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A 4 piece outfit coming of of Queensland in Australia, who have sent along a single track to check out. The sound is definitely a lighter ended pop, with some excellent vocals spun over the top, which fans of some of the more introspective XTC songs will get into.

Already mentioned, the title track here, is a pretty cool effort & I'd like to hear a little more of the band's music before I would know if this is really representative of the band's sound, but whatever the case, it does show a band with some promise in store - let's hope they can follow through.

For more information, write to charmingtigers@hotmail.com

GRISE - (SELF TITLED)

The anger management classes obviously haven't worked terribly well for this 4 piece Australian outfit, whose music is a very cool aggro blend of fuzzy guitar rock. The band are apparently about to record their debut album & if this is any indication, then we should all be on the lookout for it.

There are 4 tracks on this ep, with the opener "Belly Up" a nice slap in the ears, but unfortunately short. "Sweet Fish" on the other hand, really grabs hold of what the band are capable of, but the highlight is definitely "Grin Through Teeth", which is far & away my favourite & the angriest slice here. Look out for the next installment.

For more information, write to PO Box 673, Hornsby, NSW 1630, Australia or grise@live.com.au

GROW YOUR OWN VOLUME 6 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

The 6th in the series of great compiles from the Damien Gerard Sound Studios, helped along by Foghorn Records, an offshoot of the studios, which has provided assistance to indie musicians in getting recognition for some time now.

The compilation features 17 bands, none of which I've come across before & only one of which I've actually heard of, but all of which have put a fairly stellar effort into the songs here. Opener is Arcade with "Irreverance", which is a catchy straight up rock track, while going a little more for the indie guitar rock is Miasma's brilliant "Tagious".

There's a couple of great punk outings with both AKA & Rated X & some nice softer edged number from both Guddling & Scarlet. A superb highlight comes from a band I think we'll be hearing much more of here, an angry little outfit called Sulo & their prized inclusion "Pray", which draws comparisons with Rage Against The Machine & Tool - it's sure about time we had a seriously angry band come out of Australia & Sulo appear to be it. There's not a dud track here & more than a few highlights. You owe it to yourself to check these bands out.

For more information, write to PO Box 920, Rozelle, NSW 2039, Australia or dgss@optusnet.com.au

HITCHCOCK'S REGRET - REGRETFULNESS

Not entirely sure about the name of this band, but at least one of the members comes from my own area of the Central Coast of New South Wales. I won't make too many references to other bands here, but the sound of some songs really reminded me of the great yet simple radio pop of The Police at their height of popularity, especially the vocalist, who shares a not insignificant similarity with Sting.

The opening track is "Amnesia", which will draw a lot of fans I think, with a great chorus section that quietens the song down just a little & works all the better for it, while other numbers like "Jerry" are a little more aggressive in mood.

There are other excellent songs here, such as "Things Can Go So Wrong" & the closer "In From The Woods", though nothing else here can improve on my favourites "The World Didn't Care" & "I Don't Love You Anymore". I'm pretty impressed by these guys & look forward to hearing some more from them in the near future.

For more information, write to Paul Grant, 127 Woy Woy Rd, Woy Woy, NSW 2256, Australia or rockdog@heard.com.au

JOHN CITIZEN - (SELF TITLED)

A 3 piece rock outfit out of the suburbs of Sydney, who grab a beat & stick with it from start to finish, which is always good to see. Not sure how new this 5 track ep is, but it's marked with a 2000 date, so they may have more in store for us in the near future.

An interesting & catchily chorused opener is "Gravity Is Getting Me Down", which goes for the more upbeat brand of pop rock, while "Blah Blah Blah" also has that very catchy style of chorus, my pick actually being "Love Me Hate Me", though the interest is still there on the epic closing number "Cry Like A River", which draws comparisons to the more balladic tracks which Guns N' Roses featured on their Use Your Illusion albums, at least in the instrumental sense that is. The band just about have it down, only a sense of not quite enough variety in their styles holds them back, though their sound is very competent.

