This column reviews albums & singles released worldwide (i.e. not in a particular country). If your company wants an album reviewed on these pages, then you should read this. If you are in an unsigned band & you'd like your demo tape or CD reviewed, you should go here instead.

Comparisons to artists such as Tori Amos are well founded on this, the debut album for US based artist Anny, whose album is certainly a lush visual & audial experience, combining a reasonably extensive CD-ROM component with some superb artwork into the whole package which will no doubt be the talk of many music listeners in the near future, once word gets out.

The opening track is a nicely constructed pop outing called "White Lipstick Girl", that servers as something of a pre-emptive intro to the album, before heading into some wonderfully crafted songs that move away from pop, such as "Purple God", where Anny's voice really comes alive.

Along the way, tracks like the amazing closing number "At The End Of The Road" & "Medusa" serve only to enhance the already impressive list of songs, but it's the stunning melody & vocal treatment of "Slowly" that really sets the album off. My only doubt about the project as a whole is that rather plump looking fairy which fashions as your cursor in the opening of the CD-ROM )

For more information, write to mppr@bigfoot.com

BANDPROMOTE.COM DECEMBER 2000 SAMPLER - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A company I'd only heard about from the US, doing similar promotion of bands to Indyhits.com, this is a very cool selection of 1 track from 10 bands, crossing over a few different styles, but remaining reasonably focussed on the more guitar driven pop end of things than mainstream pop.

Opening track comes from a band I'd heard of before called Lazlo Bane, whose track "Trampoline" really kicks, slowing somewhat for the second track "Julian" from an artist called Amy Atchley, whose inclusion is a great number that a lot of people will go for.

All the tracks here are great gems, but a couple of real standouts include the second last track "Dreamstalker" from Glitter Mini 9, which is one of my favourites, as well as the slightly Fu Manchu-esque grunt of "Gonna Break" from 7th Heaven. Well & truly worth checking out all the bands featured here.

For more information, write to info@bandpromote.com

BANDPROMOTE.COM MARCH 2001 SAMPLER - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A company doing similar things to both Australia's own The Big Backyard & US organisation Indyhits, Bandpromote.com's March 2000 sampler features some wonderful music from a range of very interesting acts.

Opening up is the very upbeat "Hook It Up", a guitar driven pop number from a very good band called 12 Volt Sex, while on a somewhat more rhythm & funk driven feel is "I Cant Stand t", from Soulcracker, who bring a great bass heavy feel to their track.

Some other highlights throughout this compilation include the brilliant grunt & grind of "The Lure Of St Elmo" by Pill Shovel, though my personal favourite is "Mafioso" from Dora Flood, though the Tool-like sounds of O.H.M.'s "Become The King" are certainly noteworthy. Check out some of these very cool sounds, you're sure to find some great stuff here.

For more information, write to info@bandpromote.com

BEV - (SELF TITLED)

Forming in 1997, Californian based Bev are certainly a band of many sounds. Across the album, the band's unique sounding pop feel reminded me at various times, of U2, Supergrass & a number of other bands besides, though there's nothing I can really put a finger on as far as solid comparisons go, revolving their way through great pop sounds sometimes driven by guitar, sometimes by vocal & at others, a nice fat bass.

With a decent musical heritage behind them, Bev manage to bring their music a fresh feel on this debut album for the band. Some of the many highlights include the very interesting opener "Beautiful World", "Steam Train", which is a real favourite, "Raise Your Hands" & the closing number "One Thousand Miles", which is a slightly slower style for the band. I'll certainly be interested to see where the band's next step takes them.

For more information, write to PO Box 17017, Fresno, CA 9344-1701, USA or bev@bevlounge.com

BINGIE BARKER - REBEL.COM

A truly remarkable history behind this Canadian based artist, who unsurprisingly came out of the roots of Jamaica to bring you this very interesting CD, of which this is a promo edition, featuring 5 tracks, with apparently another 5 tracks available for download from Bingie's MP3 site.

There are 3 original tracks here, backed admirably by 2 very interesting covers, but it's the original songs, "Smile Like An Angel", "Office Overtime" & "Mr President", which are reggae style that really hold their own, with Bingie's very good vocal style which isn't over the top. The covers, "Wild Thing" & "Fever" are as you'd expect, classic tracks done somewhat differently. If you're into reggae sounds, then you'd be hard pressed to find a better example than Bingie's music.

