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.

The solo project for Scott Brodeur, who comes out of the US, I think from the state of Massachusetts. He's presented a new 6 track ep which deserves more than just a cursory sort of listen if you get the time, with some very interesting sorts of sounds.

The opening track "Not Like You" & in fact a few of the other songs here reminded me of Australian band The Church, though I doubt that's his inspiration. "In My Chair", for me was the real spotlight track which has some wonderful percussion, though also very notable is the closing number "Cut & Run", which really reminded me a lot of early Bob Dylan music. With a couple of CDs now released, I hope to see an album's worth of material following on from the quality of this one, though I'd like to see a little more work on the production / recording front as the sound on occasion seems a little 'echoey'. Otherwise, an excellent effort.

For more information, write to 139 Bouchard Ave, Dracut, MA 01826, USA or brobox@hotmail.com

CRAVE - (SELF TITLED)

A pretty excellent album from this New York based 4 piece, whose music runs across a pretty wide variety of influences, but really stands tall on it's indie guitar pop heritage, with comparisons to bands like Weezer, Sonic Youth & the like being well founded.

Opening very strongly with a couple of tracks called "Meant To Be" & "Stained", which are both awesome efforts, the band continue on into some more upbeat sounds on tracks such as Surreal" & "Conspiracy Song", before navigating to the brilliant "The Anti Tech", of which Radiohead, who the band cite as an influence, would be very proud. Definitely a very cool album that deserves all the attention it can get.

For more information, write to 123 Lafayette Avenue #1C, Brooklyn, NY 11217, Australia or cravenyc5@aol.com

DAVE TILTON - ;-)

Yes, you read the title right, but don't ask me much about the title as it's apparently a reference to a Beach Boys' Smile recording session. There are some great moments here for you to check out on what I'd best describe as a 'minimalist' recording with relatively few instruments along for the ride, but it's really a great pop album.

There are many moments here you'll actually find yourself turning towards the speakers just to hear what's coming next, such as on the excellent "Bourrage" & "Susana Park", though none moreso than "Carsfashiondrive", which is instantly recognisable as a wonderful mutation of 3 classic tracks, Gary Numans Cars, David Bowie's amazing track Fashion & finally, The Cars' Drive. & it's here that Dave manages to bring his best work to the fore, strangely yet effectively backed by a banjo. A seriously lighthearted piece of pop.

For more information, write to D-Side Records, PO Box 1593, Martinez, CA 94553, USA or d_siderecords@yahoo.com

ERIC STORM - MEASURING STICK FOR COOL

Having been involved with bands in the past such as Blind Side, Eric Storm now sets out to release his own material & apparently work is underway for a full length album, this apparently his first solo release as a solo artist, though I may be wrong there.

This is a 4 track single & is sort of divided in 2 halves, of which opener "Dreamer" & "Fade Into The New" move into a sort of more vocal oriented guitar pop, while both "Turn Me On" & the unusually titled "Cobain's Shotgun" head more into the mid 1980s 'soft metal' sound, for which fans of the earlier Guns N' Roses material will find very interesting. These last 2 tracks are live recordings from his time with Blind Side & The Pozers, so if you're a fan, these will no doubt be of interest.

For more information, write to TNA Records, 9090 Skillman #182A-1203, Dallas, TX 75243, USA or TnaRecords@6thfloor.com

FRIENDS OF MESCALITO - NAGUAL MUSIC FOR TONAL PEOPLE

A band out of New York, whose music is somewhat surprising at times, grabbing handfuls of inspiration from so many sources, such as grunge, eastern mystical & everything in between. this is the band's 3rd album apparently & it will no doubt interest more than a few due to it's sometimes experimental nature.

The band go all eastern on "Monkey Temple", which reminds me just a tad of some of The Beatles' more out there music, while "Float If You Can't Walk" is a great track that could quite easily be what Jimi Hendrix would be doing these days if he were still here. Beware, as some of the stuff here is a little experimental, but you should enjoy a lot of it.

For more information, write to W.O.O. Direct / Sweetstuff, PO Box 249, Knickerbocker Station, NYC, NY 1002-0249, USA or info@wooweb.com

 GEEZERS OF NAZARETH - SUNGLASSES

I don't know much about this apparently UK based band, but their label sent a promo copy of their track "Sunglasses" & it's a slightly eclectic sound, but extremely addictive & one that I'm sure many people will fall in love with for it's sheer catchiness.

