Canberra 5 piece, fronted by a very strong female vocalist in Kate Sullivan, who really adds something out front of these couple of songs. The video for this single was apparently deemed 'innappropriate' for UK TV, but Australian music video program Rage on ABC TV didn't have any such problem & having viewed it a couple of times myself, I find it hard to see where any problems may lie.

Nevertheless, it's the music that's the focal point we're all here for & "Marvin" of the 2 songs for my liking, is the pick of the pair, featuring some nicely aggressive moments & having a catchy sort of chorus that grows on you. As the name implies, "Quiet Room" is somewhat stripped back when compared to "Marvin", but it does open up another face to the band's music, showing that they're capable of more than just rocking out.

For more information, write to ben.lopez@anu.edu.au

MERGE - INTERFACE

A wonderful 4 piece band from the Sydney area, Merge truly have what it takes to get themselves better known across Australia & around the globe, with an exceptionally strong vocalist in Kylie Dean-Wilcocks & a very competent backing band, all of who are not afraid to take their sound to a few different styles.

The opening track "Some Kind Of Devotion" is obviously seated in the right spot to really grab your attention, with a strong electric rock ethic throughout & it's given here in a radio & full edit, with Kylie's voice wonderful. Tilting differently though is the next track, "Lucy Fell", which also gets a couple of runs, one being a superb acoustic effort, which is in a similar vein to my favourite track here, "All I've Got Is Me". As this is the band's second release, I think there may well be stronger stuff yet to come. It'll be hard to top this, but we can only hope.

For more information, write to 7 Miriam Rd, Denistone, NSW 2114, Australia or kyliez79@hotmail.com or mergemusic@hotmail.com

THE MOVIES - (SELF TITLED)

A very likeable 3 track single from a 5 piece band called The Movies, who set out to charm their way with great female vocals & a keen sense of what works in a pop song. The band cite influences like The Beatles & The Zombies, but it's The Bangles that the similarity in sound most identifies with.

Al 3 songs are pretty strong in their own right, but it's opener "I Sent Him To The Sea" which is the real pick here, everything just pulling together in great fashion. The single rounds out with a couple of great tunes called "She Tied A Rope" & "The Loser". This is a band with an immediately addictive sound in the best tradition of pop.

For more information, write to german7-11@rocketmail.com

NUDGE SQUIDFISH - A DIFFERENT KIND OF FAME

I know pretty much nothing about Nudge Squidfish, who is a US based artist as nearly as I can tell, his album released on the 'do it yourself' indie label Orange Entropy, whose artist's styles are extremely varied. This is an album with just over a dozen tracks & I think people who like blues infused rock will certainly get a kick out of this one.

Opening is a great track called "Give Me Danger" which appears to be an Iggy Pop composition & the style certainly leans that way, while along the way, there are some very cool numbers such as "Fairy Tail", "Shifting Sands" & "Bar God". The guitars & vocals are the focal point here on most tracks & there's a lot to explore.

For more information, write to Orange Entropy Records, PO Box 1314, Burbank, CA 91507, USA or info@orangeentropy.com

PIPE BOMB - HOW 'BOUT NOW?

As nearly as I can tell, this is New York state based band Pipe Bomb's second release, which follows their debut 5 track ep called Half Price Beatin', which in itself was a stellar effort. This album carries the load easily & I reckon takes the band's steps in evolution well forward.

A very cool bass ended track called "Killing Time" opens up, as expected with the requisite amount of aggressive guitars, percussion, bass & vocals all doing their duty & we move through the album in similar fashion, with some standouts such as "Shot", "Dead" & "Restitution", though as a pair, closers "Shep" & "Neighbour" really grab a handful of hair & yank it out for mine. A very accomplished debut album, so I think the band will only grow stronger from here.

For more information, write to trabucco@bard.edu

THE SCREAMIN' JAMAICAN - (SELF TITLED)

An interesting concept this, an Australian based but Jamaican born artist, whose music has that feelgood quality that many artists strive for many years to achieve. I hesitate to compare the music here to that of Ricky Martin,m but there are some limited similarities that some will definitely find.

There are 3 tracks on this single with no tracklisting, but the middle track I think is called "Mess With Me" & it has a really good groove that you'll get into, while the opener is a more straight up R & B flavour. Closing out, the track has a real latin sort of rhythm, which is where the Ricky Martin comparison rears up. If you like your music with a bit of bump, you'll love what The Screamin' Jamaican is doing.

For more information, write to the_screamin_jamaican@hotmail.com

THE SOUND PLATFORM - THE MISSION OF A SAD MAN IS GLORIOUS

A very diverse collection of songs on this 7 track ep / mini album. Ostensibly a 4 piece based around the Melbourne area, but with apparently lots of help from a variety of people, this ep is excellent, pulling in some very different sounds with a fantastic range of instruments.

A couple of moments here, such as the rather eclectic sound of the title track & "Red Wine Grey" don't serve as a great introduction to what the band are capable, but "Millions Of Birds" is a wonderful sound, pulling great vocals, guitars & percussion, while an even more poppy feel is delivered on the short but sweet "To The Sky". very cool indeed.

For more information, write to Low Transit Industries, 171 Ramsden St, Clifton Hill, Melbourne, VIC 3068, Australia or lowtransitindustries@thesoundplatform.com