For more information, write to 30 Palsen St, Nepean, Ontario, K2G 2W1, Canada or bingieb@sympatico.ca

CHRIS FRANKLIN - MULLET HEAD

Not someone I've previously heard of, but Chris Franklin already has something of a history behind him, being a sort of Australian version of Weird Al Yankovic, for want of a better description, with an apparently solid reworking of Meredith Brooks' track Bitch, entitled 'Bloke'.

Bearing that in mind, it shouldn't be too surprising that Chris, a big fan of Australian pub rock legends The Radiators, has reworked that band's tune Gimme Head, into what you see here as the title track. International readers should be aware that the 'mullet' is actually an infamous haircut that's somewhat legendary in Australia. We're presented with 3 different versions of the track, as well as the original track by The Radiators, though whether it's a new version, I'm not too sure. About the only thing that concerns me here is that it might spread - the haircut, not the song that is :)

For more information, write to ACMEC Records, PO Box 393, Erindale Mail Centre, ACT 2903 or a.plaing@interact.net.au

DUF DAVIS & THE BOOK CLUB - MURDERTAINMENT

A great album, this latest project from Duf Davis & The Book Club, running some different styles along the tracklisting, but certainly gaining some great mileage from the largely acoustic guitar based tunes on this album, producing a couple of real gems.

There's a lot of interesting work here, from the slightly jazz infused "When Hollywood Came & Burned It All Down", through to some wonderful acoustic moments such as "Where Is Fear Passing", but the absolute highlight for me is the remarkable opener "Abraham Lincoln", which grabs a wonderful acoustic riff & runs with it. Great production for the most part, really assists in setting the excellent tone you'll feel here.

For more information, write to Orange Entropy Records, PO Box 1198, Hightstown, NJ 08520, USA or info@orangeentropy.com

ENCOMIAST - WINTER'S END

They say that in space, no one can hear you scream, but if you could hear anything, I reckon that this album from Encomiast would be as close as you could get up there, or perhaps it's what you might hear during a stay in Antarctica. Whatever the case, Encomiast manage to bring a real moodiness to the sounds on this CD.

The opening track is "Io" & it's a track that brings a real sense of foreboding, grabbing an atmospheric ambience & pushing it through the epic 6 or 7 minutes of it's length. Likewise, tracks like "If I Dream I Have You" & the title track offer a similar feel, broken only by the closing live number "Nymph", which is almost as the title suggests, a real change in season. Certainly a project for lovers of unusual sounds.

For more information, write to Lens Records, 3023 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657-5200, USA or lens@lensrecords.com

FATIGUE - DOES ANYBODY WANT ANYTHING DOWN THE SHOPS?

Anytime you see something like the title of this album, you know you're heading into an Australian album, as that's a typical question around just about any Australian household. Some will remember this band having been around before, producing the much played "Dizneeland", which aired quite a bit on Triple J around the country & again makes an appearance on this album.

Now having gained themselves a recording contract, the band have been working hard & now, here's the debut album, which will no doubt propel them into orbit as one of the hottest bands in Australia in the punk arena, as the band's music is a sort of pop / punk fusion with the barest taste of ska thrown in.

There's some great guitar work right across the album, as with much of the other instrumental, plus quite a few golden moments on the vocals as well, but songs as a whole are most certainly fairly thick on the ground here, with the second half of the album featuring short but oh so excellent snippets like "Chevys", "Cuniform" & closing number "We Play", though I have to say that "Beer Off The Ground" is a big highlight for me. If you want some fresh stuff in this sort of style, Fatigue are certainly your band.

For more information, write to PO Box 190, Glenbrook, NSW, 2773, Australia or fatigue@hotmail.com

GEOF JOHNSON - THE SEA, BEACH & SUMMER STUFF

The second album Geof has presented for review, this following his brilliant album of kid's tracks about animals, this one instead concentrating on the summery end of things, well timed for the start of the American summer, but unfortunately not so well timed as Australia enters it's coldest time of the year.

Kids will certainly love this album, as exceptional as his last, featuring some great, bright melodies & rhythms on songs such as "Hot Sand", which has a real Jamaican feel, as well as the opener "Monkey With A Coconut", which really sounds like a kid's reggae tune. So many great tunes here that parents will love, from those already mentioned, through to "Beach ball", "Swimming In The Pool" & "Catch The Wave". Surely only a matter of time before he's discovered as the next big children's entertainer outside his local area.