The song, interestingly, revolves largely around a very simple keyboard section & a strangely off-key chorus, backed by some great noisy vocals & an insistent percussion section. there aren't any real comparisons one could make to this particular track, but my curiosity is certainly up to hear some more from them.

For more information, write to Rodeo Meat Records - c/o Mud Hut Records, The Cabins, Stokefield Farm, Knightsbridge Lane, Pyrton, Oxon, OX49 5AT UK or binni@mudhut.co.uk

GRANT LANGSTON - CHINESE FIRE DRILL

I seem to remember coming across Grant's music before, but where I'm not sure. Whatever the case there may be, this is apparently Grant's second release & it's well worth checking out, with good comparisons being both John Mellencamp in his earlier more rock driven moments around the Scarecrow album era & R.E.M.

With a hint of country here & there, Grant has constructed the songs largely around storytelling & has done so very well. The opener "Slice Of Misery" is one such country infused track, though my preference is for the brilliant "Humbo's Clown Room" which is my pick, sitting nicely alongside "The Word". Definitely a well rounded release that caters for a pretty wide variety of music listeners.

For more information, write to MSG Records Promotion, 8524 Appian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA or MereC@grantlangston.com or grant8la@aol.com

GREEN CIRCLES - GET ON THE OUTSIDE OF THIS

A great debut album from 4 piece outfit Green Circles, who come out of South Australia, where there have been more than a few very good bands. For comparison's sake, probably you'd get the best picture by thinking Happy Mondays crossed with The Beatles, if you can imagine that, but think good guitar driven pop & you're heading in the right direction.

The whole album will definitely hold your interest I reckon from start to finish & songs like "Bucket Full Of Nothing" & "Paper Scissors Rock", as well as "Do You Sing?" are all attention grabbers, but the closing number "Stephanie Comes", a slightly quieter effort in general, really steals the show for my liking. Certainly a great debut effort & I think they'll garner a lot of fans with this album.

For more information, write to 84 Arlington Terrace, Welland, SA 5007, Australia or thegreencircles@hotmail.com

HC-3 - SPACE AVENUES

Wonderful wonderful stuff this, coming from a band out of the Czech Republic. The band really grab hold of both sides of your head here & pretty much ram their hard edged rock into both ears with a nicely aggressive set of riffs & a very cool sounding vocalist.

Fans of bands like Tool will certainly find themselves in familiar territory, but there seems to be quite a lot of verve added by the band's sounds & I love each of the 4 songs on this single, which is apparently the forerunner of a new album entitled You. While opener "Space Avenues" really cooks, the bass at the opening of "Deeper Way" is on another level, backed well by "Painful Hill", a fast & furious effort & bettered only by the stunning closer "Sunny Insane". If this is anywhere near as good as the album, we're in for a pretty awesome experience in the near future. Can't wait.

For more information, write to Bent Records, PO Box 896, Benalla, VIC 3672, Australia or bent@listen.to or info@hc-3.com

KILLER KHAN - ROCK N' ROLL FOREVER

I've come across this band once before, when they sent their last release for review & this time around, they've sent a re-release of their album from 1996, which pretty much stands where their last album did in terms of style & sound. Performing a particular style of metal which evolved out of bands like the oft-cited Black Sabbath & Judas Priest, Killer Khan's sound remains true to that genre.

The track which really stands out here is "Hammer Of The Gods", which is a real winner in so far as the album stands, with other notable tracks being "British Barbie", "The Hated & The Damned", as well as the title track, which closes out. If you like your rock hard & with that 'big hair' era sound, this is your band.

For more information, write to PO Box 1466, Mooresville, NC 28115, USA or killiankhan@aol.com

M. HEADPHONE - OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT

A couple of years back, this band sent their last album, The Apex Barbecue, which was an awesome piece of rock work that was very diverse & original. Now the latest installment of the band's music, the rather cleverly titled Our Future Depends on it, has arrives & it's also pretty amazing.

I loved all the tracks here, including the excellent, if slightly eclectic unlisted number at the end of the album. Overall, the band's sound on this album would best be described as a great cross between say Weezer & the wonderful At The Drive In.

As mentioned, I loved everything here, so it's hard to pinpoint a favourite, but the numerous highlights include the opener "Boulder", "Sun Kill Me Slowly", "Sniper", which is an excellent number, as well as "Anjel". The band have evolved somewhat in their sound, grabbing a little more aggression & a handful more innovation, so get out & check this out.

For more information, write to PO Box 455, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA or trevorcoen@yahoo.com

MONDO - THIS IS THIS

With the current popularity of bands like Muse out of the UK, I'm pretty sure that this band will also grab their fair share of the spotlight when people get hold of their lushly rough edged guitar sounds that grab their influences from all over the place, but if you're into great rock, I think you'll enjoy this album immensely.