For more information, write to 60 Bay St, Croydon, NSW 2132, Australia or prox@talent.com.au

THE MITCHELLS - (SELF TITLED)

A pretty cool 4 piece out of the US, whose sound is not too far removed from that of the outstanding XTC, as quite a few people I played this to remarked. That said though, the band do have their own sound & style & all 3 tracks on this CD have obviously had some good work put in.

The opener "Flashlight Hunter" & middle track "U.S.S. Macon" are both great pop tunes which seem just slightly off, but it's this that really makes them work so well & makes both tracks very addictive. The closing number "Cheap Date" is the one which eventually took the pick for me, slowing the pace somewhat & broadening the focus to include more of the instrumental. This CD is apparently from 2000, so I look forward to hearing some more great new tunes in the near future.

For more information, write to 148 King St, Northampton, MA 01060, USA or dcalebw@javanet.com

PANGLOSS - (DEMO)

While the band sent this great 7 track ep off for review, they forgot the all important contact details, but fortunately did send a mini bio, which indicates that they're out of the US & apparently have some fans & airplay outside the US, in both France & Germany, which sounds promising, as is their music.

There are 3 tracks which really stand out here, from the slow start of "Maniac", which didn't really push my buttons too hard, but once we got a little further in & caught up with the wonderful "Taste The Sun", which has all the elements of great indie sounding guitar pop, I was hooked. Also very notable here are both "Undress" & the equally impressive "Almond Blonde", which reminded me just a tad of Sonic Youth. Very cool.

Unfortunately, there are no contact details for this band at hand.

RESONATE 2001 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

A great compilation project which has been completed because of an initiative of Brisbane City Council, who seem to have a pretty forward looking attitude as far as youth type projects go, judging by the results of this CD. There's some great music here too, from a variety of bands, none of which I'd come across before.

Opening up is an electronic outfit called Mobius 3, whose track "Zero Residual Presence" is a really cool effort, backed admirably by a rock outing from Filler called "Underworld Overlord", which is also a pretty outstanding piece, though some might prefer the softer edges of Tuffnel's Roadworks In Progress", which has some excellent vocals, or maybe the punk outing of Gazoonga Attack's "Cinderella", but whatever your tastes, the bands here are very competent & deserve some more exposure. Check 'em out.

For more information, write to Brisbane City Council Information, GPO Box 1434, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia or Subtone, PO Box 12707, George St Post Shop, Brisbane QLD, 4003, Australia or email subtone@bigpond.com

SANITY ASSASSINS / DISPOSSESSED - (DUAL DEMO)

An interesting cassette tape sent from these 2 US based bands, which apparently dates back to 1993. The sound quality is not real flash, suffering from dropouts & a substantial hiss throughout both sides of the cassette, but the music itself is interesting in that it reflects a style pretty much initiated by bands like The Stooges, Iggy Pop & the hardcore element of Black Flag.

The band Sanity Assassins are what I'd call somewhat harder edged, with some of the highlights being "Flicknife Temper", "House Of Insanity" & "Shape Shifter", while a slightly softer sound, but still pretty hard on it, with my particular favourite tracks being "Waiting For The Sun" & "Blue Washed Room". I don't know if these bands have released anything else, but given some better production, hey definitely have something interesting to offer.

For more information, write to PO Box 380152, E. Hartford, CT 06138-0152, USA

THE SCALLIONS - SUMMER SAMPLER 2001

Self described as 'avante garde' pop, this US based outfit pretty much fit that description extremely well & their music across this 6 track ep is certainly slotted nicely into that genre. The band certainly diversify their sound here too, which is an excellent way of introducing their sound to a new listener such as myself.

While the opener "2" is certainly an interesting & slightly eclectic feel, the sheer brilliance of "Gladys" has the band doing a marvellous blend of pop that many bands aspire to throughout their career. The unfortunately short closing number "Innocence Denied" is another highlight. Certainly a band worthy of further investigation I would think.

For more information, write to Shawn Franklin, 7-B2 Concorde Way, Windsor Locks, CT 06096, USA or sammy8@ix.netcom.com or kgrave2000@hotmail.com