Somewhat difficult to pick a favourite number here, as there’s a whack of cool sounds to be had, but “Hatrick” is a definite big one for my liking, as is “Irreverence”, though there’s no rhyme nor reason for it, just my personal preference. Another brilliant piece is “Traitor”, thogh the nicely titled “An Angel Has No Memory” is something else again. I certainly hope to hear a little more from this band sometime soon.

Open My Eyes is out now through Foghorn. hEARd rating 8.5/10

CAPITAL CITY - CAPITAL CITY VS. THE BANGKOK LADY BOYS

A band I’ve only briefly come across before, courtesy of the opening track here, which is an absolute corker, but the whole ep is certainly well worth the effort, which I’m sure most will agree with me after checking out what’s on offer here. Some interesting titles here too, not the least of which is the ironical “La Douche Vita”, which for music history nuts will ring some bells.

The whole ep features some rather interesting sounds which border almost on the punk leanings, but if you can imagine a slightly slower version of punk, mixed with some more traditional rock & perhaps rockabilly in similar fashion to that of The Stray Cats, you might be nearing something like this band’s sound. Pick for me is the opening track “The Working Class Is After Us”, but others such as “Talkin’ Talkin’ Blues Blues” will certainly pick up your interest on the first listen. Well worth the effort & not something you’ll be able to compare to much about.

Capital City Vs The Bangkok Lady Boys is out now through MGM. hEARd rating 8/10

CHANGE OF FACE - JEALOUSY WITH A HALO

A very interesting ep this one, with some great grooves which sit squarely in the semi-punk arena without a doubt, some great pop grooves which will interest a lot of people, coupled with the fabulous guitars & basslines that would entail. Another West Australian outfit this one & they’ve done very well with production & songwriting, as the whole ep is well worth checking out.

“The Premiere” is probably the track which will most interest listeners, though others such as opener “Every Sense Of The Word”, “Square Pegs” is another which is much in the same vein as the others here, but odd man out for me & the song which I particularly find the most interesting is “The Issue Is Not The Issue”, a track that’s just got an edge that the others haven’t quite got, though they are still all impressive.

Jealousy With A Halo is out now through Rabbit. hEARd rating 8/10

3 IN A ROW - FOLLOW ME HOME

Cool sounds verging on your more traditional pop rock on this single. A local Australian outfit with an interesting name that may or may not be a bit of a p#@$take on commercial radio’s format. Whatever the case, the band have their own sound which is not quite so easily defined & the great tracks here are worthy of your attention in any case. The sound is largely oriented as mentioned around the rock style, with some great guitar work pretty much the signature of the band.

Picks for me on this 4 track single would have to be both “SOB” & “3 Questions”, though I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s the cool riffs whcih envelope the sound. Also interesting is the closing number “One Last Thing (Before You Exit)”, which I loved & will certainly see a lot of people looking more closely at the sound this band make. I don’t know how long it’ll be before we see anything more from 3 In A Row, but I’ll be looking forward to it.

Follow Me Home is out now through Didgeridoo. hEARd rating 8/10

ANDREW HORABIN - GEORGIE BOY

By the sounds of it, a solo political activist artist who’s more than a little p$@#ed off with the state of affairs of the US. The songs do range away from that sledgehammered topic, with some pretty humorous efforts along the way & some more folk inspired efforts that remind me for some reason of the work of Weird Al Yankovic, but this is pure Australian humour, which means that some of it may be lost on people outside Australia, though of course that’s not the intended audience.

Probably the most noticeable track here would have to be opener “Georgie Boy”, which is, as you may have guess, all about George Bush Jnr. There are digs about Australian life itself on “Welcome To Australia”, the rather unfortunate religious movements in the country on “Christianity Took My Girlfriend” & a wide variety of other topics covered across a fairly lengthy album. If you’re looking for something a little different with the odd laugh here & there & don’t mind a well beaten drum belting you over the head, this might be down your alley.

Georgie Boy is out now through Ovation. hEARd rating 7/10

FULL SCALE - WHITE ARROWS

I first came across Full Scale while driving along & on the radio popped up the awesome opening track of this 6 tracker & it blew me away. What blew me away even more was the quality of the whole ep once I managed to listen to the whole lot & I’m sure there’ll be more than a few rabid fans who will agree with me on this.

The opening track just mentioned is an awesome slice of blistering commentary called “Party Political” & aside from the fact that it’s one fantastic piece of music, there’s also the lyrics which as you’d expect from the title, are highly politicised. The vocals here are good enough, but you’ll be lown away by the awesome lead guitar, a trait of the band which becomes more obvious throughout the ep.

Equally impressive is the excellent bass & the percussion as well, but overall, the wole band are a very tight unit & there’s no weak spots here. Reference points are numerous, but one in particular is Tool/A Perfect Circle, on “Empty Texas”, which is an outstanding piece of angst, tied up in a tight little ball of aggro that’s just cool & slightly menacing at the same time. Rounding out the remainder of the ep are some more surprises here, with a more conventional sound on “Smiles”, while the broody nature of some tracks returns on closer “Five-Six”. All up, this is a first class piece of work & will grab any hard edged fan out there like it did me.

White Arrows is out now trough Popstar. hEARd rating 9/10