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.

Dividing his loyalties between the US & Latin America, ATU has a very diverse & experimental sound which crosses a number of divides in music, often bringing them crashing together, pulling beat poetry, rock, electronica & driving rhythms together.

The opening track is one of those hypnotic sorts of effects with a very insistent bassline that'll keep you trained on the central sound with a poetry reading throughout, reminding me a little of the sound of Soul Coughing.

Other tracks like "Ellos Quiserian Ser Tp Madre" & "Rascacielos" are more in the tradition of pop rock, yet others such as the epic "Strange Money Blisters" moving into the electronic fields. Here's an artist doing some very interesting things - take a listen.

For more information, write to Plan Z Media, 6139 Jackson St #1, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 or info@planznow.com

MITGES - BOPTRONICA

A truly fascinating release from an apparently Canadian based outfit. The project, for want of a slightly better description, is something of a recreation & reworking of an earlier release, titled Density, where Jamie Mitges has pulled some samples from the original sessions, which were apparently more jazz oriented & has created a marvellous electronic world of music.

It's a very interesting album, with 21 tracks, around half of which are short unnamed instrumental interludes. However, it's the full length songs that these interludes link together which are the real meat in the sandwich so to speak.

There's some excellent material here, including the wonderful bluesy "Thinking Man", which could easily have been pulled from any Morphine album, as well as numbers like "Summer Daze" & "Density". If you're into innovative electronic sounds, interspersed with jazz influences, then you'll be more than ready for this album beholds.

For more information, write to B Group Music, 2200-2202 Jane St, Unit 2, Box 10, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3M 1A4 or bgroup@bgroupmusic.com

DON MACKIE - THE MACK ATTACK

An artist coming out of the US, whose music is a sort of lighter pub rock sound, which harnesses the sound of blues, grabs handfuls of straightline guitar riffs & lightens them, up somewhat, adding vocals over the top. An older album (1996), Don has been recording since 1978, so I expect he's gotten to a fine art in the process of recording music.

Across 8 tracks, Don's slightly higher pitched vocals are quite a focal point of many songs, with "8.30", "Movin' & Shakin'" & the very interesting closer "Title Town" 3 of the best examples of Don's music here, though many may differ in their opinions of which are the best songs. Something quite different to what many are doing in these days of electronic pop.

For more information, write to PO Box 53, Capron, IL 61012, USA or donmackie@music.com

FLUIDIFIED - LIFT

coming out of the Sydney area of Australia, Fluidified's new album Lift is a very diverse blend of styles. The band have been around since 1995 & this is their second full length album by the looks of things for the 3 piece & features a bunch of guests as well.

There's a distinct 'lounge' element on some of the songs here, though some of the tracks, particularly "Love In A Day", which is my pick here, are purely blues oriented. There's some great highlights here, many of which include a hefty keyboard element which stands out. Some of the picks include "Give It All", "Shoulda Neva" & "Just Like A Star". Take the time to check out this band, I expect they're even more impressive in a live environment as well.

For more information, write to rawsugar@bigpond.com

GABRIEL'S HOLD - STRUBLE SESSIONS

Not entirely sure about the heritage of this 4 piece from New Jersey in the US, but their style is very good, pulling together a largely acoustic based format across the length of this ep, coupling in with fiddle on occasion & a light percussion which enhances the songs very neatly indeed.

The pick here for me is "Janie", which has a great feel, but any of the other 3 songs here, such as "Tino & Ray" really grab your attention. I'm a little intrigued as to whether the scope of the band's music includes louder songs at all, but the quieter end of the spectrum really makes this CD something to check out.

For more information, write to PO Box 415, Towaco, NJ 07082, USA or gabrielshold@hotmail.com

KALEIDOSCOPE - SLOT CAR SLUT

Like Western Australia, there seems to be a growing number of bands rising out of South Australia, with the sound of Brunatex now followed admirably by Kaleidoscope who have been getting some decent airplay on Triple J for the title track off this remarkable single from the Adelaide 3 piece.