The current single from the album is an interesting track called "i=aM+U", which calls in the band's citing of Sonic Youth as an influence, especially on the opener & fans of that band will certainly find themselves right at home. The album has much more to offer than that though, with some even better songs sitting later on.

Probably my pick here would be the fabulous "On Leaving", but I also liked some of the quieter songs. The opener "One Of Us" is also a real highlight, but pretty much anything is definitely a winner. The other big track for me here is the quiet / loud "For Wooden Cars", which closes out. All up, just a wonderful listening experience.

For more information, write to Mud Hut Records, The Cabins, Stokefield Farm, Knightsbridge Lane, Pyrton, Oxon, OX49 5AT UK or binni@mudhut.co.uk

THE PETER BARO BAND - ON THE EDGE

It's always good to see a band doing their own material & it sounds as though this band, who have been performing covers for nearly 10 years, have gotten themselves together to write their own stuff. By & large, the songs here really stand up on their own, with only one that didn't really do it for me.

The opener "Distant Star" really reminded me of the music of Neil Young, though there's really quite a difference in the vocals, only the instrumental really making any real comparison. There are quite a few other impressive numbers, not least being "Your Words", which has the ring of the wonderful Ben Folds to it, so fans of that artist will love this track. Likewise "Angel In Disguise" might remind you of a few other bands. A great package overall & one that looks set to be a landmark for the band's career I think.

For more information, write to Russell Sheehan, PO Box 1183, Woonsocket, RI 02895, USA or Yarnek2269@aol.com

ROBIN BROCK - HIDDEN POWER

A very impressive album from Canadian solo artist Robin Brock, who's not indisposed to get stuck in both in rock & with some slower tunes. A first listen will inevitably draw you towards her powerful voice, while a second will open a wider vista to you that's ready to be explored.

Some traditional rock & roll is the premise behind opener "I'm Doin' Fine (Without You)", which could easily have been the signature tune of the album, but there are better songs here, like "You Let Me" & "Don't", which to me showcase Robin's voice much better. Also very notable are closing number "That Scares Me" & "After The Storm". For fans of strong female vocalists who like their rock, you'll love Robin's music.

For more information, write to The Rock Empire, R. R. #1, Malakwa, B.C., VOE 2J0, Canada or lbowolin@telus.net

SACHA SACKET - ALABASTER FLESH

A Californian based artist whose sound reminds me of just a couple of bands, but by & large, he's out on his own, save for a reference to artists such as Tori Amos, who is probably the best reference point as a comparison to Sacha's music for fans of piano driven songs.

Unfortunately, Sacha didn't forward a track listing with the album., but there were quite a few moments here that deserved attention, like the opener, which has an excellent vocal performance, while the overall feel of track 5 for me was a better song, topped only by the Vangelis sort of feel on the ninth song, which was the pick for me. Certainly some excellent songs here & we can only hope for more.

For more information, write to Golden Sphinx Records, PO Box 8148, Calabasas, CA 91372, USA or sacha@sachasacket.com

TUNGSTEN - THE ABUSE

A fairly dark sort of sound from harder edged US based outfit Tungsten this one, recorded during 2000 & which has produced some fairly good moments & ideas, for the most part carried off pretty well, though the closeout of at least one of the songs seemed more than a little premature.

Probably the opener "Who's Drinking With The Devil Tonight" & the somewhat harder sound of "Just Another Junkie", which has more of a razor edge to the riffs. the other highlight track for my liking is "Nectar", but any fan of hard rock will certainly get into the sounds here.

For more information, write to Al Hodge, 319 Third St, Pearl River, LA 70452, USA or tungsten@tungstenmusic.com

WORLD OF TOMORROW - III

From what I can gather, this is a 5 piece band out of the US, this particular CD a live recording, apparently done in Ohio. The whole CD is pretty much experimental, with rock leanings & if you found the John Lennon & Yoko Ono album Two Virgins interesting, then I think this will most likely be for you.

There are some moments here that I did find interesting, but the CD as a whole is something of a challenge to an uninitiated listener, with tracks like "Bake In Neon" & "Check List" the preferred mode of listening for me, but if you like experimental jazz fusion sorts of things, then you'll find this interesting listening.

For more information, write to W.O.O. Direct / Sweetstuff, PO Box 249, Knickerbocker Station, NYC, NY 1002-0249, USA or info@wooweb.com