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.

From what I can tell, a US based musician, who has given us an interesting if slightly sporadic album with some very good songs. We alternate between the aggressive, highly charged riffs, to the slower & more traditional ballad style songs as well as "It's For You", an eccentric addition of an organ instrumental.

The opening track "The Last Time" is a good example of most of the album's content, which is quieter, as are "So Many Reasons" & "Pop Another Cork", which takes a somewhat different approach to my pair of favourites on the album.

Those tracks are "The Man In The Suit", which beautifully complements closing number "Both Worlds", sporting fantastic overdriven amped riffs & some very well performed vocals. While it doesn't hit all the marks, this album hits more than enough to make it a very interesting release & worthy of your attention.

For more information, write to Abbot Promotions, PO Box 35558, Richmond, VA 23235, USA or apromo@home.com

BLUE YARD GARDEN - NO GOOD SUNDAYS

A 5 piece band from the US, with an unusual sound which resides in a few areas of styles, from the more rock / ballad oriented songs to the more overt traditional rock numbers, driven largely by both the capable vocals of Jeff Zutant & the instrumentals provided by his remaining fellow band members.

I'm always impressed by the way some bands are able to get what is primarily a softer sound into a more aggressive style with resorting to amplification & Blue Yard Garden are able to do this on a couple of occasions here, such as on "Round Of Silence" & the closing number "Soul Shakes".

Favourite track for me here though is the opening number "Simple", which reminds me a lot of the U2 sound around the time of their Unforgettable Fire album. Well & truly a tightknit band unit, I'll be interested to see this band's next evolution.

For more information, write to Abbot Promotions, PO Box 35558, Richmond, VA 23235, USA or apromo@home.com

CATCHPENNY - DAJOM

As nearly as I can tell, a Philadelphia based band who have gotten together some great indie sounding pop rock that verges on the sorts of sounds that Blink 182 have been doing of late, a little bit punkish without subscribing totally to the current punk trends, also giving us some more traditional rock styles.

Probably my favourite track here is "Little Shut Up", an epic sounding song which totals over 5 minutes in length, with great instrumental backing & a wonderful vocal set in what's a reasonably emotional performance & despite the rock surroundings, is an introspective outing.

Others, like opener "I Wanna Be On Fire", "Superhero" & "Kidding Myself" veer more towards the aforementioned punkier sounds, while "Summercamp" & "Tonite/Me" go further to the pop rock styles of "Little Shut Up" & alongside that track remain my favourites. Very good album that deserves much more attention than it's gotten thus far.

For more information, write to Abbot Promotions, PO Box 35558, Richmond, VA 23235, USA or apromo@home.com

HOT AIR BALLOON TO HELL - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

An interesting project put together by 3 musicians from Detroit in the US, getting together a label called Electronic Cow Recordings, with the aim of distributing lesser known indie recordings & getting them out to a wider audience. This indeed is a worthy project & the label have assembled some very cool stuff for your listening pleasure.

There's a surprising diversity of material here, from the straighter rock sounds of Spat! with their track "Toys", to the very cool electro funk of my favourite track "Good Head", which comes from a band I have previously heard of called Punk Funk Honkeys, banding together with another band I'd come across called Manhattan Project.

Along the rest of the way, there's some more great standouts including "It Never Happens", from the amusingly named Sonic Ruth, opening track "Liar Liar (You Light My Pants On Fire)" from California Lightning, plus a heap of other great bands such as Mofoco, Too Many Jennys & Deb Norris. A very impressive debut release from the label & it';s to be hoped that as they call for further submissions for their projects, they can get as good a quality as this.

For more information, write to Electronic Cow Recordings, 512 S Washington PMB#154 Royal Oak, MI 48067, USA or electroniccow@electroniccow.com

LIN - LA FOLIE

Although I've not heard of this band prior to this CD arriving, they've been around since 1991, though a few lineup changes have ensued, arriving at their current configuration in 1997 & it's surprising that the band aren't better known, because they truly are a cutting edge type of band.

Primarily an electronic outfit, they also combine more traditional instrumental sounds such as guitars as well as some superbly crafted electronic rhythms & melodies. About the closest I can get in comparison is Tricky & they certainly have the menace factor of Tricky, the raps & the female vocals working a certain kind of magic throughout.

