MERE THEORY - TOWERING SUN

This is an interesting 4 tracker from Mere theory, a band who at times across the ep remind me more than a little of the sound overall of Frenzal Rhomb for some reason, but there’s more of te epic sound of hard edged fast rock than the punk-ish leanings of that band to my ears, but a very interesting listening experience all up & one that I think a lot of people will be quite surprised at.

I don’t know which track to pick here as any kind of highlight, because they are all excellent specimens, in particular though I guess, the closing number “Towering Sun”, the title number would have to end up being my favourite. I suppose the particular reference point for Frenzal Rhomb fans would have to be “All In Time”, not because of any overall similarity between the 2 bands, but the vocals & a minor instrumental feel. Pretty cool ep all up I reckon.

Towering Sun is out now through Building. hEARd rating 9/10

NATHAN GAUNT & THE BLACKEYED DOGS - ESCAPE & RETURN

Nearly as I can remember, Nathan hails from sunny Western Australia, from where there seems to be just a little too high a concentration of great bands over the years & the flow of great talent doesn’t seem to be diminishing. A very interesting effort this one, with an excellent bounty of 13 tracks to fill your ears, from all sorts of styles, a little bit mystic, a little bit country, a little bit rock & all points in between it would seem.

There’s a pile of highlights here, from the opener “Genius Or Fool”, to “Come Home” & “Let The Light”, which range through the various styles here, Nathan’s quite am,azing vocal style not too far removed from the late great Jeff Buckley, almost hauntingly so, while the closer “The Distant Light That Guides You Home” is a distinct departure from the rest of the album. Pick of the lot for me is the stunning “Sail On”, which stands head & shoulders above an already outstanding album. this ought to be a priority for anyone serious about good Australian music.

Escape & Return is out now through Daydream / MGM. hEARd rating 9/10

NOONDAY UNDERGROUND - SURFACE NOISE

A very interesting album’s worth of music this, with the band going for some extremely unusual sorts of sounds, some quite modern style, some harking back to that lounge-esque sort of sound which was peculiar to the late 1960s for whatever reason, but I quite like some of the older sounding tracks here & overall, it’s a great listening experience for sure.

There’s some very cool highlights here, such as the outstanding opener “Surface Noise”, which is a little bit of an eye opener as to the rest of the album. I had to love songs such as “When I Fall” & “Hitch Your Wagon To The Stars”, but in the end, my personal pick is the wonderful “Boy Like A Timebomb”, which has the best vocals & a haunting sort of instrumental backing. Superb.

Surface Noise is out now through Liberation. hEARd rating 8.5/10

THE PANICS - A HOUSE ON A STREET IN A TOWN I'M FROM

A pretty fabulous album full of very classy pop performed by a band who have won over just about every critic who's had any contact with them. As a listener, I for one am certainly very impressed with the quality of the songwriting, as well as the outstanding tight performance of a band who are obviuously very confident in their abilities & they manage to put together some very slick efforts here.

There are a great bunch of songs here, from the opening track "This Day Last Year", right through to closer "I Give In", but there's a lot more substanbe throughout the middle of the album than just those couple of tracks. Picks for me here include the very impressive "Out Like A Light", "Silence On The Street" & "Give Me Some Good Luck", but the fave is "Fire On The Hill", which I'm sure some may pass over. Definitely the best thing I've heard from this band to date.

A House On A Street In A Town I'm From is out now through MGM. hEARd rating 8.5/10

POP SCENES FROM PERTH - (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

The liner notes quite rightly refer to the remarkable variety of fabulous pop & rock which constitutes the West Australian music scene & the term ‘what are they putting in the water there?” is definitely something a lot of people (myself included), have asked over a now extended period of time & with this compilation, that great tradition continues in big stacked spades.

There are some outstanding efforts here, not least by one of the highlight bands in Halogen, whose track “Walkaway” is a big favourite, followed closely by other excellent artists such as Team Jedi, Evil Knievel, whose opening track “Ikey Mo” is brilliant. Likewise, we get to hear some great tunes from the likes of Spencer Tracy with “Ocean” & the rather subdued & lovable “Toone (She Was Right)”, from the ever surprising Cartman. One of those albums you definitely want to check out.

Pop Scenes From Perth is out now through Zip. hEARd rating 9/10