The title track is a great piece of pop rock, driven largely by guitars & a very strong set of vocals front frontwoman Kylie Cowling. That vocal talent again makes itself felt on one of the bonus tracks "Desire & Change", a truly amazing piece of music that's mostly based around the vocals & the wonderful acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Likewise, the slightly rough edges around a demo version of one of the band's other tracks "Child" hardly seem to matter, with another great guitar driven pop rock number. There seems little doubt that Kaleidoscope will be making their presence felt in the very near future, which should be bright for them indeed.

For more information, write to 13 Devon Ave, Stirling, SA or kaleidoscope@tpg.com.au

THE RENOVATORS - LIVE AT PETE'S 12-7-91 / MERRY CHRISTMAS

It's been a little while since I came across this band & while the date on one of these reads a 1991 live session, it's only been released during 2000 - go figure. The second of the titles here is a Christmas album which arrived just too late for me to check out in time for Christmas, but it's an interesting blues rock Christmas album that really moves in different directions from most Christmas albums.

The Live At Pete's album is excellent & the band obviously love their blues influences, picking tracks from Jimi Hendrix like "Little Wing", Stevie Ray Vaughan's Pride & Joy", plus a great vibed up version of Hendrix's "Fire", which sounds great live. The band obviously enjoyed playing on this album & it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. If you're into blues & bar room rock, then I urge you to take a listen to this.

For more information, write to 84 Craft Ave, Bronxville, NY 10708, USA or MisterAl@aol.com

SEO TAIJI - ULTRAMANIA

A very unusual sound for a Korean artist on this album, but the style will be reasonably familiar to fans of Korn, early Regurgitator or any of a number of bands, though the songs are all originals & apparently it's a genre that's yet to rise to any great degree in Korea. Seo Taiji has been a hugely successful artist in his own country & from the accompanying press material (including older songs), the sounds have covered everything from the more expected electronic pop, to hip hop & now into harder edged rock, which is a very interesting move.

About the only obstacle to anyone English speaking music listener is the language barrier, but the sounds, including the vocals are exceptionally enjoyable & the production is superb, as is the presentation of the album. There are a couple of odd tracks here which differ slightly, including the hip hop influence of "Orange" & the hidden track at the end of the album "To You", which crosses more into the punk sounds of bands like Green Day & The Offspring.

There's some great highlights here, with a very brief opener "Item", moving on into the brilliant aggressive guitar driven "Tank", which is very cool, as are other shining moments like "Internet War", "Metropolis" & my pick here, "Do You Remember", which harks back to the blues influences of Hendrix & Led Zeppelin, while also managing to cross into the sound made by bands like Nirvana & Soundgarden, except with more of a hardcore edge.

Anyone who takes the time to investigate this album will find music that's really on the cutting edge, while also pulling influences from past music without plagiarising it. The evolution made since previous releases is also remarkable & I think perhaps the time has really come for the rest of the world to discover this exceptional talent.

For more information, write to Minnie Chi via minniechi@hotmail.com

STIRLING BRIG - THIS WAY OUT

An independently produced album from this Californian based 5 piece, whose music reminds me of a multi combination of bands like R.E.M., Alice In Chains & Creed to name a few. The real sound is somewhat more complex than that explanation gives, but there are times throughout the album that you'll be able to pick those sounds quite distinctly & make the comparisons yourself.

My preference on this album is for the slower styles of songs that the band have put together, on tracks like the wonderful "Sacrifice" & "She's An Angel", while a more aggressive nature of song can be found on "Ah Sid" as well as the more lengthy closer "Man In The Moon". With an array of reference points throughout music history, with everything from rock, blues, pop & ballads, Stirling Brig's music will find a very wide audience of fans without any difficulty.

For more information, write to 322 Culver Blvd, #214, Playa Del Ray, CA 90293, USA or email band@stirlingbrig.com