For more information, write to midisong@mindspring.com

GLASSHAWK - (SELF TITLED)

Based out of New York in the US, Glasshawk are in the process of recording their second album & in anticipation of this, the band's label have forwarded the band's debut album, which is a pretty good listen for the most part, the band sounding a little like some of the early material from Guns 'N Roses, during that band's slightly softer period.

It took me a few tracks to really get into the sounds here, but in particular, I think "Flying" would definitely be my pick, with a great rhythm, though "Drivin'", "Nothin's Happening" & "Rain" are all very impressive moments that a lot of people will enjoy. It'll be interesting to see how the band have evolved on their second album.

For more information, write to Sun Valley Records, PO Box 5025, Brookfield, CT 06804, USA or glasshawk@earthlink.net

J.C. & THE NOISE - NATURAL CHILD BIRTH

Not too sure of the background on this particular album as it arrived without any info. Filling out 8 songs on this album, J.C. & The Noise have a very relaxed feel across this album, particularly noticeable from the opening track, though a couple of songs have a somewhat different perspective.

That opening track is called "Waitin' On A Dream" & it's a great inclusion here, taking a nice acoustic feel & some slow vocals with a strangely addictive rhythm. Across the album, there are some rather eccentric moments, such as the closing number "Dead Composers", but the pick for me is the U2-esque sound of "16 Pages". Certainly a different sound than you might otherwise hear.

For more information, write to Orange Entropy Records, PO Box 1198, Hightstown, NJ 08520, USA or info@orangeentropy.com

JOE TURLEY - WHEN THE JITTERBUG BITES

Coming out of Nashville on a label called Boogietime, you' hardly expect Joe Turley to come up with anything more or less than old style fresh sounding boogie music. As expected, high quality music ranging around that style is just what we're talking about here.

With an already lengthy stay in the music industry, guesting alongside some well known musicians, this latest chapter in Joe's musical history is a pretty interesting little collection of tracks. The whole album runs along similar lines & if you're into this sort of music, then you'll love the album.

Along the way, there are some pretty cool numbers, running from the opening cut "Ging Ginga Ding" & "Ring That Bell", as well as "Don't Dawg This Cat", while a wildcard entry is the quite different feel of "Tango Mi Corazon", which as the title might suggest, has something of a latin flavour. If you're looking for something a little different, then you'll certainly be surprised here.

For more information, write to Ginny Foley, 250 Maple St, Secaucus, NJ 07094, USA or Ginnymar@aol.com

JOHN BRODEUR - TIGER POP

Coming out of New York state in the US, John Brodeur is something of a phenomenon, grabbing your head in a way that's just not natural & ramming some very addictive sounds into it without even touching you physically. This is one mighty album & features a variety of very diverse songs which will no doubt attract many listener.

I'd have to liken a number of the most catchy tracks, such as "Infected (With Your Love)", "Dying For Me" & "Changing Your Mind (Again?)" to the sound of Weezer, though perhaps a little less rock oriented than that band's music, while others, such as the acoustically driven "Kitten" & closeout track "Peace", are more introspective. John's music will certainly live on in your mind for weeks afterwards - perhaps some sort of medical warning might be in order.

For more information, write to Mr Duck Records, PO Box 8961, Albany, NY 12208, USA or tigerpop1@popstar.com

KATHY SEPTEMBER - (SELF TITLED)

The debut self titled ep from Kathy September is certainly one for up & coming artists to aspire to. Vocally, Kathy reminded me just a little of the lead vocalist from People, though there's little similarity stylistically. The songs themselves, all co-written by Kathy herself & other songwriters.

An ep rounded out by 5 songs, a couple of which are very competent pop efforts, including the impressive opener "Guilty Roses" & the even more impressive "Burning Bridges", which has a great guitar line, though my preference here is the superb "Redemption", which rests halfway between a pop song & a more ballad-like style, the vocals here extremely impressive. Altogether, this ep is an excellent debut, worthy of much attention & one that certainly rivals or even betters music sitting at the top of the charts currently. Well worth taking a serious listen to.

For more information, write to Nambshub Media via tym@usa.net or kseptember@hotmail.com