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.

A 4 piece band coming out of Albany, New York in the US, with a style which runs along some interesting lines & some very different styles across the length of this album, which covers 9 tracks in total & features some nice artwork to accompany the songs.

There are some great tunes here as well, with the quieter numbers like "Any Other Way" & the slightly aggressive "Thanks For Nothing" making a better impact than some of the others. An fascinating fdiversion here is the jazz infused number "Lori Lounge", which gives a much different impression of their music. Also impressive is the change of vocalists out front on alternate songs. A very interesting collection of tunes.

For more information, write to PO Box 55, Rexford, NY 12148, USA or cjanerun@music.com

HOLLYDRIFT - HAIL THE FROZEN NORTH

It's truly amazing what some people can come up with. If, like some people who review material, I was to play just the first track here, the wonderful sounds to be found further in, would have been lost & I would never have realised that the first track is an all important introduction into what's ahead.

Both the first & last tracks here, "Smile For Me" & "Buried By The Briar" are tracks full of intermixed sampling & all sorts of noise, but it's the vast middle track, "Lost In Flight", that make you appreciate the title of this ep & marvel in it's beauty. As opposed to calling himself a musician, the person behind Hollydrift, is Mathias Anderson, who says he creates 'audio art'. Stunning is the only word

For more information, write to PO Box 620552, Middleton, WI 53562-0552, USA or hollydrift@chorus.net

INFECTIOUS - (SELF TITLED)

A band who are based out of Liverpool in England, Infectious are certainly apart from many bands whose music has come out of that country, relating little to some of the best known bands you might have heard of. What the band do have, is their own interesting style which combines snippets of those better known bands with a more unique feel.

There are slower edged numbers like "Celebrity" which really stand out, alongside the wonderful closing number "Something's Got To Give", while I preferred a whole slew of songs through the middle of the album which have more verve, like "Heaven Falls On Me" & my pick, "Everything I Ever Asked". If you want something more than Brit-pop has been able to offer of late, check this band out, they certainly have what you're looking for.

For more information, write to howard@infectious-songs.fsnet.co.uk

INVISIBLE INC. - POOR FOLK'S WELCOME

A great album from Canadian outfit Invisible Inc., whose music is primarily based on that great principle, if it rocks, it rocks. Driven mostly by an acoustic based format, the band combine harmony & melody with great skill that will impress anyone who hears it & that's sure to be quite a few if they pick up the vibe surrounding the band.

There are some great tunes here, not the least of which is my favourite "Peg", which breaks the tradition of acoustic guitar set elsewhere on the album & rocks out with the best of them, an excellent hook in the chorus & one you just have to sing along with.

Sticking with the rest of the songs, "Dryspell" is a brilliant highlight, as is "High Tide", plus "Thin Disguise". You can't help but be impressed with the music that the band have made on this album & it's a wonder I haven't heard of them before - I think I'll be hearing of them in the future though.

For more information, write c/o Sherri Kearstead, 802-5770, Spring Garden Rd, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H-4J8, Canada or sherri.keirstead@ns.sympatico.ca

NO FLY ZONE - (SELF TITLED)

I came across this band earlier in 2000, when they sent me another demo for review & this latest one has seen the band excel themselves & one wonders just how far they can go if this is only a demo, featuring 4 sublime numbers which would please a stack of people no end.

Sporting a much more focussed lead guitar section, the band's music really absorbs you even at just one listen, opener "Tonight" really a top notch pop song, while "Nothing Is Nothing" really grabs you as well, another more upbeat song called "Yellow" having a great rock feel.

It's the closer though, "Welcome...Me" which really pulls your attention though, the band sounding as though they've been listening to some of The Smiths' recordings from the How Soon Is Now era, the instrumentals simply amazing & the vocals haunting enough to really make you pay a lot of attention - this is a band who could go very far.

For more information, write to "Emiliano Santoro, Via Babbaurra, No 159, 93017 San Cataldo (CL), Italy or pont-neuf@libero.it