About the only track that doesn't stand out for my liking is the opener "Communion People", which sounds almost like a return to the 'new wave' dance sounds of the 80s, though the move on to second track in "Lawn Cocktail" makes a great leap forward.

Standouts here were my favourite track of the lot, "Are You Feelin' This", which has the energy of a Public Enemy masterpiece, though the quieter "Sellout Song" is certainly something a lot different, which is driven mostly by the female vocals of June. I also liked the rave energy of "Party Frenzy" as well as the brilliant "State Of The Art". Definitely an excellent addition to your collection.

For more information, write to Dune Records, 48 West 56th St, Suite 5a, New York, NY 10019, USA or label-us@mail.dunerecords.com

MOTOR BETTY - REDLINE

Although it took this band's latest letter & CD to remind me, it's an astonishing 2 years since their last album Super Sounds From The Stereophonic Speedway. This exceptional 8 track ep is nothing short of outstanding & I'm not at all concerned by the 5 listenings I gave it before writing this review.

Apparently recorded with producer Don Fleming, who has been responsible for Helmet recordings as well as some other notable bands, it's easy to see that the band made the right choice in this direction. About the only fault to find here is that there's simply not enough length to the ep as a whole - it really needs about twice as many songs of this calibre to keep me happy.

As the band themselves note, this release has taken them in a distinctly more punk pop direction than their last album, on tracks like the very vibrant "Treehouse" & "Like You", but it's the slightly more rock influenced sounds of "Beautiful, "Choke" & "Cesspool", which are the final 3 songs here, that really grabbed me. A big step in the right direction for all concerned here & worth your while taking a long hard listen.

For more information, write to Skeet Records, PO Box 20200, Greeley Square Station, New York, NY 10001-0006, USA or SkeetRec@aol.com

NATASHA'S GHOST - SHIMMER

A US based 5 piece, Natasha's Ghost remind me most of Australian band Rebecca's Empire, which is a very good thing indeed. Sporting a good ear for what needs energy & what needs to be trimmed back, this album takes a few surprising twists & turns, all the while providing a series of songs that fans of just about any genre will find accessible.

The album opens seemingly with a quieter sort of tune called "Dirty Water", which turns on the nicely aggressive guitar riffs with little effort. It's this track alongside another, simply titled "This", which captured my imagination & made listening to the rest of the songs here, an absolute pleasure.

Other big highlights include closing track "Richochet", "You My Oblivion" & "Everything Stops Here", which are all well written & equally well performed, driven as they are by frontwoman Kelly Neill, ably backed by a competent band of players. If you like good pop music that runs along the border of indie sounds, then you'll definitely love this album.

For more information, write to Fua Records, PO Box 370616, San Diego, CA 92137, USA or fuarecords@aol.com

THE SECOND COMING - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Billing itself as a 'Millennium Tribute To 80s Hard Rock / Heavy Metal', The Second Coming is an interesting album in that it takes some predictable steps towards covering what made the 80s such a strange decade for metal & hard rock in the face of the then New Wave dance sound which was permeating the airwaves, while also taking some not so predictable steps by picking some more obscure numbers with which to demonstrate the sounds of that decade.

One of those songs which couldn't have been overlooked was Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)", here covered by a band I'd not heard of before called Wraith. In fact many of the bands I haven't heard of here, though all provide an impressive performance of their selected tracks.

Another classic hard rock track in the true sense of the word is "Orgasmatron", made famous by Motorhead & here performed by Salvo. A less faithful rendition of a well known track is the Guns N' Roses track "Welcome To The Jungle", given a different treatment by a band called Guttersluts.

A classic song that to me epitomises the 80s metal sensation is Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart", here given an all but true to the song reworking by Red Hot who are apparently a cover band of the Crue & it's this track which grabs me every time, being the timeless wonder that it is. This is a collector's album for those who can't let go of the 80s & also for those wanting to discover the mood for their first time.

For more information, write to Versailles Records, 168 Second Ave, Ste 372, New York, NY 10003, USA or Speedynumb@versaillesrecords.com

SILVERSCENE - THE PENDULUM DEMOS

A great 4 piece from the US, whose music reminds me more than a little of the sweet pop sounds of Lush, which is no bad thing. Almost entirely guitar driven pop, with a very nice vocal performance throughout by Andrea Esperat, Silverscene's music is also just a little reminiscent of the now disbanded Australian band The Clouds.

