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 band out of the US I've come across a while back when their debut album crossed my path for review. Now a year or so down the track, the band's second album has seen the light of day & it's pretty much a killer piece of rocking splendour, without so much as a piece of pretense amongst any of the songs. Comparisons here aren't easily made, but think a cross somewhere between New York band The Strokes & Bob Mould's Sugar & you're someway there.

A band who like their rock, the album opens up with a fairly fired up piece of work called "Anymore", which is easily bettered as we go along the album, with second track "Shinebox" one of the big highlights, sitting alongside "Sleeve It" & "Recovery", though the slightly more relaxed closing number "Waiting" is my pick here. There's little doubt that this band have their formula pretty well down & it should be plain sailing from here on.

For more information, write to 145 N. Lamer St, Ste A, Burbank, CA 91506, USA or mail@flupejac.com

GREGORY HOSKINS - THE KING OF GOOD INTENTIONS

I love the title of this album, which for many reasons, captures the spirit of the album in it's entirety, coming from Canandian artist Gregory Hoskins, who some may remember from his band The Stickpeople, though I have to say I'd not hear of them before.

Whatever the case, Gregory's debut solo outing is a superb effort, with some extremely strong music, his vocal style a sort of cross between Ben Harper in his quieter moments, particularly on opener "Every Day" as well as the vocal style of Paul Simon. There are quite a few great tracks here, such as the slightly latinesque feel of "Carry Me", as well as "A Real Beauty Aches" & my pick, "It's Always Something". Whatever your musical taste, there's sure to be something here to enjoy.

For more information, write to Encore Management Group, B-1004 Bedford Highway, Bedford, Nova Scotia, B4A 1B3, Canada or sherri@encoremanagementgroup.com

HANNAH FURY - MEATHOOK / SOUL POISON / THE THING THAT FEELS

I can't tell you a great deal about this wonderful artist with the exception that she apparently comes from Texas in the US & has a sound that meshes near perfectly with that of Tori Amos, a comparison which she's no doubt endured too many times before, but which fits well.

The sound, as you'd expect revolves largely around voice & piano & across the 3 CDs that have been sent for review, there's a sense that everything that;s gone to record had to be perfect before it was released. If that's the case, then the end goal has easily been achieved.

Oldest of the 3 is a 1998 ep called Soul Poison, which features some superb songs, the opener being "The Necklace Of Marie Antionette", though my personal favourite is the marvellous "Eat The Dirt". Next up is The Thing That Feels, which is a full length album from 2000. The most striking piece of music here is a very short instrumental called "Of Longing & Otherness", which is a haunting piece of piano.

Lastly, we come to the newest release, that being the latest single, released in 2001 called "Meathook", which has been taken from the aforementioned album. There are 3 original compositions, my pick being "Angels & Absinthe", while the remaining 3 songs are by other songwriters, the most notable being an old ABBA song "The Winner Takes It All", this particular version having a markedly different feel to the original. Hannah's music certainly has a wide appeal & I'm rather surprised that she hasn't been heard of more, it's fabulous.

For more information, write to Mellow Traumatic Recordings, PO Box 477, Austin, TX 78767, USA or fury@mellowtraumatic.com

IMAGINARY BILL - (SELF TITLED)

A great 3 piece coming from New York in the US, Imaginary Bill reminds me of a slightly wound back Weezer, with great jangly guitar pop, wonderful vocals & an all around cool feel that you'll get into from the opening moments of the first track.

If you like guitar driven pop, then you'll enjoy this album immensely & it's a wonder that the band haven't made more impact outside their own country given that this album is from 2000. The aforementioned opener is "Clark Kent", which, like second in "Polio", starts with a slightly askew bit of guitar work before the vocals & other instrumentals kick in.Pick track for me was "Wash", though both "About Her Toupee" & the acoustic closing number "My Rusty Trombone" are both standouts, pretty much along with the rest of the album. I look forward to more in the near future.

For more information, write to PO Box 340411, Brooklyn, NY 11234, USA or imaginarybill@aol.com

JOSHUA - PINK FLUFFY NOISE

Coming from the vicinity of Sydney as nearly as I can make out, Joshua's sound has, not surprisingly, grabbed the attention of a local community FM station in 2SER FM & now having heard the band's music, I'm hardly surprised about that either.

Taking an experimental look at their music & fusing electronics, standard rock & guitars into an amazing blend of sound that has to be heard to be believed. The opening song "Monsters In Paradise" has something of a reminiscence of the sound of U2, while second in is the title track, which is a simply stunning moment. Likewise, "Boarding For Mars" & the closing instrumental "Here Come The Beez" are also amazing tracks. What can I say? Highly recommended.

For more information, write to Council Kit Records, 13 Lower Fort St, The Rocks, NSW 2000, Australia or council@joshua.co.il

MX - COLLECTIONS / GONE SNIPE HUNTIN'

The latest couple of releases from US based outfit MX, pulls together a collection of older material, as well as the 8th album from the band, who are building a veritable library of songs & albums for their fans, who have no doubt been waiting for too long.

For those unaware, this is pretty much what Motley Crue should have been doing these days if they were still going strong, with Collections, grabbing material from earlier albums from the band, the pick of which for me were both "Straight Line" & "Fly With Me Tonight".

The new album though, is several steps forward in the band's evolution & there are some great moments here, with a more mature outlook on their sound & a slightly harder yet slower feel on some of the songs, highlights being "Quicksand", "Slip Away", "Let It Out", "W.A.R." & the pick track "Lick This", which rocks hard. Definitely the best things the band have released thus far that I've come across & well worth your while if you're into harder music.

For more information, write to PO Box 45473, Atlanta, GA 30320, USA

NED VAN GO - IN STEREO

Separating from his band of 4 years, The Cowards, this is the debut solo outing for Ned Hill & it's a very interesting album of a slightly country tinged rock album that runs along the lines of some of the earlier R.E.M. material. For reference sake, Ned's from the Nashville area of the US.

The opening track is an immediately likeable number called "Ever Closer", that has good pacing, while second in is a slower number that's further into the country feel called "Complicated Girl" & this style continues on with a few tracks throughout. Possibly the most interesting song construction goes to "Carnegie Hall", but it's the revved up feel of "Hangin' Out At Walmart" that brings home the R.E.M. comparison the most, sounding in similar fashion to that band's classic track It's The End Of The World As We Know It. If you like early R.E.M., combined with a little of the lighter end of Steve Earle's more upbeat material, Ned Van Go should interest you greatly.

For more information, write to 2801 Brightwood Ave, Apt A, Nashville, TN 37212, USA or coward@bellsouth.net

12 PEARLS - DOWN TO THE LAST DROP

A 4 piece coming from Oaklahoma in the US out of a town called Stillwater, 12 Pearls are an energetic band whose sound revolves largely around the rock feel that they convey on most of the songs on this album. The band make a fairly valid comparison with the sound of The Black Crowes, though I'm not entirely sure about the Weezer reference myself.

There are some particularly strong tracks here, from the likes of the guitar oriented "Jade", which is my pick here, alongside "Fantasy", though the closing number "Truth" is certainly well up there with any number of the others here, such as the noteworthy "What Is True". The band's music appeals to a large variety of tastes & I think it's only a matter of time before they make an impact outside their own state.

For more information, write to PO Box 761, Guthrie, OK 73044, USA or TwelvePearlsOK@yahoo.com