With 9 excellent songs here, it's very hard to pick a favourite, but both "The Real Jesus" & the stunning instrumentals of closing number "I'm Safe With You" are standout tracks, making for some amazing pop moments, as does "I Wish You Hated Me".

Another track which stands out is "Audriana" & I'm not sure just why that is, but the guitar work on this track is definitely very good. I'll be very interested in what the band come up with next if the songs here are demos.

For more information, write to Abbot Promotions, PO Box 35558, Richmond, VA 23235, USA or apromo@home.com

THE SMITHEREENS - GOD SAVE THE SMITHEREENS

A truly wonderful & highly entertaining album that deserves all the exposure it can get. I've already heard a little bit of the opening track prior to receiving this album for review, from the band's Australian distributors, that track being "She's Got A Way", which in itself is an excellent example of this great US based band's music.

Even better things await throughout the songs found along the way through this album, with an amazing moment being found second in on "House At The End Of The World", a song which is fronted by a female vocalist called Carrie Akre, who also co-wrote the song.

I was blown away by some of the music here, including the sublime "Someday" & "The Age Of Innocence", though my 2 favourite songs actually close out the album, "Try" & the amazing "The Last Good Time", which has such a mesmerising riff & general sound that it'll be a firm favourite for some time to come. Also of great interest is "All Revved Up", which sounds almost like a tribute to the sound of The Beach Boys. Most definitely one of the albums you need to pick up this year for certain.

For more information, write to Koch Records, 740 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, USA or koch@kochrecords.com

VIVIAN SLADE - (SELF TITLED)

A wonderful album full of songs mostly driven by the acoustic guitar as the primary instrument sitting alongside Vivian's wonderful voice. The style reminds me most of that of Ani DiFranco, though with a good deal less anger in the songs.

The outstanding effort from my point of view is the unusual construction of the fabulous "Shiver", which uses a strangely paced acoustic guitar & percussion effect to bring the song together. Whatever the philosophy behind that construction, it works extremely well.

From the opening track I knew I was going to like the album, songs such as opener "Move", the closing track "I Don't Do It" (as well as the bonus number unlisted at the end), plus others like "Tonight" & "My Best Dress". There's a lot to like & I suspect even more yet to discover about this album & it's more than worth your while to find it all out.

For more information, write to Abbot Promotions, PO Box 35558, Richmond, VA 23235, USA or apromo@home.com

WEIRD UNCLE BETTY - IN PORN WE TRUST

At first impression, you could be forgiven for thinking you'd discovered another Jesus & Mary Chain or Prodigy wannabe until you go a bit deeper & see exactly what the band are into. Lots of wild & thrashing electrobeats combined with a certain rebel rave fusion going on, this is a semi hardcore electronic outing that will have clubbers thanking their lucky stars they've discovered the band.

Opening up is a slow moving groove called "Sexorama" that moves into "Lolita", a pretty cool inclusion that stands out from the crowd until you hit "Shemale Thunder" late in the track listing, a real epic electronic number that'll have you ready for another dose.

Along the way, you're treated to pretty high bpm tracks like "Pure Hardcore" & slower moments like the very impressive "The Intruder", which is another favourite. Overall, you'll need to like electronic sounds in a big way, but if you do, the rewards are certainly there.

For more information, write to Dune Records, 48 West 56th St, Suite 5a, New York, NY 10019, USA or label-us@mail.dunerecords.com

WORLDJAM: SINGLES - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A very worthwhile project this. A US company called Worldwide Records is has gotten a compilation series together which will be sold as a boxed set. This compilation is the set of singles from that boxed set & contains some very impressive music, mostly of a more mainstream style. What's the most worthy here is that some of the proceeds of the sales of this album will be going to help various charities around the world in an environmental capacity, via the setting up of the Worldwide Trust.

Pick tracks here for me are the opening pair, "Twistin' In The Wind" from Jeff Paris & the very impressive "Midnight In Your Eyes" from Teri Tims, though the bluesy "Bad Little Girl" from Frank Montoyna & "Probably Be OK" from Flatliners are also pretty cool.

The boxed set edition will apparently feature 4 CDs of music as well as CD-ROM components containing all sorts of information & interesting activities. Apart from some great music, there's a worthy cause to be supporting here, so definitely take a listen to this.

For more information, write to Worldwide Records, 4455 Torrance Blvd, Suite #237, Torrance, CA 905503, USA or worldjam@aol.com